The prestigious CANA Cup took centre stage in Spruce Meadows’ iconic International Ring on the second day of the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament. The 1.55m qualifier for the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, welcomed an outstanding international field, including newly crowned individual World Champion Steve Guerdat and fellow World Top 10 riders Ben Maher, Daniel Deusser and McLain Ward. All eyes were also on World No.1 and Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping live contender Richard Vogel, who was seeking a fourth consecutive CANA Cup victory following wins with United Touch S in 2023 and 2024 and Cloudio in 2025.

Clear rounds proved elusive in the first round, with more than 20 combinations tackling the demanding course before Germany’s Sophie Hinners became the first rider to master it. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher later joined her in producing a foot-perfect performance, guaranteeing a jump-off aboard his bay gelding, Corlander.

The time allowed proved influential, with seven combinations completing the course without jumping faults but collecting time penalties. Among them was Canada’s Kyle Timm, who finished agonisingly outside the time allowed with just one fault. Last to enter beneath the clock tower, Lillie Keenan and Kick On delighted the crowd with a clear round, completing the line-up for a three-way jump-off against the clock.

Returning in the same order as in the first round, Hinners was first to go and set the standard, producing a clear round in 43.78 seconds aboard the 14-year-old grey gelding Iron Dames My Prins. Maher was next to return and delivered another faultless round but crossed the finish line just over three seconds slower than the German.

Keenan was therefore the only rider who could deny Hinners the title. Delivering an exceptionally smooth and fast round, the American stopped the clock 2.75 seconds quicker to secure her first CANA Cup victory.

Speaking on her victory, Keenan commented: “Coming to the ‘Masters’, you always want to start on a strong foot, so it is great to get a win today. Every single class counts, but of course, we’re working towards qualifying for Sunday. After jumping clear in the first round, I knew I had done that, and my horse is just so talented at going fast. His name is so appropriate. When I went into the jump-off, I really just felt like we should have fun and do what we do best.”

Reflecting on the time allowed in the first round, Keenan continued: “I’m all for a tight time allowed, honestly, because I think the way our sport has gone, there are so many talented combinations. You can only make the jumps so big, and what makes our sport so special is that it is also an art. It’s about that unison between horse and rider, and you have to achieve that under time pressure. If you take away the opportunity to really take your time and reset, then finesse is what it comes down to. I love a tight time allowed, I’ve got to be honest. I think it was brilliantly done today, and it made for a really fun jump-off.”