Weekend Preview: Global Champions, Spruce Meadows Masters, HITS Saugerties $1 million GP

romeA horse and rider familiarize in the Roman Stadium for Global Champions Tour. PC: Stefano Grasso/LGCT

With the Rio Olympics and Labor Day Weekend in the rear-view mirror, you might start to feel the melancholy nip in the evening air and watch in horror as your horse’s slick summer coat starts to shed out. Your consolation to the concluding summer season? The world’s best are never at rest!

It’s going to be a big weekend for show jumping fans, and we’d be doing quite the disservice if we didn’t give you all the details. Here’s the who/what/when/where for the second weekend in September, which has shaped out to be one of the biggest weekends of the year.

Global Champions Tour – Rome

The Global Champions Tour is back from a long hiatus and getting your attention with a star-studded lineup in the most historic city in the world.

LGCT Ranking leader Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) and second place man Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) will be in Rome, as well as wunderkind Bertram Allen (IRL), Ludger Beerbaum (GER), and Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani (QAT), who placed sixth in his debut Olympics.

American riders in Rome for the tour as well as the Global Champions League include Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut, Emily Moffitt, Kim Prince, Schuyler Riley, and Paris Selton. This will be Kim’s debut performance in the GCT.

LGCT Rome: [Website] [Complete Rider List] [Schedule] [Livestream (Free!)] [Global Champions League]

Spruce Meadows Masters and Nations Cup

There’s so much going on in Spruce Meadows alone this weekend, it would keep our whole website abuzz on its own. Highlights from the ‘Masters’ Tournament include Friday’s Mercedes-Benz Evening of the Horse, which hosts the exciting ATCO Six Bar competition; Saturday features the BMO Nations Cup, with teams from around the world competing for top honors; and Sunday highlights the CP International Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, with a staggering $2 million in prize money up for grabs in this year’s event.

The American Nations Cup was selected late last week, and is comprised of the following individuals:

  •  Quentin Judge
  • Lillie Keenan
  • Maggie Mcalary
  • Hardin Towell

quentin judge lillie keenan maggie mcalary and hardin towell

The Spruce Meadows Masters will also feature the Rolex Grand Slam of Jumping. The first leg was won by German Philip Weishaupt on home soil at the CHIO Aachen in Germany, and he’ll be in Calgary to attempt his shot at history.

Spruce Meadows Masters: [Website] [Attending riders and horses] [Livestream] [Live Results]

HITS Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix

It’s championship week in New York for what they call “The Richest Weekend in Show Jumping” – More than $2 million in prize money is awarded over 5 days, including the $1 million Grand Prix. But there’s also some other sizable purses for the non CSI5* horses, including a $250,000 Hunter Prix Final and $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, a $250,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Prix, and a $25,000 Pre-Green Futurity.

Many of these events and more will be available on HITS TV. The streaming schedule is as follows:

HITS TV Schedule:
Saturday | 2pm EST – $100,000 Hudson Valley Jumper Classic
Sunday | 8am EST – $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final
Sunday | 11am EST – $250,000 Black Barn Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix
Sunday | 2pm EST – Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI – 5*

HITS Saugerties Championship: [Website] [Live Updates] [Facebook Page][Live Stream]

We’ll be bringing you coverage from all the weekend action, so keep it locked on Jumper Nation!

Go Jumping.