Sometimes the fastest way to win is to slow down, and Kassidy Keith understood that perfectly.
Kassidy Keith (CAN) clocked 42.31 seconds in the $75,000 ATCO Cup CSI3* Grand Prix 1.50m at the Summer Fort Classic at Thunderbird Show Park, designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER), with 18 combinations on course and 3 jump-off qualifiers. Keith crossed the finish with Havana to claim her first international victory at 1.50m, her best result to date. “Lately I’ve been turning too tight, and then I end up having a rail. So today I was just trying to go smooth.”
The tactical decision proved decisive at the final fence. “I saw a long one to the last fence, and I just said to myself, slow down one step, get her back, get her balance back. And it worked out.”
Havana is a 14-year-old bay mare (Cardento 933 x Judgement), owned by Keith herself, a long-standing partnership she takes great care of. “I would like to have her for three or four more years. We try to use Havana carefully.”
Karrie Rufer (USA) stopped the clock at 44.46 seconds with Shanroe Peeters, a 12-year-old bay ISH gelding (Dallas VDL x Condios) owned by Morning Star Sporthorses LLC. She shaved nearly a second off Closson’s time but could not reach Keith. Bryna Closson (USA) posted 45.32 seconds with Meteoric Rise, a 9-year-old bay KWPN gelding (Hotspot x Diarado) owned by Closson herself, the first to return in the jump-off and set the early benchmark.
James Chawke (IRL) came home with 4 faults in 76.60 seconds with One Edition, an 11-year-old chestnut AES mare (Otangelo x Kannan) owned by Vanessa Mannix. Charlie Jones (GBR) closed the Top 5 with Morice F Z, a 10-year-old bay Zangersheide gelding (Mosito van het Hellehof x Bamako de Muze), with 4 faults in 77.29 seconds.
Latin & Pan American Presence
A Pan American victory for Kassidy Keith (CAN), an all-Pan American Top 3 with Karrie Rufer (USA) second and Bryna Closson (USA) third. Tiffany Foster (CAN), Pan American Games team gold medallist at Toronto 2015, placed sixth with 4 faults in the first round. No Latin riders competed.
Top 5 Results — $75,000 ATCO Cup CSI3* Grand Prix 1.50m | Thunderbird Show Park Summer Fort Classic 2026
| Pos. | Athlete | Horse | R1 | Jump-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kassidy Keith (CAN) 🇨🇦 | Havana | 0 | 0 / 42.31 |
| 2 | Karrie Rufer (USA) 🇺🇸 | Shanroe Peeters | 0 | 0 / 44.46 |
| 3 | Bryna Closson (USA) 🇺🇸 | Meteoric Rise | 0 | 0 / 45.32 |
| 4 | James Chawke (IRL) 🇮🇪 | One Edition | 4 / 76.60 | — |
| 5 | Charlie Jones (GBR) 🇬🇧 | Morice F Z | 4 / 77.29 | — |
