Rising after the fall – Ben Maher lands show jumping’s richest prize
England’s Ben Maher embodied the British adage of ‘keep calm and carry on’, coming back from a crowd-gasping fall one day to win Spruce Meadows’ $5million CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex, the next.
“Yes, I hurt myself. I’m getting too old for that,” Ben said, of the fall that raised a question mark over whether he should sit out the final class of the annual Rolex Grand Slam – admitting that while he did not think twice about competing in Sunday’s finale of the Spruce Meadows Masters week in Calgary, Canada “other people did”.
While 43-year old Ben’s fitness may have been less than one hundred percent, that was not the case for his partner 12-year-old Enjeu de Grisien, as the pair battled through three rounds of competition that culminated in a jump off – the pair taking the win. “Enjeu is incredibly fit,” said Ben. “It’s an advantage with him. He’s an energetic horse – he never gets tired.”
Course designer Leopoldo Palacios’ signature tough courses produced no double clears in the opening two rounds. Six horse and rider combinations finished on four faults and took to the iconic grass arena for the jump off. Ben claimed his first show jumping Major with Enjeu jumping clear in 41.40 seconds.
“I didn’t have anything to lose,” Ben said, who followed on from the eventual third place finisher, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte – clear in 42.45 seconds. “Sometimes it’s easier going a little bit earlier in the jump off. Steve was an advantage for me to see before he went. An incredible rider.” Ben also acknowledged the role of the course designer. “The jump off suited me so thank you,” he nodded to Venezuela’s Leopoldo in the press conference.
Ben – fall aside – thought his odds were good with Enjeu. “I really felt before I came here that Enjeu had a chance,” he said. The pair had finished fourth in Aachen last month, another Rolex Grand Slam Major, and Ben felt the horse had been “knocking on the door” for some time. Following Ben’s clear, Germany’s Richard Vogel, who was looking for a third consecutive victory to claim the Rolex Grand Slam, had a rail with United Touch S, while USA’s Lillie Keenan – last to go aboard Fasther – could not catch Ben’s time but landed second place finishing just .45 seconds off the winning pace.
“It’s starting to sink in, but incredible to be part of winning one of the Majors,” Ben summarized. “Starting my journey and winning what we all consider one of the biggest Grand Prix, if not the biggest Grand Prix in the world.”
It is not the first time Ben has proved his mettle – sitting out most of the 2023 season with a broken shoulder, he came back to the highest levels of competition. He also soldiered on with a broken foot at the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2025 to claim a five-star win.
“Just getting on and off was a little bit sensitive – not ideal circumstances,” Ben said of the repercussions of his fall on the eve of the ‘Rolex’. “I did have talks with my doctors and physio this morning and my family at home, making decisions and everyone was supportive…I’m just happy that we made the right decision.”
The fall may have been a blessing in disguise for Sunday’s showdown. “Maybe I was a bit distracted,” Ben said. “And I just went in and did my job instead of worrying about all the other things.”
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