19 hours ago
Canada & Spruce Meadows home away from home for Czechia's Stanek
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Vaclav Stanek's passport says Czechia, but his affinity for all things Canadian continues to grow. Especially when he keeps winning.
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'I really like this place,' noted the 30-year-old, who rides out of Ariel Grange's Lothlorien Farms. 'I was watching videos from this place when I was a little kid. I didn't even dream of riding here.
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'I like Canada. We spend most of our time in Toronto (where the Grange stable is based). I really like Canadians and living in Canada. This is the best show in the world for me; it can't be better.'
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Connection to Spruce Meadows
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You can't begrudge Stanek's preference as Spruce Meadows has become a special part of his burgeoning career as a show-jumping rider. Last year, Stanek won his first-ever international grand prix during the summer series, winning the Continental's Duncan Ross class. On Saturday, he added to his resume with the RBC Grand Prix of Canada, the feature event of the National tournament.
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He did both on Quintin, his special 15-year-old partner.
'It was a tough grand prix,' Stanek, ranked 214th in the world, said. 'My horse jumped well last week. I was confident if I could ride good, I would have a good result and it worked out.
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'He's really trying. He has a lot of scope. It's a real pleasure to ride him and even the big jumps don't feel like a big effort for him, so that's a great feeling. I know Quintin jumps here really well so I wanted to be clear in one of these grand prix in the summer and then if we got to the jump-off, then go for it. That was the goal. It worked out.'
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As far as Stanek is concerned, working at the Grange farm — with the likes of Irish star Daniel Coyle — has been like winning the lottery. He has been there for two-and-a-half years, while also holding a degree in nursing.
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'I got this great opportunity to ride Quintin and other great horses,' he pointed out. 'Daniel Coyle is helping me a lot and I'm really happy to do what I'm doing and getting all these chances I'm getting.
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'I would like to think (I'm improving as a rider). It's up to other people to judge, especially with the great opportunity I have riding these great horses of Ariel Grange and going to these great shows. So that has definitely helped my routine in the ring.'
