Over the past three decades, the national anthem has echoed across the Fort Grand Prix arena for Kyle King countless times at tbird. On Saturday, for the first time, it was the stately tones of O’Canada piping through the loudspeakers for the recently minted Canuck.
Less than two months after officially switching his nationality from American to Canadian, the 51-year-old rider delivered a statement victory in the CSI3* JustWorld International Winning Round 1.45m at tbird’s Summer Fort Welcome—capturing his first international win representing the maple leaf.
“I was second on Sunday in two classes at Spruce [Meadows] and just narrowly missed it. I figured it would happen sooner or later,” said King, who has long called Langley home with his Canadian wife, Emily. “This is home, right? So it’s perfect. It is such a pretty flag, I gotta say.”
This week’s competition is also Ninja BF’s first three-star start, marking another chapter in their steadily growing partnership. In May, King and the 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Chacoon Blue x Ferro) made their international debut at tbird during the Odlum Brown BC Open—and won their very first class, the CSI2* Welcome 1.40m.
In 13 international appearances since, they’ve finished outside the top 10 only twice, cementing the gelding’s status as a perennial contender.
“He’s a horse that just keeps growing,” King said. “He was produced by a rider named Kevin Gallagher in Florida. He was the very top five-year-old, top six-year-old, top seven-year-old, and then I got him at beginning of this year. It took me probably a good month or two to get him dialled, understand how he likes to go, and [since then] he has just been on fire.”
The Winning Round format sees a minimum of 10 pairs from the first round advance to a clean-slate, shortened jump-off round. King returned last in the order and shaved nearly two full seconds off Lauren Breach (USA) and Don Amour de Betze Z’s leading time of 46.49, stopping the clock at 44.58. Breach also took third on Dhalida in 49.56.
“He’s so consistent. He’s a gamer. He’s kind of got everything—he’s careful, he’s scopey, he’s brave, he’s fast,” continued King.
“I have really high hopes to see where this horse can go. I think he can just keep climbing the levels.”
And the dialled in part? That was King adapting his usual “loose-frame style” to Ninja BF’s preferred steady contact.
“He likes to be connected, that’s what took me a minute to get used to with him. I like to be a little softer just in general, but he likes to have the support of your legs and hand, and then he feels like he can jump anything. He doesn’t like me to throw his head away for whatever reason. It’s not that he does anything bad, he just doesn’t jump the same shape.”
Later this month, King will log another career first when he makes his championship debut for Team Canada at the World Championships in Aachen.
“I am the reserve [rider]. I am very honoured to go and I wish all my teammates the best of luck, but I am going to be ready to ride if called upon. My mare [Kayenne Z] is there and she is fit and she’s ready—I am excited about this opportunity.”
International competition returns to tbird next week with the Summer Fort Classic CSI3*, featuring the $75,000 ATCO Grand Prix on Sunday August 16. Tickets are available at tbird.ca/tickets
Photo credit: Kim Gaudry Photography
