Todd Minikus was third with Two Swan Farm’s Babalou 41 in the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup on July 4th at Spruce Meadows. (Photo courtesy of Spruce Meadows Media)
Calgary, AB, Canada (July 7, 2015) – 2015 U.S. Pan American Games Show Jumping Team Traveling Reserve Todd Minikus continues to occupy the leader board before the 2015 Games in Toronto, delivering two trips to Spruce Meadows podiums this past week. At Spruce Meadows’ ‘North American’ CSI 5*, Minikus took home reserve in the $85,000 Enbridge Cup 1.50m on July 5th with Quality Group’s Quality Girl, and third with Two Swan Farm’s Babalou 41 in the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Less than a week before, the 2007 U.S. Pan American Games Team Gold Medalist had the victory lap against a field of 77, riding Plum Creek Hollow Farm’s Con Capilot to first-place in the $34,000 WestJet Cup of the ‘Canada One’ Tournament FEI series at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
In the $85,000 Enbridge Cup, Minikus and twelve-year-old Oldenburg (Quidams Ruben x Dobrock) mare Quality Girl kept the heat on fellow American rider and two-time Olympic Gold medalist, McClain Ward, on HH Carlos Z, staying within less than a second of Ward’s 40.50-second winning effort and delivering the second-fastest (41.26 seconds) clean ride over Santiago Verala’s 1.50m course.
Minikus also faced two-time U.S. Olympic Gold medalist and three-time Queen’s Cup champion Beezie Madden on July 4 in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Minikus finished third on ten-year-old Oldenburg mare Babalou 41, after Madden retired Cortes C and ceded to the 39.52-second effort by Ward and HH Azur in the jump-off.
Minikus was thrilled with Babalou 41 and her performance, saying “I have been riding her since she came to the states as an extremely green five/six-year-old in the schooling jumpers and on, so it is very rewarding for me to get to this stage with her. I am very proud of her and very thankful to Two Swans Farm for their support.”
The Florida-based rider, with over 75 grand prix titles, has been amply successful in acclimating his Pan American Games Traveling Reserve partner, Babalou 41, to Canadian show soil leading up to Toronto. Earlier in June at Spruce Meadows, the pair were second in the $210,000 CP Grand Prix during the ‘Continental’ CSI 5* Tournament, and fourth in the $34,000 Duncan Ross Cup. The pair had a spectacular start to their season in March at Wellington, Florida, with double clears to anchor a U.S. squad to victory in the $100,000 Nations Cup and first-place in the $150,000 Winter Equestrian Festival 8 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix.
When not proving his and his horses’ talent in the show ring, Todd Minikus offers sales and training services just minutes from Wellington, Florida’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) show grounds. Follow Team Minikus on Facebook or click www.toddminikus.com to ensure you don’t miss a minute of Minikus or the news that keeps the world jumping.
Contact: Amanda Minikus
toddminikus@yahoo.com
562-762-3762
www.toddminikus.com