Fletcher Armstrong, with the Calgary Grey Cup committee, rides his horse, Marty, in the front foyer of the Royal York hotel Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012 in Toronto. Calgary Stampeders will play the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League Grey Cup Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
November 22, 2012 - 9:13 AM
TORONTO - Calgary Stampeders fans hoping to repeat a Grey Cup tradition that started more than 60 years ago at Toronto's Royal York Hotel were turned away today with a resounding "neigh."
Staff at the tony downtown hotel would not let a 15-year-old dark brown stallion through its front doors — a practice that Stamps fans started in 1948 when they rode a horse through the Royal York lobby.
Hotel spokeswoman Kerry Ann Kotani says Marty the horse couldn't go inside due to safety concerns for staff and guests.
A large crowd of Stampeders fans dressed in red jerseys and cowboy hats gathered outside to try to persuade the hotel to change its mind, chanting: "Let us in!" and "Go Stamps go!"
Instead, the hotel rolled out a red carpet to welcome Marty and offered him a bucket of carrots and apples.
The horse's rider, Calgary Grey Cup committee chairman Fletcher Armstrong, says he was disappointed the hotel wouldn't budge — especially since it's the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup.
The tradition is seen as a good luck charm for Calgary.
The Grey Cup game between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts is on Sunday at Rogers Centre.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012