Paris, France – With the poise, grace, and horsemanship that fans adore her for, Elizabeth ‘Beezie’ Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) guided Breitling LS to a win Thursday evening in the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final I (Jumping Speed Class), the first round of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final. The four-time Olympian was the first U.S. athlete of the evening to ride clear over Santiago Varela Ullastres’s course, stopping the clock at 61.89 seconds. Germany’s Daniel Deusser and Cornet d’Amour finished in second with 62.61 seconds, and Final newcomer and fellow American, Devin Ryan (Long Valley, N.J.), placed third at 62.84 seconds.
“I thought [Breitling LS] was fantastic today,” said Madden. “You know, I think this [class] is one of the hardest parts of the world cup. The courses get harder, but today is strategy and trying to execute it perfectly is difficult, and it went according to plan. He was fantastic; he was right there for me every time I called on him.”
Madden and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Abigail Wexner come fresh off wins during the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival, including winning the $205,000 CaptiveOne Advisors Grand Prix CSI4* and the $205,000 CSIO4* Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix.
“He has gotten quite fast and he’s won quite a few classes in the last year,” continues Madden. “Some horses you might not take such a risk today because you need the horse to be rideable and careful for the rest of the competition, but those are his strong points: he’s rideable and he’s careful. So I thought it was okay today to take a shot.”
Madden won the Final in Göteborg in 2013 aboard Simon. When asked if she remembered what position she was in after the first class in 2013, she stated that she won that first class as well. See her winning round from this evening’s Jumping Final I (Jumping Speed Class) here.
Ryan and Eddie Blue, the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by LL Show Jumpers, LLC made a splash in their FEI World Cup Jumping Final debut with a clear round, heading into the second class in the third position.
“I know I have a really good horse,” stated Ryan. “He has been competing very well in the States. It has always been a dream of mine to represent the United States, so here we are. I am very happy to be here, and it’s great that there are two of us up here tonight.”
View full results.
Jumping continues on Friday with the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final II and culminates with Sunday's Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final III, which determines the FEI World Cup jumping champion. Watch it live on FEI TV beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST on Friday and 8:00 a.m. EST on Sunday.
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View more information about the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final.
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Photos by Shannon Brinkman Photography