WELLINGTON, Fla.-- Adrienne Sternlicht on Bennys Legacy won the first “Saturday Night Lights” event of the season on Saturday evening, Dec.4, over 41competitors in the $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI4*.
Adrienne Sternlicht on Benny's Legacy (Photo by Sportfot )“I’ve had Benny now for over three years, and he has exceeded all of my expectations, as well as everyone else’s,” said Sternlicht. “He’s so reliable and we know each other so well. I’m really grateful to have him in my life; he’s such a character, and everyone on my team completely adores him. Moving forward, I’ll pick and choose and be very selective with him, so you won’t see him out for at least two months.”
The class had an international field of riders representing 13 nations, including Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Chile, Germany, Brazil, Great Britain, Australia, Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, and Lebanon.
Anthony D’Ambrosio designed the course of 13 fences in the first round, which had seven pairs qualify for the jump-off.
“I THINK Anthony always builds difficult tracks. You saw that the other day in the qualifier where there weren’t many clear,” Sternlicht said. “Even though it’s pre-circuit, you have quite a few top combinations here, and I thought the course was fair. I think with the time allowed you had to be on it as a rider, which I’m always working on with this horse. I thought it was a good course with the right amount clear for this caliber of jumping.”
Fourth to go in the jump-off, Brazil’s Santiago Lambre was the first rider to go clean, followed by Ireland's Andrew Bourns’ speedy round on Sea Topblue, but his lead was short lived as Sternlicht and Bennys Legacy shaved three-tenths of a second off his time, stopping the clock at 42.63 seconds.
With a time of 42.9 seconds, Bourns on Sea Topblue was second, and Lambre was third on Chacco Blue II, with a time of 43.92 seconds.
Earlier on Saturday, 34 riders competed in the $5,000 1.35m Open Stake, won by Molly Ashe Cawley on Loukas De La Noue in a jump-off time of 31.125 seconds.
Alannah Wagstaff on Great Thing placed second clean round in 31.993 seconds, and Harry Allen of Ireland on Karlsson was third, clean in 32.861.
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