Brianne Goutal Wins $100,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix at the Royal

A fresh, young competitor stood the International show jumping division on its head tonight, winning a five-way, five nation jump-off, besting top riders from Canada, America, Ireland, The Netherlands and Great Britain to claim the $100,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix at the 88th Royal Horse Show.

Brianne Goutal, 22, of New York, NY, led a field of 25 starters including a former World Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist and all the members of Teams Millar and Whitaker, the “First Families” of show jumping at The Royal this year. Goutal, a senior studying English at Brown University, typically attends school four days a week, and competes on the weekends. Tonight she was riding Ballade Van Het Indihoff, a nine year-old mare owned by Remarkable Farms LLP.

At first glance, the course of 16 jumping efforts designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY, looked innocuous enough, but it quickly became apparent that one key area of the course would be the deciding factor for nearly every rider this evening. A trio of obstacles set quite close together and lined up along the west wall of the ring proved to be the undoing of 16 of the 25 who started.

“My mare is young, so I was a little nervous coming in to the class, but still had good expectations,” said Goutal. “I had no expectations of a win though!”

Goutal had the envious position of riding last in the jump-off, over a shortened course requiring sharp inside turns combined with stretches of flat-out gallop. Goutal’s winning time of 36.66 seconds was more than a full second faster than her closest rival, Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands. Smolders finished on 37.70 seconds with his ten year-old mare Regina Z. Third went to Britain’s youngest Whitaker here this week, Robert, who also won this afternoon’s $15,000 McKee Family International Jumper Challenge – showing he’s doing his part in the battle of the “Royal Families” of show jumping this week.

$100,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix
1. Brianne Goutal / Ballade Van Het Indihoff / USA / 0:00 / 36.66
2. Harrie Smolders / Regina Z / Netherlands / 0:00 / 37.70
3. Robert Whitaker / Omelli / Great Britain / 0:00 / 38.69
4. Dermott Lennon / Hallmark Elite / Ireland / 0:00 / 38.28
5. Karen Cudmore / Southern Pride / Canada / 0:00 / 39.55