Cat Ninja gave Jacqueline Steffens (CAN) her first individual five-star victory in December at Thermal (USA). The duo added a second Friday at tbird in the CSIO5* West Coast Cup.
In a class with 10 clear first rounds, just three combinations could execute a second clear effort over Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened 1.45m track. Smart decisions and efficient riding landed Steffens at the top of the podium, as she and her mount crossed the timers in 46.57 seconds. Bliss Heers (USA) and Goodbye finished second (47.25), with Alberto Sanchez-Cozar (MEX) and Union de la Nutria, third (48.61).
“I had the benefit of going relatively late in the jump off, and I had seen that a lot of the horses had been struggling a little bit,” Steffens said. “So going into it, my strategy was to be efficient and to be on it but to give her a good ride and not take any wild risks. It worked out for us today.”