Beezie Madden rode her way into the Hickstead history books today (August 2) when she secured back-to-back wins in the prestigious Longines King George V Gold Cup.
Doing it for the girls
The American rider became the first woman to lift the trophy last year in the traditionally all-male finale to the Royal International Horse Show.
And today she did the impossible and made it two years in a row with the remarkable gelding Cortes ‘C’.
She is the first rider to score consecutive wins in more than 50 years, and the only female rider to achieve the accolade.
The modest 51-year-old said she was “happy to do it” and praised 17hh ‘Tiny’ for his impressive record at the showground.
Tackling the gates
A tricky double of gates at fence six – standing at a whopping 1.60m – wreaked havoc for riders as even the most experienced combinations were caught out and knocked the top rail.
But Beezie and 13-year-old Tiny breezed down the line – putting in a foot-perfect performance to secure a place in the six-strong jump-off.
“Those gates are always difficult and when you make them a double it’s even harder,” said Beezie. “The horse’s attention gets on the second part, and it’s all compounded by the fact that it’s after the water.
“I planned eight strides from the water, but half way through my coach said it wasn’t riding well, so I went in thinking I would ride off my eye. I think we did eight in the end. He was fantastic.”
A lesson learnt
Dutchman Jur Vrieling set a strong pace in the jump-off with VDL Zirocco Blue, but second-to-go Beezie pulled off some hair-raising turns which even top speed rider Penelope Leprevost could not match.
The rider said she had learned her lesson from a rare mistake in Friday’s Nations Cup jump-off which saw Tiny refuse at the double after a tight left-hand turn.
“The jump-off on Friday wasn’t my finest moment, but I actually learned a little bit from that because he likes to go left so he didn’t like that turn,” added the rider.
“Today I knew where I needed to give him a little more time.
“He’s a big striding horse and he loves jumping on grass. I also knew the right turn to the vertical would be something he would be good at so I was able to take a shot there.”