Showcasing the top level of equestrian sport from around the world, the $225,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington CSI4*-W brought 11 countries and some of their best athletes to the Alltech Arena of the Kentucky Horse Park. The feature event holds a distinct spot on the annual schedule of the National Horse Show, drawing the largest crowds of the week for the highly-anticipated event. Head-to-head competition was the name of the game for athletes in the evening class, all vying for valuable ranking points in hopes of attending the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas, Nevada, in April of 2020.
Brian Moggre and MTM Vivre Le Reve. Photo by Phelps Media Group
Ultimately, it was 18-year-old Brian Moggre (USA), the youngest-ever winner of the class at the National Horse Show, and Major Wager’s MTM Vivre Le Reve who captured victory, garnering precious qualifying points and the lion’s share of the prize money for their efforts in the highlight event.
First to tackle designer Ken Krome’s (USA) 16-effort track, Kelli Cruciotti (USA) and Hadja Van Orshof served as the early trailblazers, successfully finding their way around the course without incurring any faults. With her trip aboard Brego R’n B, Katie Dinan (USA) forced a jump-off as the second clear athlete of the evening, and she was soon joined by Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), Karen Polle (JPN) and David Blake (IRL), each of whom qualified aboard their respective mounts by the midway break. Adding their names to the list in the latter half of the class, Rowan Willis (AUS), Moggre and Beät Mandli (SUI) each maneuvered their horses to clean initial performances to stay in the hunt.
All told, 12 partnerships managed to leave all the fences intact, but four duos fell victim to a single fault, meaning only eight would advance to the short course. An even greater number looked to be on track to earn eligibility into the jump-off, but more than a couple downed their only rail at the final fence of the course to keep them out of contention.
Proving to be the pacesetters for the tie-breaker round, Cruciotti and Hadja Van Orshof logged the first double-clear effort of the night, tripping the timers in 38.63 seconds to take the early lead. Three exhibitors later, Polle piloted Kinoshita Group’s Kino around the Alltech Arena at breakneck speed, tripping the timers in 34.44 seconds to best the original frontrunners by an incredible margin of more than four seconds. Though that time set a swift precedent, Moggre laid on the gas with MTM Vivre Le Reve as the second-to-last in the returning order in an effort to secure his second Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ victory of the year, crossing the finish line in 34.22 seconds to propel to the top of the leaderboard.
Brian Moggre and MTM Vivre Le Reve racing to the finish line. Photo by Phelps Media Group
Returning for the jump-off in the reverse order in which they qualified, Mandli and Simba had the advantage as the final contenders to contest the abridged pattern and, although they looked to potentially be on pace to usurp the leaders, faults at the final fence kept them off the podium. As the quickest double-clear partnership, Moggre and MTM Vivre Le Reve were crowned the champions, followed by Polle and Kino in the runner-up spot and Blake with the reins on Pine Hollow Farm’s Keoki in third place overall.
“That moment for me was something that I never expected to feel, especially in this year and where I am in my career,” shared Moggre. “That horse is so special to me and has taken me through all of the ranks. I won my first FEI grand prix with him at Live Oak in the spring, another World Cup class, so to be able to win that and the 4* this week was not even in my imagination. He was really on his game today and luckily I was on mine. It was awesome.”
As the victor of Saturday night’s festivities, Moggre secured his second Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ win of 2019 after also leading the lap of honor in the $100,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala CSI3*-W in March. Now with 41 points to his name, the young athlete sits in second place in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ standings for the North American Eastern Sub-League, just shy of Beezie Madden’s cumulative 48 points. Moggre is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Kentucky, coming off summer victories in both the $36,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic CSI3* and $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Brian Moggre and MTM Vivre Le Reve. Photo by Phelps Media Group
Further awards were honored upon deserving exhibitors following the final victory lap, with both Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Lillie Keenan (USA) ending the night with new distinctions. As the Leading International Open Jumper Rider, Coyle was presented with a one-year lease of an Audi Q7 from Audi of Lexington, while Keenan earned the Mr. and Mrs. Cunniffe and Ms. Laura Sexton Leading Lady Rider Award.
Over the course of the week, the “Bid for Kevin” fundraiser allowed for the equestrian community to participate in raising funds to benefit Kevin Babington, a beloved show jumping competitor who took an unfortunate fall earlier in the summer that resulted in a spinal injury. Individuals were able to bid on riders competing in the $225,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington CSI4*-W for a chance to win lessons with some of the sport’s greatest athletes. Whoever “bought” the victorious rider – in this case, Moggre – will receive five private lessons with Beezie Madden, Shane Sweetnam, Kent Farrington, McLain Ward and Margie Engle. Surpassing the goal of $75,000, the funds raised amounted to an incredible $87,245.