Madden and Breitling win again at World Cup in Paris, carry momentum towards possible title Sunday

Over the years, 54-year-old Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden has become one of the best riders of modern times, with Olympic medals, Grand Prix and Nations Cup victories and a World Cup title (in 2013 with Simon) among her long list of accomplishments.

This Friday evening in Paris at the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final, Madden and her 12-year-old stallion Breitling LS added to that tally once again with a second-straight victory in this year’s competition following Thursday’s speed class. The third and final hurdle for the pair and their rivals will be Sunday’s concluding showdown over obstacles of as high as 1.60 metres.

In a field of 36 horse-and-rider combinations on Friday, the Milwaukee native and New York State resident was again clear in both the opening round and ensuing nine-rider jump-off, finishing the tie-breaker in a time of 33.22 seconds – ahead of big names in the sport like Harrie Smolders and Emerald of the Netherlands in second (33.44s) and Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and Toveks Mary Lou in third (33.92).

Indeed, Madden’s performance with Breitling at the event in Paris so far is similar to that of fellow American and Olympic Champion team-mate McLain Ward and HH Azur at last year’s Final in Omaha, Nebraska, where that duo soared through the 2017 competition with no faults (poles down) to claim the trophy. Ward and Azur made it into the jump-off this evening in the French capital, finishing 7th overall, while the top British rider was Michael Whitaker on JB’s Hot Stuff, in 19th. The full results are here.

Beezie Madden has long been known as one of the most technical riders in the sport of Show Jumping, having developed her exemplary technique from a young age and been coached by top coaches like Katie Monahan Prudent and George Morris. As Doris Degner-Foster put it in an article for Sidelines Magazine, “When she was given her first pony, she only got a bridle with it and in order to earn a saddle, she had to prove to her parents that she really wanted to ride. Being comfortable riding without stirrups was a skill that proved to be invaluable later in her career.”

That comfort and confidence is clearly showing through this weekend for the veteran rider, and the only question now is whether she and Breitling can go three for three to capture the title once again.