Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) produced the only double clear riding Origa v/h Zuid-Pajottenland to win the CSI5* US $340,000 RBC Grand Prix on Sunday, August 17, at the RBC Ottawa International at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Photo © Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Press release from RBC Ottawa International, edited by World of Showjumping
It was Adrienne Sternlicht’s day at the RBC Ottawa International show jumping tournament at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Having won the US $35,000 Grand Prix CSI2*, presented by Mark Motors Group, in the morning, Sternlicht returned to the grass field to claim victory in the grand finale, the US $340,000 Grand Prix CSI5*, presented by RBC. The RBC Ottawa International show jumping tournament attracted some of the biggest names in the sport to the Nation’s Capital, including four of the top 10 riders in the world rankings
Adrienne Sternlicht of the United States is presented as the winner of the US $340,000 RBC Grand Prix CSI5* by Karen Sparks, Executive Director of Wesley Clover Parks, and Justin Schurman, Regional Vice President of Business Financial Services of RBC. Photo © Ben Radvanyi Photography.
A total of 24 riders took on the challenging five-star track set by Brazilian course designer Marina Azevedo. USA's Sternlicht, Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza and Elena Haas of the United States were the only three riders who posted clear rounds to advance to the jump-off.
Mendoza was the first to return for the shortened jump-off track, setting the early standard with four faults in a time of 38.08 riding Summerhouse, her 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Induparts Guidam Sohn x VDL Indoctro). Haas was next to challenge with Claude, her 13-year-old Westphalian gelding (Captain Jack 44 x Cefalo). When she also dropped a rail in a slower time of 39.02 seconds, the door was wide open for Sternlicht as the final challenger. Knowing exactly what she needed to do to win, Sternlicht left all the jumps in place and claimed victory riding Origa vh Zuid-Pajottenland (Thunder vd Zuuthoeve x Ogano Sitte), an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Starlight Farms 1 LLC.
Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain took second riding Summerhouse in the CSI5* US $340,000 RBC Grand Prix held at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Photo © Ben Radvanyi Photography.
A member of the U.S. gold medal team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, it had been just under a year since Sternlicht last competed in a five-star Grand Prix. The 32-year-old proved she was more than up to the task by winning the RBC Grand Prix.
“The track was incredibly difficult and knowing how many top riders there were, you just had to really take it jump by jump,” said Sternlicht who was competing against four of the top 10 riders in the world rankings including her own trainer, McLain Ward. “It is definitely an emotional win for me. It’s a horse that I’ve always really, really believed in. He has the ability to jump the biggest classes in the world and to feel like I did right by him today is super gratifying.”
Of having accomplished the incredible feat of winning both the two-star and the five-star Grands Prix on the same day, Sternlicht noted, “It definitely took a bit of pressure off knowing I was already really content with my day and excited about my partnership with a new horse.”
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