Team Lugano earns long-awaited victory at MLSJ Ottawa

Team Lugano atop the MLSJ Ottawa podium. Photo © Ashley Neuhof / MLSJ.

Press release from Major League Show Jumping

Team Lugano came to MLSJ Ottawa to win! The U.S. trio of Kent Farrington, Natalie Dean and Vanessa Hood was in it to win it, and did just that at Wesley Clover Parks in the $200,000 CSI5* MLSJ Team Competition on Saturday.

After a solid team performance in the first two rounds of competition, Dean and Maestro Vica van de Ark, a 10-year-old BWP stallion (Lordanos x Heartbreaker) owned by Marigold Sporthorses, LLC, made easy work of the gold-medal round to guarantee the win.

Hood and Cascalretto, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Calado I) owned by Take Two, LLC, jumped clear in the second round for the team. Farrington and Austria 2, a 14-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casall x San Patrignano Corrado) owned by Take the High Road, LLC, contributed a fault-free day to the team's winning performance.

Taking the silver medal, the Spy Coast Spies held tight to their second-place status in the overall MLSJ standings, while the Crusaders jumped from fourth up to third in the standings after a bronze-medal finish.

A word from the winners

"It took [us] a minute, but we're here now. It was a great day; the girls rode great and we finished with the top result. I rode Austria 2 and she's a tremendous horse. She is very fast, and we decided as a team we were going to try to produce a better result this week than in the past." ~ Kent Farrington (USA)

"I think [MLSJ] is a great experience for horses. There's a lot of different classes to jump, but for me as a rider, I'm trying to progress in the sport and it offers a lot of opportunities to compete at a higher level than I otherwise would have had. I think Major League Show Jumping is helping to elevate the sport in North America." ~ Vanessa Hood (USA)

"I think this week has actually been really special for me because it's been a way for me to push my younger horses and see what they can do. They've all been amazing and they really stepped up this week." ~ Natalie Dean (USA)

Major League Show Jumping concludes at Wesley Clover Parks' Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments in Ottawa, ON, on Sunday when the $225,000 CSI5* RBC Grand Prix take center stage at 2pm.