“I’ve had Comtess since the beginning of the year. The owner is a long-time supporter of my brother and I,” Lambre shared of Comtess 202, owned by Mario Onate. “She jumped the 4* Grand Prix here a few weeks ago and just had one time fault, and I wanted to jump her again after having two weeks off to keep her fit and ready for the season. We’ll compete in another National Grand Prix, and then, at the end of January, I’ll probably compete in the 4* Grand Prix and hopefully a 5* Grand Prix later in the season.”


Santiago Lambre and Easy Girl in their presentation ceremony. ©Anne Gittins Photography


Of the 10 pairs that advanced to the seven fence jump-off, just two were able to land double-clear rounds. Third to go in the order, Lambre and Mario Onate’s Easy Girl were the first pair to clear the short course in a quick 37.66 seconds. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) made a valiant effort with Triple S Group’s Holliewood, placing the last clear round of the class but was nearly two seconds behind with a time of 39.502 seconds. Lambre and Comtess 202 had just one rail early in the course but were still able to claim a podium finish after stopping the clock at 39.898 seconds. Elli Yeager, who finished fourth with her Iceman De Muze, was presented with the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award.


Elli Yeager, pictured on Iceman De Muze, was presented with the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award. ©Anne Gittins Photography


“I knew I had really fast riders behind me, so with the first one [Easy Girl], I tried to take all the risks I could, and it worked. With Comtess, I had an early fault, so I just tried to be the fastest four-faulter,” Lambre commented regarding his plan for the jump-off. “I really like having the national Grand Prix competitions here because they’re a great opportunity to practice in the show ring with the horses to keep them fit without having to jump too big,” Lambre concluded.

Source: press release Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre