Coulter rode third in the order in the final round and aimed to deliver a smooth performance that would keep her and her 12-year-old, Belgian Warmblood gelding (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Azur Depaulstra) in the running for top honors. Her double clear round, with a time of 33.61 seconds, bested the earlier double clear delivered by Australia’s Matt Williams and held until the penultimate jump-off rider Peter Lutz, United States, finished at 33.21 seconds.
“Going so early, I was really aiming for a smooth, clear round to put a little bit of pressure on the people behind me,” said Coulter, a recent graduate of Dartmouth College. “I knew that in a few places I was a little safe and left the door open. Overall, I was really happy with my result.”
“Domino is a relatively new mount for me,” Coulter added. “We got him two months ago from Jos Verlooy. I train with Jos so it’s really nice having him in the stable and getting his feedback. I think it’s really helped me to get to know [Domino] even faster.”
The international jump-off field included top talents as Verlooy (BEL), Kent Farrington (USA), Eduardo Menezes (BRA), Simon Nizri (ISR), and Lucy Davis (USA), all of whom finished behind the three leading double clears. Current world number two Farrington managed the fastest time of 32.90 seconds, but an unlucky rail kept him from the win.
Lutz spoke highly of Coulter following the evening’s class and mentioned that he had coached her during her formative, junior years.
“I spent many years teaching students and developing horses,” Lutz said. “I spent a lot of years bringing along young horses and young riders, including Audrey, who I worked with for many years. I’m really proud of them; many have gone on to be great riders.”
Next on the schedule for 24-year-old Coulter is CSI5* Stuttgart German Masters in Germany, November 18 to 22, where she’ll campaign 11-year-old, Westphalian gelding Alex (Arpeggio x Mon Cheri) and 10-year-old, Holsteiner gelding Capital Colnardo (Colman x Coronado). She’ll also hope to add valuable World Cup points to the ones she earned in Las Vegas to secure one of her goals for the coming year.
“I took a little bit of time off [from show jumping] because of school, but now that I’ve graduated, I’m just completely focusing on riding,” Coulter said. “I would like to go to the World Cup Final this year, to be on more US teams and just see where it takes me. I think I have a great group of horses right now so I’m excited about all of them and to see where it goes.”