Jumping four incredible clear rounds, Wexner’s Cortes C came out of last week’s Alltech World Equestrian Games as the best performing horse. For the next four years, Cortes C, like Hickstead before him, will be considered by the equestrian community as the best horse in the world. Madden was extremely proud of Cortes ‘C’s performance throughout the week at the Championships that saw him jump four out of five clear rounds in the Team Championship and Individual Qualifiers, in addition to being the only horse to produce four clears on Sunday. “I’m so, so proud of my horse. I’ve always thought he was a championship horse and I think he proved that today,” Madden said.
On the strength of near immaculate jumping over the week with Cortes ‘C’, Madden made her second career Final Four appearance on Sunday afternoon after finishing five rounds on a score of 4.16. In the final competition of the 2014 World Championships, the Olympic Team Gold and Individual Bronze medalist was joined by France’s Patrice Delaveau with Orient Express HDC (five round total of 4.08), Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson with Casall Ask (five round total of 4.34), and The Netherland’s Jeroen Dubbeldam with Zenith SFN (five round total of 6.25). On Sunday, all four started on a clean slate and jumped a Cottier-designed course with their own horse, as well as with all three of their competitors’ horses.
Cortes ‘C’ was ridden by four riders including Madden in the “Final Four” competition that brought the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to a close in Normancy on Sunday. He jumped four clear rounds to earn the “Best Horse” title, with Madden winning the bronze medal.
Bronze medalist Beezie Madden and Cortes C.
The 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, owned by Abigail Wexner, also jumped four out of five clear rounds in the Team Championship and Individual Qualifiers last week, in addition to being the only horse to produce four clears on Sunday. Last month Madden and Cortes ‘C’ were part of the US team that won the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain, before taking out the Longines King George V Gold Cup competition at Hickstead, England, and last season they won the $125,000 FEI W-Cup Grand Prix CSI3* in Florida. Madden has ridden Cortes C since 2010, before that he was ridden by Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet.