Take two gold-medal-winning Olympians, add in their 18-year-old veteran partners, and pit them against one another in a fast-paced jump-off on a grass field, and you’ve got the makings for an exciting class.
That’s exactly what happened in the $137,000 Restylane Grand Prix CSI3* on Jan. 24, during the second week of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, when British rider Ben Maher and Tic Tac narrowly stole top honors from Canadian Eric Lamaze aboard Fine Lady 5.
“It was my lucky day, and sometimes it just happens like that,” Maher said. “Eric is one of the fastest riders in the world, and he was on a great horse, so I think I had the luck of the draw. I was also on an experienced horse. Tic Tac is 18 and doesn’t come out very often, but he gives me great confidence, and he did everything right for me today.”
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Watch Maher’s winning round, courtesy of WEF:
