Just 22 years of age, Goutal topped an impressive international field to take the
biggest win of her career.


Toronto, Ontario – A fresh, young competitor stood the International show
jumping division on its head tonight, winning a five-way, five nation jump-off,
besting top riders from Canada, America, Ireland, The Netherlands and Great
Britain to claim the $100,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix at the 88th Royal Horse
Show.

Brianne Goutal, 22, of New York, NY, led a field of 25 starters including a former
World Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist and all the members of Teams Millar
and Whitaker, the “First Families” of show jumping at The Royal this year. Goutal,
a senior studying English at Brown University, typically attends school four days a
week, and competes on the weekends. Tonight she was riding Ballade Van Het
Indihoff, a nine year-old mare owned by Remarkable Farms LLP.

At first glance, the course of 16 jumping efforts designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio
of Red Hook, NY, looked innocuous enough, but it quickly became apparent that
one key area of the course would be the deciding factor for nearly every rider this
evening. A trio of obstacles set quite close together and lined up along the west
wall of the ring proved to be the undoing of 16 of the 25 who started.

“My mare is young, so I was a little nervous coming in to the class, but still had
good expectations,” said Goutal. “I had no expectations of a win though!”
Goutal had the envious position of riding last in the jump-off, over a shortened
course requiring sharp inside turns combined with stretches of flat-out gallop.
Goutal’s winning time of 36.66 seconds was more than a full second faster than her
closest rival, Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands. Smolders finished on 37.70
seconds with his ten year-old mare Regina Z. Third went to Britain’s youngest
Whitaker here this week, Robert, who also won this afternoon’s $15,000 McKee
Family International Jumper Challenge – showing he’s doing his part in the battle
of the “Royal Families” of show jumping this week.