Cathleen Driscoll leads a star-studded field to claim first 5* victory

For the USA’s Cathleen Driscoll and Flotylla the plan was not to go hell for leather from the get go in the FEI 5* 1.50m speed class at the Winter Equestrian Festival, but whatever pace they settled on, proved enough to earn Cathleen her first individual win at this level.

Five-star victory lap for Cathleen Driscoll and Flotylla. Photo: Sarah Eakin

“I mean I always want to win – I’m a competitive person,” said Cathleen, who took the lead in the speed class that had been previously held by Laura Kraut and Calgary Tame, then Ben Maher and Faltic HB, followed by Kent Farrington and Myla and prior to Cathleen’s round, Richard Vogel and Cydello. The German – currently ranked 10th in the world – and Cydello who have a 3* Grand Prix win under their belt at this year’s Winter Equestrian Festival – finished runners up as Cathleen claimed her first 5* individual victory, shaving five hundredths of a second off Richard’s time.

Putting time aside going into the International Ring, Cathleen was focused on making sure her 13-year old bay mare would have a comfortable trip. “I really wanted her to go in and have a nice round,” she said. “She’s naturally a very fast horse and I started out I would say ‘medium’. But she was jumping absolutely fantastic so I feel I kind of picked it up as I went. Her turns were spot on and she’s such a winner. She’s a fighter and tries her hardest every time she goes in the ring so I was able to just sneak ahead of Richard today.”

Kent Farrington aboard Myla was one of several world top 10 riders to have a temporary hold on the lead. Photo: Sarah Eakin

Flotylla will be back in action in Sunday’s Grand Prix at Wellington International and in the meantime gets to take it easy and enjoy her snacks. “I try not to play favorites but she’s probably my favorite horse in the barn, so she gets extra treats and extra cookies,” said Cathleen. “She’s very foody. She’s one of those horses that eats everything and anything.”

Cathleen and Flotylla’s partnership has been three years in the making – a trust building exercise that has come to fruition. “I loved her from the beginning but it definitely took a little bit of time for us to get our partnership together,” Cathleen said. “I love mares but they have to be on your side rather than against you. In the beginning until she trusted me, I tried to take it slow and make sure that everything was very confident and that she was with me. Now that she trusts me, she’s just unbelievable.”

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