UPPER MARLBORO, Md.--Lillie Keenan on Kick On won the $340,000, CSI5*-W President's Cup, a World Cup qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Washington International Horse show.

Lillie Keenan on Kick On (Photo by Erin Gilmore)Keenan and the handsome bay, barn name Ken, beat a top field in a furiously fast jump-off where 13 of the 22 athletes advanced to Colm Quinn’s short course.

“It wasn't planned to have that many clears, but I think the credit has to go to the top riders that we have here, and the excellent horses,” said Quinn. “I think the conditions are fantastic here.”

“I actually walked the course and did not expect there to be so many clear," said Keenan. "I think that building for these qualifiers is quite a challenging task, and not one that I would want. Although the numbers may not be huge, our percentage of very good combinations is quite high – as it should be – at a World Cup qualifier.”

Keenan finished clean in 36.69 seconds to win over second placed Daniel Coyle of Ireland on Farrel, who finished in 37.13 seconds, and fellow Irishman Shane Sweetnam on Pia Maria H, who finished in 38.09 seconds, was third..

 

McLAIN WARD on Jordan Molga M, who had the unenviable spot of going first, was fourth in 38.44, with Erynn Ballard of Canada on Genius de Rance fifth in 39.50 and Savannah Jenkins on Hector du ter sixth in 39.97.

Daniel Coyle on Farrel (Photo by Erin Gilmore)“Kick On is a one-in-a-lifetime horse,” Keenan said. “I am so grateful to be his partner, and he’s really been one to shine in these World Cup events, so to start his season winning really serves him right.”

Keenan, 30, has attended the Washington International Horse Show since she was 8 years old, earning her first event titles on small ponies.

At age 13, she became the youngest rider to win the WIHS Equitation Championship, and she began competing in the open jumper ranks around the time she got her driver’s license.

“Now I'm 30, so I've been here for a long time,” she said. “It's really incredible to be able to jump in front of my home crowd for the President's Cup, which is a class I’ve watched since the first time that I came here on a small pony. My mom always wanted me to see the best riders in the world, so it's pretty awesome to now be one of them.”

She has now brought herself full circle, earning the event’s most prestigious title along with 20 qualifying points toward the 2027 Finals in Gothenburg (SWE).

“It’s been many years of jumping championships here, from the ponies to the equitation, junior jumpers, and obviously now the open jumper division,” Keenan said. “I’ve always wanted to win this World Cup. It’s the first time I’ve won this one, and I’m happy to do it in front of a home crowd.”

“Tonight, I didn’t totally ride my plan," she said. "There were a couple places I had expected to do fewer strides. The really nice thing about Ken is that he can still be so quick. Despite having quite a bit of loft in the air, he still does it pretty efficiently. Even though I didn’t get to leave out strides in every turn, he was right there with me, and I pretty much never touched the reins. I think that’s what gave me an edge.”

Keenan began riding Kick On three year ago, and the pair has already twice been to the World Cup Finals, jumping in Basel, Switzerlan in 2025 and at Fort Worth in April, when they finished among the top 10. 

“Ken has been a horse that’s really risen to the occasion for me, more than once I think, and our partnership is always evolving,” Keenan said of the stallion with “big personality.” “Two times in the World Cup Finals we’ve been very close to a podium, and hopefully we get another chance in Gothenburg.”

Coyle’s mount Farrel won his first World Cup qualifier in 2020 in Ocala as a 10-year-old.

Later that same year, the horse suffered what was thought to be a career-ending injury when a cyst was discovered on his stifle.

Farrel’s owner Ariel Grange opted for the gelding to have surgery with the goal being simply for him to live a comfortable life in retirement, but the petite bay  defied the odds and returning to the highest levels of the sport.

Six years later, he’s as competitive as ever.

“He loves the sport more than people,” Coyle said. “I thought if I could get him back to doing some speed classes, it would be a miracle, but to have him at the top of the sport is unbelievable. I’m really, really lucky to have him.”

“My plan didn't go according to plan at all,” said Coyle. “Already from the third to fourth jump, I tried to leave in seven strides and didn't make it, same as Lillie, but also to the last fence. Farrel was very, very handy and very, very fast. I was still quite fast, but I knew I left the door open a little bit.”

Sweetnam's Pia Maria H made her World Cup debut as well as her first ever competition indoors. T

“I think we’re really making good steps for her and looking toward the future,” Sweetnam said. “She’s a real fighter. At times, she’s fighting against you, but in the ring, she’s definitely fighting for you…so we’re just trying to meet halfway and get some good results.”

Sweetnam is now in the lead in the North American League standings after three legs with 32 points.

Beat Mändli of Switzerland is second with 25 points, followed by Ward with 24 points.

Coyle was Leading Open Jumper Rider at Washington, with Keenan the Leading Lady Rider.

The North American League World Cup qualifier continues at Toronto on Nov. 14.