Upper Marlboro, United States – October 24, 2026 – With an electrifying jump-off ride, Lillie Keenan (USA) rode Kick On, owned by Chansonette Farm LLC, to win the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup ™ Washington CSI 5*-W on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Keenan added another accolade to her record at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), presented by MARS Equestrian™, which started 23 years ago for her on small ponies. The grand prix was the highlight event of the week at WIHS, which is held at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD.
Riders representing eight countries took to the ring over a track by course designer Colm Quinn (IRL), and 13 were clear to advance to the jump-off.
The pathfinder in the class and the jump-off was U.S. Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward (USA) and Jordan Molga M, owned by Michael Smith. Their clear-round time of 38.44 seconds held for three trips until Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Farrel entered the ring. With breathtaking turns, Coyle lowered the winning time to 37.13 seconds with his longtime partner. He would finish in second place for the second year in a row, while Ward slotted into fourth.
“My plan didn’t go according to plan at all,” admitted 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.”
With a quick trip after Keenan, Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam (IRL) slotted into third place with a time of 38.09 seconds on Pia Maria H, owned by Sweetnam and Seabrook.
“Even though she’s 11, she’s a green 11, and she didn’t have the kind of mileage that she’s gotten this summer,” said Sweetnam of the BWP mare by Kasanova de la Pomme x Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve. “In her development, she’s gotten better and better all year, and she’s jumped in places like Aachen and Dublin. This is probably the first time doing indoors ever in her life, and third in the World Cup is pretty good. I think we’re really making good steps for her, and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Keenan was thrilled to be able to add her name to the President’s Cup trophy after a long career of victories at WIHS. She is the third rider to win both the WIHS Equitation Final and the grand prix at WIHS following her trainer, McLain Ward, and U.S. Olympic team silver medalist and world number two Kent Farrington.
“I’ve been coming to Washington since I was seven or eight years old on a pony,” she related. “I was champion in the pony divisions here, I was champion in the junior hunters, and I won the equitation final here when I was 13. I rode in the open jumpers when I was 16 or 17.
“Now I’m 30, so I’ve been here for a long time,” she laughed. “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.”
WIHS President Vicki Lowell stated after the class, “We’re always so happy to have some of the best riders in the world come here to Washington and support this World Cup qualifier event. It’s a community event that we put on for all the kids and fans, because it is such a great sport. All of the riders really put on an incredible show tonight, and I think we added a few more show jumping fans this evening.”
Final Results – $340,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Washington – President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 5*-W
1) Lillie Keenan (USA) & Kick On – 0 / 0 – 36.69
2) Daniel Coyle (IRL) & Farrel – 0 / 0 – 37.13
3) Shane Sweetnam (IRL) & Pia Maria H – 0 / 0 – 38.09
Source: Press Release from Jump Media for the Washington International Horse Show
Photo: © WIHS / Erin Gilmore Photography
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