Mendoza Is Brilliant For Home Crowd
Saturday 20 December 2025
It was a sweet trip back to home soil for Jessica Mendoza (GBR) and I-Cap CL Z, who triumphed in the morning’s The CSI5* Brilliance Auction Snowball Stakes to the cheers of the home crowd.
Jessica, who is now based in the USA, was one of the last to go and produced the quickest round of the competition at 57.35 seconds, aboard the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding she owns with her mother Sarah.
“I was at the end of the class so I got to see a bunch of people going fast and there wasn't really much to do other than try and go faster,” said Jessica.
“He has a smaller stride so through all the distances I was going forwards, which I think helped in that course because there was only a certain number of strides you could do through the corners. I think his good canter sort of won it.”
Jessica has owned I-Cap CL Z since he was four and she describes him as her ‘heart horse’.
“He's been incredible. He went to the FEI World Cup™ Finals three years ago, and since then I’ve let him step down and have fun. He loves going fast.”
Jessica’s speedy clear put her ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Daniel Deusser, who occupied the runner-up position aboard the 14-year-old chestnut stallion, Bingo Ste Hermelle, for Germany. Switzerland’s Barbara Schnieper and Escoffier finished third just 0.02 of a second behind.
Image: London International Horse Show
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