Adrienne Sternlicht Wins Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award

Wellington, FL – Adrienne Sternlicht of the United States won the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award during week one of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) on Saturday, January 16, in Wellington, FL.

During the first week of international competition for the WEF 2021 season, Sternlicht accumulated the highest number of points among her fellow female riders in Thursday's $37,000 FEI Adequan® WEF Challenge Round 1 and Saturday’s $137,000 CSI3* Wellington Regional Medical Center Grand Prix. Sternlicht piloted Bennys Legacy, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Lupicor x Voltaire), to a clear round in Thursday’s WEF Challenge Cup. On Saturday night, the pair placed second in the Grand Prix following a three-horse jump-off to secure the Leading Lady Rider title.



“It’s an incredibly prestigious award,” said Sternlicht, 27, of the Leading Lady Rider Award. “We have incredible depth in terms of females competing in this sport, not just in our country but of every nationality. Winning this award sets a really nice tone and I want to thank Martha for sponsoring this award. It’s always something we aspire to win as female riders.”

In recognition of earning the Leading Lady Rider Award, Sternlicht of Greenwich, CT, was presented with a bottle of champagne, a bouquet of flowers, and a gift certificate for a shopping spree at Hunt, Ltd. by Martha W. Jolicoeur and her husband, Dr. Stephen Norton.

“It was so fun to be part of a ‘ladies’ night’ with one of my best friends and a rider every American girl looks up to,” said Sternlicht of the three-horse jump-off where she was joined by Sydney Shulman of Israel and two-time Olympic team gold medalist Beezie Madden of the United States.

“My horse also jumped clear in the WEF Challenge Cup but had an unfortunate slip in the jump-off, so I was more focused on giving him a confident ride in the Grand Prix,” Sternlicht said of Bennys Legacy, owned by Starlight Farms LLC. “There’s so much to look forward to this season and I’m sponsored really well, so I’m happy to be second tonight. I’m always happy to be second to Beezie.”

A sponsor and dedicated supporter of horse sport at WEF for many years, 2021 marks Jolicoeur’s 11th season presenting the Leading Lady Rider Award. A former competitor herself, Jolicoeur enjoyed a successful international show jumping career before becoming Florida’s number one Douglas Elliman real estate broker.

“This award is a testament to consistent top performances, and it was always the title that I would set my sights on winning when I was competing,” said Jolicoeur, who began presenting the award in 2010 as a way of recognizing female accomplishments in an Olympic sport where men and women compete as equals. “Wellington is the winter equestrian capital of the world and attracts some of the best riders in horse sport. To be a part of that is an honor for me, and to experience how horses have brought us all together and made a place like Wellington possible is really special.”

Press release

Image: Adrienne Sternlicht, pictured aboard Bennys Legacy, accepts the Leading Lady Rider Award from Dr. Stephen Norton (left) and Martha Jolicoueur during week one of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Photo by Sportfot