Following last Sunday world cup win in Lyon by her boyfriend Richie, this Sunday had been Sophies’ day.
With a remarkable performance, Sophie has become the first woman to add her name to the honor roll of the Verona Grand Prix. Before her, only two other German women had come close to victory: Meredith Michaels Beerbaum in 2010 and Kendra in 2021. "I’m thrilled—my Prins was incredible today," she said. "I've only been competing with him since mid-July, so it’s amazing that our first win came after our very first jump-off together, especially after such a challenging initial round. He was previously paired with David Will, a valuable teammate who has given me the right advice from the beginning and even today, before the jump-off. My Prins is a big horse, but he jumps so well that everything feels easy with him."
Another important source of inspiration for Sophie was Richie: "He won the World Cup Grand Prix last week in Lyon, and his victory motivated me immensely. I wanted to emulate him in every way I could and achieving that is an added joy."
Sophie ended her interview in Verona by reflecting on the 'Iron Dames,' an all-female initiative started in 2018 by Swiss entrepreneur Deborah Mayer, with significant investment in equestrian sports as well as motorsports: "We are twenty women of... steel across different disciplines. The Iron Dames project is a tremendous and invaluable support for our careers."
Ph. credit: JV - S.Grasso