IRELAND’S Robert Blanchette celebrated his first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup win at Sacramento on Saturday with longtime ride Chardonnay.

The pair flew to an uncatchable victory at the Murieta Equestrian Center, crossing the timers of Marina Azevedo’s 1.60m short course in 38.42 seconds. Sophia Siegel (USA) finished second with A-Girl when they went clear in 45.63 seconds, with Brazil’s Cassio Rivetti and Edesa’s Vidal 8 finishing third as fastest of the four-faulters in 39.46.

Ahead of the six-horse jump-off, Blanchette said his strategy was simple: “I’m going to run like [heck] and see what happens,” he said.

“She’s basically perfect” he said of his mare. “She can go full speed, and then I can walk on a loose rein. She knows when it’s time to jump and run, and she knows when it’s time to relax.”

At 12-years-old, the Comme il Faut 5 chesnut has clearly found her best stride, with Blanchette noting a turning point over the summer when Chardonnay built up strength and stamina jumping some challenging tracks in Calgary (CAN) and winning two in July.

“(Chardonnay) is physically stronger and I think she’s getting more confident. I think she’s got more scope than I thought she had.”

Blanchette claimed an early lead in the North American League (NAL) standings with 20 points, followed by Siegel with 17 points and Rivetti with 15 points. The NAL continues at Washington on October 28th.