ON the weekend of Benny Kuehnle’s 11th anniversary, the horse named in his honour won the three-star $100,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Thermal, USA. Bennys Legacy, bought by the talented Kuehnle as a foal, was victorious under his new rider, American’s Adrienne Sternlicht.

Sternlicht had only jumped Bennys Legacy at three events before heading to the west coast for World Cup competition, but the pair proved their partnership is already strong with a statement victory.

“He’s named after an Irish boy that bought him as a foal. He passed and they named the horse after him,” Sternlicht said afterwards. “It’s a really special story. My groom and manager Emma Chapman was there with him the night before he died. For her, when I got the horse, it was a bit emotional. Thursday was the anniversary of his death.

“Those that knew Benny say the horse reminds them a lot of him. The horse knows that he has something special.”

The 11-year-old stallion was produced by Benny’s sister Jennifer, before being sold to Richard and Deirdre Bourns where, ridden by Jenny Rankin, he was on two winning Irish Nations Cup teams in 2019, as well as multiple big Grand Prix results.