Wellington, Fla. – January 24, 2026—In front of a home crowd, USA’s Lillie Keenan and longtime partner Fasther took flight in a jump-off brimming with horse and rider talent to win the $215,000 NetJets CSI4* Grand Prix, highlighting Saturday Night Lights during Week 3 at Wellington International’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
A rising star with her sights set firmly on the 2026 World Championships, Keenan, 29, bested a field that included two Olympic champions and five of the world’s top 10 over tracks set by Canadian course designer Peter Grant. A daring rollback to the third fence and a leave-out in the final line left Keenan and her 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Vigo d’Arsouilles STX x Farmer) the eventual victors by three-tenths of a second.
Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam came the closest to Keenan’s time of 40.56 seconds, narrowly missing top call with Spy Coast Farm’s Rural Juror SCF—a nine-year-old Danish Warmblood by Presley Boy. He notched in at 40.87 seconds ahead of third-place finisher and Australian Olympian Thaisa Erwin. She piloted the 14-year-old Dutch-bred mare Hialita B, owned by Michael Smith.
“That final line was a risky moment, but I think it made the biggest difference,” said Keenan, who rides under the direction of six-time U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward.
“He was the first horse that Mclain selected for me and represents the important mentorship I have with him,” continued Keenan of Fasther, owned by her own Chansonette Farm. “He’s my heart horse—he has a fire inside of him; loves to jump, but he really loves to run. We struggled a lot at first with rideability, but I have grown up with him; I trust him so much, and he tries so hard for me.”
The New York native continued about the bond she has formed with Fasther during their seven years together, saying, “There are moments where I can go to a fence and think I should have ridden it better, and he turns himself inside out to jump it. He does that for me—I don’t think he would do that just for anyone.”