Darry Lou, the stallion who won the world’s richest grand pix last year at Spruce Meadows with Beezie Madden in the saddle, has been sold to rising show jumper Jennifer Gates.
The Dutchbred chestnut, owned by Abigail Wexner, had been tried and was under contract for after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but “the postponement of the Games changed the timeline of the sale,” according to a statement from John Madden Sales.
Beezie Madden and Darry Lou. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I have been very lucky to have Darry Lou in my life and I will always cherish the incredible moments we had together,” said Beezie, who will be switching her focus to bringing along developing grand prix horses and riders rather than focusing on international competition.
But in a statement from John Madden Sales on Friday, the word was, “Beezie and the whole team at JMS are still completely committed to doing the best we can to try to represent our country at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.” Yes, she has other top horses, including Garant and Breitling LS (her pick for the 2020 World Cup Final if it hadn’t been cancelled).
For her part, Jennifer said, “I have admired this wonderful horse and his partnership with Beezie, one of my biggest idols in equestrian sport, for a long time. While we were saddened not to see Darry and Beezie at the Olympics this year, we are looking forward to getting to know him at home while the competition restrictions stay in place and continuing to give him the love and care her deserves.”