“He’s such an unassuming character,” said Marilyn Little (USA) of her top mount Clearwater.

“When you see him at the side of the ring, he may as well have a flowered hat and a cart behind him! But as soon as he steps into the ring for the jump-off, he’s Seabiscuit.”

The 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding acted the part in Sunday’s $35,000 Hollow Creek Farm 1.45m Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL.

The big-strided grey topped a 26-horse jump off in a blazing time of 36.23 seconds to capture the victory.

“He’s a very, very fast horse,” said the Maryland-based rider. “I know exactly what his stride is, and if it’s possible to get there, he’s the one who will in terms of the distances. I knew exactly what the plan was. He just needed to put in his personal best and it would be very hard to catch. I wouldn’t want to run against him.”

Little’s victory comes just ten days after a two-month hiatus from riding.

Team USA’s favorite bi-sport athlete—Little competes in both show jumping and eventing at the international level—was broke her foot while eventing in the fall. She hasn’t competed Clearwater since the Washington International Horse Show in October.

“I’ve been on a scooter!” Little exclaimed. “I’ve been scooting around since November.”

This week at WEF marks her first foray back into the show ring.

“It was really a lot of fun to get back out there and for it to go the way it did today,” she said. “I felt a little loose out there on Thursday. As it turned out, I’m glad we didn’t do the grand prix this week. It gave him a nice time to get in there and have a lower class. He’s been my first horse for the last year, and he’s only 11. It was good for him to get in there and feel like King Kong again.”

Second place went to Wilton Porter (USA) and Delinquent JX who posted a time of 36.65 seconds. Emily Moffitt (GRB) and Galip took third in a time of 37.09 seconds.