TWO GRAND PRIX WINS IN TWO DAYS FOR BEN MAHER
Monday 24 March 2014
Ben Maher MBE from Hertfordshire, the current World No.2 led the way in, Florida over the weekend by winning two major Grand Prix’s with two brilliant up and coming horses.
Saturday saw Ben notch up his first win in the $50,000 CSI2* FEI World Cup Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida with Jane F Clark’s 10 year-old chesnut gelding Aristo Z. It was only four of the initial field that managed to produce a faultless double clear, but it was Ben’s double clear in a time of 42.48 seconds that gave him the edge over home rider Ashlee Bond and Argrostar who finished in a time of 42.73 seconds. 3rd place went to Venezuelan rider Angel Karolyi and Indiana.
The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington played host on Sunday to the 1.50m $84,000 Suncast Jumper Classic; another Grand Prix that Ben had set his sights on. This time riding Tatiana Korsakova’s 9 year-old British Bred chestnut mare Diva II, Ben put in yet another brilliant performance showing the world exactly how talented he is. From a vast field of fifty six competitors it was only ten that jumped clear in the first round. Six of those managed to produce yet another clear with Ben being one of them. Breaking the finish line in a time of 43.20 seconds he proved himself unbeatable relegating Canadian rider Ian Miller and Star Power into 2nd place with their time of 43.70 seconds and Columbian rider Daniel Bluman and Apardi into 3rd with their finish time of 44.24 seconds.