Ben Maher & Tic Tac claim victory in the $137,000 Restylane Grand Prix
Monday 25 January 2021
It was a thrilling finish for the final day of the second week at the FEI competition at the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at the Palm Beach Equestrian Centre in Florida.
Ben and the stallion Tic Tac, owned by Jane Forbes Clark, edged the competition by just one-hundredth of a second to take top honors in the CSI 3* £137,000 Restylane Grand yesterday, Sunday 24 January.
“It as my lucky day and sometimes it just happens like that” said an extremely happy Ben. “Eric is one of the fastest riders in the world, and he was on a great horse, so I think I had the luck of the draw. I was also on an experienced horse. Tic Tac is 18 years-old now and doesn’t come out very often, but he gives me great confidence and he did everything right for me today.”
It certainly came down to the wire with some of the world’s best riders giving the shortened course their best shot. Eric Lamaze (CAN), who was also aboard a veteran partner, finished close second with the 18 year-old Fine Lady 5 with their time of 43.57 seconds. Talking afterwards he said “Fine Lady is naturally very fast. I knew who was coming behind me; Ben is one of the best riders in the world. I knew I rode a fast course”.
Rounding up the top three was another rider known to be quite speedy, Conor Swail (IRE) with the 13 year-old mare GK Coco Chanel. The pair gave it a solid try, keeping all the jumps up but their time of 44.04 was only enough to put them in 3rd position.
Talking about the opportunity to compete on the stunning grass Derby field that they did Ben said “For me, the grass arena here is one of the best grass arenas ther eis in the world. That’s why I picked this week to bring a horse of Tic Tac’s age over here. They are great conditions.”
Results:
1. Ben Maher (GBR) & Tic Tac - 0/0/43.56
2. Eric Lamaze (CAN) & Fine Lady 5 – 0/0/43.57
3. Conor Swail (IRE) & GK Coco Chanel – 0/0/44.04
4. Laura Kraut (USA) & Goldwin – 0/0/44.64
5. Enqrique Gonzalez (MEX) & Chacna – 0/0/45.38
6. Nicole Shahinian-Simpson (USA) & Akuna Mattata – 0/0/46.20
