Graham Gillespie lands Chepstow International’s feature Grand Prix with a brand-new ride.
Tuesday 02 May 2023
Graham Gillespie crowned his new partnership with Veneno with a victory in the top-billed 2* Grand Prix to finish Chepstow International on a high.
A big entry of 75 combinations faced course-designer Colm Quinn’s world ranking 1.45m track but light materials and a trademark tall, airy verticals into the double and a restrictive time caught out several riders. Only eight remained penalty-free to qualify for the jump-off, including three from the Whitaker family. The same double proved most influential in the jump-off, with three riders falling foul including the only Irish representative, Anthony Condon on his 2022 Grand Prix winner SFS Vincomte defending their title.
“The tracks have been fantastically built throughout the show, the course-builder has done a great job – testing but fair with a few opening lines followed up with closing distances,” said Graham.
George Whitaker set a competitive target on the promising Peanut, owned by Martin Wood, but two horses later Graham wiped 1.22 seconds off his time with a smooth yet quick round, angling the midway vertical across the arena without a break in their stride.
“I didn’t hang about, I didn’t know how Veneno would take it, but he figured it out,” said Graham.
Paul Sims challenged from the final draw to slot his own Dream Roller into third behind second-placed George. William Whitaker produced the only other double clear for fourth on Old Lodge’s Chacco’s Lando.
The German-bred 15-year-old Veneno has been competing with Donald Whitaker for the past two years, jumping mainly at two and three-star shows but taking four and the occasional five-star show. Bred in the purple with Chacco-Blue x Baloubet Du Rouet bloodlines, Veneno shares similar breeding to Ben Maher’s Olympic gold medallist Explosion W.
“He’s fantastic, a dream to ride and has the most ability I’ve ever felt in a horse,” said Graham, who is based in West Sussex near Hickstead and bought his exciting new ride through Donald and Nicola Pohl. “I’m obviously still getting to know him, but we’ve figured each other out pretty quickly.”
The skill and cool judgement of Harry Charles came shining through in the first of the world ranking classes at Chepstow 2* International as he guided Peter Charles’ Sherlock into victory.
Eighty-two competitors tackled the 13-fence course with several riders falling foul of an oxer running down to a combination with an open, airy, tall vertical going in. An eventual ten riders posted initial clears to go forward into the jump-off. Harry was again foot-perfect on the Bisquet Balou VD Mispelaere x Malito Des Reves 10-year-old to take the top spot in a masterclass of riding with 0.37 seconds to spare.
Tom Whitaker secured victory in the 2* Medium Tour 1.40m Grand Prix with Buvento. The 58 starters were reduced to 17 for the jump-off, Tom and the Argento x Quattro B 8-year-old mare flying into the top spot by 0.58 seconds.
“She’s a family horse, I own her with my brother Donald and she’s by my uncle John’s top stallion Argento,” said Tom. “She’s not the easiest but she’s very careful. I was last to go, and the course really suited her, taking strides out and going forward is what she does best.
“I spoke to John about her because when she was younger, she jumped to the right a lot and he said Argento did that but grew out of it. So, she had similarities with her sire, I’m hoping she’s as good!”
Tom doubled up, emerging triumphant in an incredibly fast-paced 1* Platinum 1.40m Grand Prix. Eight reached the jump-off with Nicole Lockhead Anderson hitting top speed on Chatondo to set a seemingly unbeatable target from second draw. Tom immediately followed and was even quicker, galloping into victory on Leigh Collier’s Codex One x Cornet Obolensky 7-year-old Colliers Carlotta by 0.83 seconds.
“She’s quick and scopey and I think she’ll be a proper Grand Prix horse, we’re aiming her for the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken later in the year,” said Tom, about the mare he acquired just before Christmas.
The amazing partnership of Kerry Harris and the sparky, evergreen Wellington M was on full display on the opening day of Chepstow CSI2* as the pair outpaced their rivals to take the big tour 1.40m.
Such is the popularity of this show in Wales, the entries for the big tour topped 100 and was split into two sections. 51 contended this two-phase track with Kerry and the Quidam De Revel 20-year-old ‘Wellie’ customarily slicing every turn to win by 0.43 seconds.
Nicole Pavitt claimed the other section of the 1.40m with the Non Stop x C Indoctro 9-year-old Johnson, owned by Raeane Turner, flying into the top spot to beat her 50 rivals by 0.34 seconds. Mark Edwards claimed second aboard Martyn Edwards’ Flying Tinker II.
Nicole and Johnson claimed their second win of the week in Saturday’s Medium 2* 1.35m speed. Eighty-eight came forward in this class with Nicole edging into the top spot by just 0.07 sec. Jay Halim slipped Gentle into second.
Nicole claimed two of the top three places in the 6-year-old Grand Prix, winning on the Cornet Obolesnky gelding Cornet Of Follyfoot, owned by Sally Jobson Scott, in a 25-strong jump-off by 0.23 seconds. Nicole also picked up third aboard Matthew Pike’s SES Jumeira, sandwiching Olivia Gent and her own Avant Garde HST Z into second place.
Jay found the fastest route in the Big Tour 2* 1.40m speed to win with 0.39 seconds in hand on the Numero Uno x Heartbreaker 12-year-old Gentle. Mark slipped Vicky Gillard’s Ede Peasy into second.
Mark was again on form at this venue and notched up six wins. He left the best until last in the final day’s 22-strong 2* Medium Tour 1.35m two-phase, galloping the 10-year-old Ede Peasy into victory in the final moments, finishing ahead of Richard Howley’s long-time lead on Nobles VD Meilegem Z by 1.33 seconds.
The consistent Jafabalou was responsible for a hat-trick of wins. The 1* Gold Tour 1.30m Grand Prix belonged to Mark and Amber Bundock’s Jafabalou. Fourteen of the 35 starters returned for the jump-off with Mark and the Balou Du Rouet x Concorde 10-year-old flying into the top spot by 1.04 sec.
The 12-horse Gold 1.25m speed fell Mark’s way too as he commandingly claimed victory with more than ten seconds to spare on Jafabalou. The pair also claimed Saturday’s 45-horse 1* Gold 1.25m accumulator, beating day one’s winner Arianna Kuligowski with Ivascalle by 1.03 seconds.
Mark featured strongly in the 10-horse 1* Platinum 1.35m two-phase, winning by 0.29 seconds on the Diarado 8-year-old Dillinger NE, and taking third aboard the Montreuxs Tale/Cavalier Royale 8-year-old Royale Tale, both owned by Martyn Edwards, sandwiching Nicole Lockhead Anderson’s Chatondo into second.
Mark took the top two places in the 20-strong 1* Platinum Tour 1.35m two-phase, with Royale Tale taking the win on this occasion and Dillinger NE slotting into in second place, 0.90 seconds separating the two. Tom Whitaker guided Colliers Carlotta into third just 0.06 seconds further in arrears.
Nicole Lockhead Anderson secured the 5-year-old Grand Prix with Tom Williams’ Pria Blue PS (Presley Boy x Chacco-Blue). An eventual 14 of the original 31 starters contended the jump-off in this three-round competition with Nicole taking charge to win by more than three seconds.
Lorraine Lock has been knocking on the door for the last few weeks and scored a well-deserved victory in the Silver Grand Prix on her own Billy Gobi. Fifteen of the 67 starters returned for the jump-off over a 1.25m track with Lorraine and the 7-year-old Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Cevin Z mare winning by 2.31 seconds.
Megan Broadway came to the fore in the Bronze Tour Grand Prix with her own Stella Butterfly Z. Twenty-five of the original 73 starters reached the jump-off with Megan and the Stockwell Adelheid Z x Numero Uno 6-year-old edging ahead to win by just 0.12 seconds.
Marnie Green gave fair warning of her intentions with a 0.18 second win in Saturday’s 38-strong 2* 1.30m speed aboard Samantha Green’s Ice Cold Z. The pair went on to also take victory in the 2* Small 1.35m Grand Prix. Fourteen of the 48 starters accessed the jump-off with Marnie and the 10-year-old Iceman De Muze daughter winning with more than three sec to spare.
Gaspard Maksud was in top form to take a hat-trick of wins. He claimed three of the top four places in the initial 68-strong Small 2* 1.30m single-phase, winning with the Caligula x Messenger 7-year-old Ballypatrick Tiberius by 0.42 seconds, taking third aboard Noble Lord and fourth riding Luxury B.
Gaspard galloped to the top of the 61-horse 1* Bronze 1.05m two-phase with 1.91 seconds in hand on the Cassino 9-year-old Emerald Rocco. The partnership doubled up in the 1* Bronze 1.05m accumulator, beating all 64 of his rivals with a handsome 3.48 seconds to spare.
Image: Graham Gillespie and Veneno. Credit - Showground Photography
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