Joe Whitaker takes first place in the CSI4* Al Shira’aa Longines Diamond Tour FEI Jumping World Cup™ Grand Prix
Monday 16 January 2023
Sunday, 15 January 2023, the final day of The Al Shira’aa International Horse Show (Abu Dhabi, UAE) saw Yorkshire based Joe Whitaker take the victory in the CSI4* Al Shira’aa Longines Diamond Tour FEI Jumping World Cup™ Prix aboard his own 11-year-old chestnut gelding, Hulahupe JR.
From a field of 39 starters, 11 combinations left Italian course designer Elio Travagloati’s 1.55m track untouched in the first round to progress to the jump off. The eleven riders from seven nations took on the shortened track, battling it out for the €152,600 prize pot. Joe and Hulahupe JR, who were fourth to jump, set off at a blistering pace around the 1.55m track. Cutting corners and taking strides out where they could, the combination stopped the clock in an unbeatable time of 42.01 seconds. Fellow British rider Tim Gredley, riding Unex Competition Yard’s Medoc De Toxandria, was hot on his heels, but couldn’t quite match their pace, finishing 5th in a time of 48.55 seconds.
Following his victory, an emotional Joe Whitaker commented: “This win is up there as number 1. He [Hulahupe] is my best friend. He is an amazing horse, and he has the heart of a lion. He wanted to jump the fences more than I did today. I am lucky to have him.
“I saw Billy Twomey go, and he went around to number 2, the wall, but he absolutely put pedal to the metal everywhere else so if you wanted to win you had to come inside it. It was a really hard, difficult turn, so my mind was purely on that turn and then try and be as fast as I could everywhere else.
“It’s a big gamble coming here; the worry of travelling, the size of the fences but it’s an amazing show. I’m absolutely delighted to be here and to get a result like that means the absolute world to me”.
1st place – Joe Whitaker (GBR) & Hulahupe JR – 0/0 – 42.01 seconds
2nd place –Billy Twomey (IRE) & Chat Botte E.D – 0/0 – 43.60 seconds
3rd place – Duarte Seabra (POR) & Dourados – 0/0 – 44.61 seconds
View the full results here: https://www.longinestiming.com/equestrian/2023/al-shiraaa-international-horse-show-abu-dhabi/resultlist_21.html
Image: Al Shira’aa Horse Show
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