Nick Skelton Does It Again
Friday 23 March 2012
.jpg "Nick Skelton Does It Again")
First thing in the morning, there were twenty six entries in the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 11. The class saw eleven clear rounds advance to the jump-off, and once again it was Nick Skelton and Beverley Widdowson's Big Star that sped to the win. They knocked almost 2 seconds off the winning time and finished in 33.77 seconds. Ben Maher, who went first in the jump-off with Tripple X III, led for almost the whole jump-off with a time of 35.39 seconds, which would stay in 2nd place. Laura Kraut and Joan Kalman's Woodstock O put in a time of 35.61 seconds for 3rd place.
Nick has had an unbelievable circuit, with nine major wins. The list of his results include:
Week 1: $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix - 2nd with Unique XVIII, Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Unique XVIII
Week 2: Suncast 1.50m - 2nd with Unique XVIII, WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Carlo
Week 3: WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Carlo
Week 4: $80,000 Adequan Grand Prix - 1st with Big Star
Week 7: Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Big Star
Week 8: $150,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix - 1st with Carlo, Suncast 1.50 - 2nd with Unique XVIII, WEF Challenge Cup - 2nd with Carlo
Week 9: Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Unique XVIII
Week 10: $80,000 Pennfield Feeds Grand Prix - 1st with Big Star
Week 11: WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Big Star
Nick, who is 54 years old, admitted that he's never had a circuit like this, but also that, "I've never been to a circuit as long as this." He recalled, "Years back at Wembley and the Horse of the Year Show, I hadn't won a ribbon. It started on a Monday and I hadn't won a ribbon until Thursday. I won a class on Thursday and then I won every one after that until the end. I won ten classes on the balance. That's the best I've done. I won six in two days once (too)."
Of Big Star, he said, "This horse is going great. He's come along leaps and bounds. He's only 9 years old."
Nick noted that while nothing is really different this year, his key has been to try and keep his horses fresh. "I know you would say, 'Oh god he jumps those horses all the time.' But I haven't actually gone crazy with them. Unique XVIII jumped almost every week, but the first week he jumped three classes and then he's jumped once a week. He didn't jump last week. He hasn't over-jumped really. For Big Star, he's jumped but I haven't gone mad at him. He probably jumps more than others because he jumps a lot of clear rounds. But he's feeling well."
He compared, "The thing is here, we haven't got all of the travelling to do, like in Europe. There you've got to put them on a truck after three days, travel 2,000 miles and then off the truck and jump again, then back on the truck. There's a lot of travelling involved in Europe, which tires them out. You haven't got that here."
Nick said that he plans to ride Carlo in next week's $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI5* on 31st March. "At the end of the day, he's still a little more experienced and has a couple years on Big Star," he said.
Final Results: $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 11
1 BIG STAR NICK SKELTON BEVERLEY WIDDOWSON: 0/0/33.77
2 TRIPPLE X III BEN MAHER BEN MAHER & QUAINTON STUD: 0/0/35.39
3 WOODSTOCK O LAURA KRAUT JOAN KALMAN: 0/0/35.61
4 ROYCE MARGIE ENGLE ELM ROCK LLC: 0/0/36.01
5 OSCAR DU ROZEL JOHANNES EHNING EQUESTRIAN SPORTS GMBH: 0/0/36.14
6 LIGIST REED KESSLER REED KESSLER: 0/0/36.43
7 SILVER EXCHANGE II DAVID MCPHERSON DAVID MCPHERSON: 0/0/36.50
8 URSULA XII TINA FLETCHER LADY HARRIS & LADY KIRKHAM: 0/0/38.43
9 MALOU MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM CAMILLA ANDERSON: 0/0/40.13
10 V KATHERINE MONAHAN-PRUDENT: 0/4/35.58
11 VANDAVID CATHERINE PASMORE PASMORE STABLES: 0/17/54.08
12 AZZARO VAN'T HAGENHOF LAURA KRAUT SUSAN GRANGE: 4/79.66
ENDS
Notes to editors
Photo Credit: Photos © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.us.sportfot.com.
About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival
The 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 11 through April 1. The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are "AA" rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $6 million in prize money will be awarded.
.jpg "Laura Renwick Dominates in the Redpost Equestrian Senior Foxhunter Second Round at Felbridge Showground")
