Nigel Coupe and Jubilee III Have the Need For Speed at HOYS
Sunday 11 October 2015
Preston showjumper Nigel Coupe turned back the clock 27 years when he landed the Vinopolis Speed Horse of the Year title on the final day at Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham.
Riding John O'Halloran's 11 year-old chestnut mare Jubilee III, Coupe made light work of an early draw to win a £3,300 prize by just 15 hundredths of a second from William Whitaker, riding Balibu, a 10 year-old chestnut gelding owned by Michael Whitaker, with another British rider - Yazmin Pinchen - third aboard her mother Nancy's 12 year-old bay mare Ashkari and John Whitaker fourth with Prince Sultan Saud's 11 year-old brown gelding Lord of Arabia..
The top four combinations were separated by just 61 hundredths of a second as the speed class once again thrilled a jam bumper audience.
The Vinopolis Speed Horse of the Year is one of the most exhilarating classes at HOYS and is always hotly contested as Longines World Ranking points are on offer.
"I think I was 18 when I won this class previously, and that was when the show was held at Wembley," said Coupe, who is based at Salmesbury, near Preston.
"I am absolutely delighted. When you are drawn early and go into the lead, you always expect to be shot at, but today they kept having fences down.
"I watched the rest of the class on the TV monitor. Having an early draw, if it goes well, it can sometimes help you put the pressure on, and it worked out for me today.
"Any time you win an international class is great, but to win the speed championship here at HOYS is fantastic."
Audio link to Nigel Coupe winner of the Vinopolis Speed Horse of the Year
Photography credit: Lewis Harding Photography
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