Warwickshire’s Nick Skelton comes out on top in Florida.

 

Great Britain’s Nick Skelton and his current string of good horses has been competing in at the festival since week one, and rates this tour as an opportunity to gain good experience for the season ahead.

 

‘For me, it’s a great place to bring horses. The footing is first class, the shows are really good and the prize money is good. It’s really brought my horse Carlo 273 on a lot. We jumped most weeks and have seen a lot of different courses.’

 

‘It’s great for young horses. I will bring young horses next year. The competition is always tough here. The level is as high as anywhere, definitely towards the end of the circuit.’

 

This week saw the finale classes of the festival and the final rider standings. The $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix (CSI 5*) saw all the top riders from the circuit fighting it out to take the top prize fund. With only 1.63 seconds separating the top six competitors in the jump off if was a hard fought competition. In this class Nick partnered Beverley Widdowson’s ten year old gelding Carlo 273, jumping a double clear in a jump off time of 37.13 seconds. This time was quick but still finished 1.27 seconds off the winning time set by American Laura Kraut, leaving Nick in fourth position overall. Nick commented after the class, ‘We gave it everything, more experienced horses beat us and it was one of the fastest classes I can remember.’

 

Nick’s consistent performances throughout the festival paid off, picking up 2238 points in the Rider Challenge Series. This saw Nick head the leader board at the end of the festival and therefore took home the $50,000 bonus.

 

The $25.000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classics have been held weekly though to week eleven with the top three horse/rider combinations over the eleven weeks gaining a bonus award. Nick gained top results on several of his rides in this series but it was Beverley Widdowson’s apply named eight year old bay stallion Big Star that topped the final leader board with 229 points earning the $25,000 bonus.

 

The Harrison Cup was awarded for the first year at this year’s FTI World Equestrian Festival and will be a yearly perpetual award for the top owner of the circuit, counted on prize money won. Nick Skelton accepted the trophy on behalf of Beverley Widdowson who owns, the eight year old stallion Big Star, the ten year old gelding Carlo 273, the ten year bay mare Unique XVIII and the eight year old bay gelding Alberto II. All of which Nick has had great success on at the festival.

 

Nick is now heading home to his base in Alcester, Warwickshire with this promising string of horses aiming Carlo 273 at the top level competitions.