Whitakers are in winning form as Ellen and Donald each seize victory at Sentower Park
Tuesday 28 May 2024
Siblings Ellen and Donald Whitaker claimed a win apiece at Sentower Park in Opglabbeek, Belgium.
Ellen scored on day one, flying to the top in a competitive 2* 1.45m speed with Demi Louvo, the Vigo Cece x Starsky De Brix 10-year-old mare edging ahead of their 30 rivals to win by only 0.05 seconds.
“She seems to be making big steps every week since we got together at the end of January and has an exciting future ahead of her,” said Ellen.
Donald was next in line for a win, beating his sister Ellen into second place in the process. Twenty of the 65 starters qualified for the jump-off over a 12-fence 1.45m track. Donald outpaced all with the 13-year-old mare Little Khira H (Bockmann’s Lord Pezi x Kolibri) to wrench the top spot by 0.12 seconds. Ellen settled for second aboard the much-rated nine-year-old Cornet Obolensky daughter Korlenski and Donald’s girlfriend, Germany’s Nicola Pohl, filled third place on Fee Du Val Guerard.
“Little Khira is very special. She’s a little crazy and wants to go so fast, so the jump-off always suits her,” said Donald. “It was a very cool result with my sister second on a horse we produced and then sold to Ellen and my girlfriend was third – a good day for our stable HD Equestrian.
Tabitha Kyle notched up a six-year-old victory double, winning a 28-strong 1.20m speed by more than eight seconds and the 1.25m Final in a nine-horse jump-off with 0.43 seconds in hand on Sing Z (Copycat Z x Contact VD Heffinck). Zoe Potter topped the Five-year-old Final by 4.83 seconds in a two-way decider on Thor Van De Vlasbloemhoeve (Hasall Van De Mispelaere x Wandor Van Mispelaere).
British pony riders Lucy Capper and Maisie Allsop dominated the pony classes. Lucy scored a hat-trick, heading the first 1.20m speed by 1.14 seconds, at the expense of Maisie and Vaughann De Vuzit in second, and another 1.20m with immediate jump-off by more than eight seconds with the 13-year-old Capability Brown.
The handsome 14-year-old Dutch-bred stallion Oscar Van De Beekerheide stepped in to mark Lucy’s third win, heading the four-way decider in the Pony 1.25m Grand Prix with only 0.12 seconds over second-placed Maisie and Vaughan De Vuzit.
Maisie and the 15-year-old Vaughann (Dexter Leam Pondi x Moyglare Bluff) claimed the other British win, turning the tables in the 1.20m two-phase to score a 1.14 second advantage over Lucy and Capability Brown.
Sandy McLean is an incredible one dozen wins to the good on a successful Belgian trip
Following on from his successful seven-win tally in Bonheiden, Belgium, Sandy McLean excelled to almost double the count and score an amazing 12 wins. He failed to make a clean sweep on day one by finishing second in the 2* 1.45m but won all the other classes.
“For me, the best win is knowing we have a string of horses that have the ability to get these results – that’s the biggest win,” said Sandy.
Sandy missed out on the initial day’s world ranking win by less than half a second as 10 of the original 37 riders returned to contend the second round of the 2* 1.45m. Riding Matthew Pike’s 13-year-old stallion Goldstar (Otangelo x Waitaki) Sandy finished 0.39 seconds behind the winner, Belgium’s Jules van Hoydonck on Panamarenko Optimus.
For the rest of the day, Sandy was unassailable. He claimed three of the top four places in the 2* 1.40m, denied a complete sweep by a fellow Brit. Fifty-five competitors contended this speed class, Sandy galloping into the top spot on his prolific winner, the 13-year-old Gino F (Ultimo x Grannus) with 0.87 seconds to spare. Sandy guided Don Viepar into third with Calcord in fourth, sandwiching Jake Ward’s Davinci VD Bosrand Z into second place.
It was another British whitewash in the 2* Small Tour Final, Sandy leading a British top three over the 1.40m course in a 19-horse jump-off on the 13-year-old Eagele Z. Max Routledge was 0.88 seconds in arrears for second on Sue Evans’ 10-year-old Arezzo VDL stallion Janeiro with Jake Ward and Jaguar filling third place.
Sandy seized a top two result in Friday’s 47-entry 2* 1.40m two-phase, Eagele Z (Eldorado VD Zeshoek x Ramiro Z) winning by 0.61 seconds with second going to the Calido I x Acord II 10-year-old Calcord – also second in Sunday’s 2* 1.35m two-phase.
“He [Eagele Z] is a little fighter!” said Sandy, whose hard work is paying dividends.
Zoey 12 stepped in to score Sandy a victory double, winning an early 1* 1.30m speed against 41 contenders, the Quality 9 x Concetto 13-year-old claiming a four second advantage over Chantelle Duggan in second on her HOYS Talentseekers champion Linton De La Chapelle. Sandy and Zoey went on to beat 37 rivals in the 2* 1.35m speed 24 hours later with almost five seconds to spare.
In the Five and Six-year-old series, Matthew Pike’s six-year-old mare SES Moulin Rouge (Goldstar x Quidam De Revel) won two of the 1.05/1.15m and finished second in another under Sandy’s expert guidance. Sandy claimed a 0.29 second win in the initial 61-strong Seven and Eight-year-old 1.30/1.35m two-phase on the Luidam seven-year-old Bingo 55 – pushing Charlotte Penny’s Landown Cruise On Air into second – and outpaced 54 rivals 24 hours later in the equivalent speed with the seven-year-old SES Jumeirah (Diamant De Semilly x Douglas) with 4.69 seconds in hand.
Sandy also doubled up with J.X Hale, the Arko x Nissan Catango Z 10-year-old winning the initial 1* 1.20m two-phase by 0.38 seconds over second ride Z7 Sapphire and winning the 10-strong jump-off of the final 1.25m by almost three seconds. The 12-year-old Z7 Sapphire (Diamant De Semilly x Voltaire), second in another 1.20m two-phase, headed the final day’s 1* 1.15m two-phase with 4.53 seconds to spare.
Joe Stockdale is in the money in Rome
Joe Stockdale picked up useful placings at Rome CSIO5* in the Piaza di Siena, Italy.
Joe guided Colin Garratt’s Equine Rescue Services Kandleford into second place in the 32-strong Accumulator with Joker 1.45m. The Kannan 14-year-old, bred by David Broome, posted a maximum score and finishing 1.53 seconds behind the winner, Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano on Jaja.
Joe – recently announced as on the Paris 2024 shortlist – was the sole British representative in the 13-strong decider of the feature Rolex 1.60m Grand Prix and jumped a lovely double clear to finish fourth with his prospective Olympic ride Equine America Cacharel. They proved 3.41 seconds behind the winner, The USA’s Karl Cook on Caracole De La Roque.
Ben Maher slipped Enjeu De Grisien into second in an early 1.45m Winning Round as 12 of the original 47 starters contended round two. Ben and Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Toulon x Andiamo 10-year-old proved only 0.19 seconds off the pace to take the runner-up spot behind France’s winner, Emeric George aboard Gloria Mercoeur.
Scott Brash claims a four-star second place in France
Scott Brash eased Hello Vittoria into second place in the 4* 1.50m speed against 53 rivals in Macon Chaintre, France. Riding Lady Pauline Kirkham’s 10-year-old Kannan daughter, Scott finished 2.74 seconds behind the flying Frenchman Julien Epaillard on Cancun Torel Z.
Amanda Derbyshire is a USA winner at Tryon International Equestrian Centre
Amanda Derbyshire notched up an early win at Tryon International Equestrian Centre, USA, with new ride Renkum Oriana.
Forty-three competitors made the trip around the 2* 1.40m two-phase, Amanda and the British-bred eight-year-old mare forging ahead to win by 0.51 seconds. The pair almost made it a victory double in the $25,000 Sunday Jumper Classic. The 34 contenders were reduced to nine for the jump-off, Amanda slipping Oriana into second place 2.35 seconds off the winning time.
Amanda jumped a double clear in the 17-strong hotly competitive jump-off of the $32,000 2* Welcome Stake 1.45m just 0.53 seconds behind the winner, Ireland’s Paul O’Shea on Hellcat.
Laura Renwick is consistent in St Tropez
Laura Renwick featured regularly in the line-up in St Tropez – Gassin CSI3*, France.
Enjoy CK Z was less than a second off victory in the 37-entry 3* 1.50m speed for Laura, Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Echo Van’t Spieveld x Coronado 11-year-old mare stopping the clock 0.86 seconds behind the winner, The USA’s Laura Kraut’s Calgary Tame.
Laura also had to settle for second in the final day’s 48-horse 3* 1.45m speed, the home-bred 10-year-old Cottee (Asterix E Z x Couleur Rubin) 0.87 seconds behind the pace.
Laura picked up second and third in an early 37-strong 1.40m speed, Cottee finishing second four seconds behind the winning time with NFS Angelina in third. She finally picked up a win in the 1* 1.30m speed as the seven-year-old Michelob (Otangelo x Orlando) galloped ahead of 65 rivals to win with 2.61 seconds to spare.
.jpg "Florence Newstead from Cambridgeshire is the latest NAF Shining Star")
