Michael Whitaker wins Grand Prix at Keysoe Int'l
Sunday 27 November 2016
Michael Whitaker gave his usual polished performance to secure victory in the 1.45m grand prix carrying world ranking points on the final day at Keysoe International.
Thirteen accessed the jump-off from 30 starters and it was all about the clock as six provided double clears. No-one was as quick and smooth as Michael and he cruised into an unbeatable lead on Jayne Bean’s 10-year-old mare JB’s Hot Stuff to win by 0.94 seconds.
Nigel Coupe was the nearest rival, bringing the 12-year-old mare Jubilee III into second, with Lance Whitehouse in third aboard the 14-year-old gelding Vik II. And adding more to Michael Whitaker’s coffers, Joe Clayton claimed fourth for his boss on Steve and Caroline Barnes’ Irish-bred 9-year-old Millioninmind.
A winner on day one, Michaela Huntington rounded up a good show with victory in the concluding 1.35m on the 8-year-old Asca Z daughter Alegro Z. Ireland’s Trevor Breen finished 0.29 seconds in arrears for second on Danique with Corinne Collins and the 10-year-old gelding Bugatti B in third.
Rachael Connor continued on her incredible run on the final day. A winner already with a great hat-trick on Lottie III and Valeree B, she claimed the top two places in the 5 and 6-year-old grand prix aboard Fantastic and Zaha. These two 6-year-olds secured Hickstead winter B and C qualification just a week earlier at Morris Equestrian Centre’s winter premier, and here, they repeated their results, the Casantos mare Fantastic winning by 0.32 seconds.
Michaela Huntington took third with the 5-year-old mare Gina Trojka S in the 32-strong class which produced 15 double clears.
Abbie Crippen lifted the 1.25m on the 14-year-old Vilka B, winning the 60-strong class by 0.46 seconds and pushing South Africa’s Charles Luyckx into second and third with Cicero II and Peptio D’Airsain.
Sweden’s Catherine Silfverling Jansson triumped in the 1.15m on OMS Wendeliena, beating France’s Sebastien Poirier on Play Boy into second by 0.74 seconds. Elizabeth Gray took third on the 7-year-old mare Capitol Star.
