Perfect Gentleman gives Simpson his second Queen’s success
Saturday 27 July 2019
Ireland’s David Simpson reclaimed the Science Supplements BHS Queen Elizabeth II Cup today.
His first win in the class came in 2016 on Chessy 17, and this time it was Gentleman VH Veldof who carried David to victory, despite the disadvantage of an early draw.
Having netted the first clear of the competition, David was first to go against the clock in the second round. He set a tough time of 41.05 to put pressure on the others, and while Mark Edwards was able to go quicker, a fence down dropped him to fourth place.
Helen Tredwell (Larksong) took second, with Will Fletcher – whose mother Tina won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup three times – taking third place on Persimmon.
For Irishman David, the All England Jumping Course is a home from home – he is based nearby in West Sussex, and was formerly a stable jockey for Hickstead’s Shane Breen. He has only had the ride on Gentleman VH Veldof for a few weeks.
“He landed on the Monday before the Al Shira’aa Derby show in June, so that was our first show with him. I really, really like him. For such a short period together, we seem to have clicked quite well,” he says. “All the girls absolutely love him, so he must be a bit of a gentleman! For me, he’s absolutely lovely to work with. Michael Whitaker rode him before me, so I went back and watched a couple of videos of him riding him. Obviously I can’t copy him, but it gave me some ideas!”
The Longines Royal International Horse Show takes place at Hickstead in West Sussex (23-28 July), with international showjumping being held alongside championship showing classes and national jumping
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