Sandy McLean lands the Yeti Under 25 British Showjumping Championship at the London International Horse Show
Thursday 14 December 2023
Sandy McLean finished 2023 on a high with victory on the phenomenal Gino F in the Yeti Under 25 British Showjumping Championship at the London International Horse Show in the ExCeL Arena.
“You always feel the pressure in these classes,” said Sandy, who didn’t have the best of starts in the jump-off, but his ‘Horse of a Lifetime’ Gino F pulled it out of the bag.
Exactly a third of the original start-list returned for the jump-off as eight of the 24 riders provided initial clear rounds over the track which started at a height of 1.45m. Jennifer Billington led the way from the front with the Flipper D’Elle 12-year-old Flipper Darco Z. And remained ahead as, despite the following riders beating her time, it was at a cost as the number of strides taken to the final fence proved crucial, the poles heartbreakingly toppling with depressing regularity.
“I knew Jennifer was fast and that her time could be beaten but everyone was having the last fence down. I was over the moon to win but didn’t think I had it; I got a terrible stride to the first three fences and didn’t think I’d be anywhere near fast enough,” said Sandy, who wiped an incredible 2.55 seconds from the time. “The atmosphere was fantastic. I love this show – it’s the best show in Britain by far. This is the second time for me in this class and the whole Christmas atmosphere is fantastic.”
Sandy and Gino F have enjoyed an incredible last 12 months with consistent wins both indoors and out and are fast becoming the pair to beat.
“He’s my soulmate, he’s won so much for me in the last two years and taken me to the [Young Rider] European Championships – he’s a bit of a legend,” added, Sandy, who owned the Ultimo II x Grannus 12-year-old jointly with his mother Marjory McNaughton.
“It’s been an exceptional year and, although I’ve had some really good owners this year that have helped massively, most of it is down to Gino. It makes me even more hungry for success, I hate it when I let him down, no-one gets harder on themselves than I do on that horse, if I have a fence down it’s my fault, I hate it because he never lets me down.”
Olli Fletcher supplied the fastest time of the class – 0.15 seconds quicker than Sandy – but at the expense of a rail to finish third on Hello William.
Image: Sandy McLean and Gino F Credit: Peter Nixon
