Verlooy takes victory at Hickstead
Saturday 27 July 2019
Belgium’s Jos Verlooy took the top prize in the Bunn Leisure Salver, Saturday morning’s 1.50m pipe-opener at Hickstead’s Longines Royal International Horse Show.
He rode the 10-year-old Jacobien Dwerse Hagen, a new addition to his formidable string. “We bought her a few months ago, and I’m really starting to know now which buttons I can press,” says 24-year-old Verlooy, who made history when he became the youngest-ever rider to qualify for the FEI World Cup Finals in 2015. “She’s naturally so fast that with her, I don’t like to see too many other rounds – I know I just need to do my own round and do as few strides as possible.”
Verlooy sourced the mare locally to his Grobbendonk home from the Spits family, and now he hopes to produce her to tackle the biggest classes.
“She’s very talented, and we won a two-star Grand Prix in one of our first shows together, but I didn’t really have the dots on the I’s then. It was just to get to know each other. But now I feel like I have the right tactics, and the puzzle is starting to fit together.”
The Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead in West Sussex runs from 23-28 July, with international showjumping being held alongside championship showing classes and national jumping competitions.
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