Amanda Derbyshire, Matt Sampson and Mark Edwards are victorious in this week’s international round-up
Monday 17 June 2024
Amanda Derbyshire commands victory in the Lugano Diamonds 3* Grand Prix in Kentucky, USA
Amanda Derbyshire was on the money all week on the Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, culminating with victory in the $100,000 Lugano 3* Grand Prix.
Only four of the initial field of 23 jumped round one clears over the 1.50m course to access the jump-off, Amanda reigning supreme with the sole double clear on the Norton D’Eole x Toulon 12-year-old to take the lion’s share of the prize.
Amanda had started week off with second place in the 3* C Jarvis Insurance Welcome Stakes on Otto BH.
An initial 26 competitors came forward over the $35,000 1.45m track with eight providing clear rounds to access the jump-off, Amanda and Otto finishing exactly half a second behind the winner, The USA’s Molly Ashe Cawley on Berdien.
Amanda again had to settle for the runner-up position in the 19-horse $35,000 3* 1.45m speed, on this occasion aboard new ride Vogue TW. Amanda and the eight-year-old Vivant Van De Heffinck x Conthargos mare – produced in Britain by Nicole Lockhead Anderson and Emily Sage until earlier this year – finished 2.37 seconds off the winning time.
Amanda picked up third in the 26-strong 3* 1.40m Power and Speed 3.30 seconds off the pace with Renkum Oriana, a Baloubet Junior Z X Renkum Off-Centre eight-year-old bred in Britain by Henk Minderman.
Sade De Rialfo Z also claimed a third place for Amanda in the $20,000 Blue Trim National Grand Prix. Nine of the start list of 44 returned for the jump-off, Amanda and the eight-year-old Stakkato Gold mare 2.71 seconds behind the pace.
Matt Sampson lands a win on the final day of the Spruce Meadows National
Matt Sampson left the best until last as swooped in to win the concluding 5* ATB Cup at the Spruce Meadows National in Calgary, Canada, with One Whisper.
Thirty-five riders faced a 12-fence 1.50m track designed by Germany’s Olaf Petersen Jr with seven finding the key to move forward into the jump-off.
Australia’s Katie Laurie set a fast target from the front on Django II but Matt found a shorter route on Davenport Stud’s 11-year-old One Whisper (Daniel x Kannan) and cruised into the top spot with 1.54 seconds to spare.
“I’ve been a bit slow this week. The horses were jumping great, but I’ve been fourth twice! I took a bit of a risk here and went as fast as I could and luckily, it paid off,” said Matt.
Earlier in the week, Matt had steered One Whisper into fourth in the RBC Capital Markets Cup 1.50m eight-horse jump-off 0.73 seconds behind Canada’s Erynn Ballard’s winning time on Gakhir.
Matt featured in the top-billed RBC Grand Prix of Canada, presented by Rolex.
Only four of the field of 35 riders mastered course-designer Olaf Petersen Jr’s 13-fence 1.60m track and it was all about the clock as all four jumped double clears with only 0.60 seconds separating them. Penultimate drawn Matt was the steadiest to take fourth place on Davenport Stud’s Heartbreaker 16-year-old Daniel, 0.60 seconds behind the winner, Canada’s Tiffany Foster on Battlecry.
Sameh El Dahan slipped WKD Aimez Moi into third in the Recon Metal Cup.
Twelve of the original 48 riders gained entry to the jump-off with Sameh on Joanne Sloan Allen’s home-bred Je T’Aime Flamenco x Le Tot De Semilly 14-year-old mare finishing 0.72 seconds behind the winner, Mexico’s Patricio Pasquel on Chakkalou PS.
Donald Whitaker also picked up fourth in the AltaGas Cup 1.45m in a six-horse jump-off with the 10-year-old Uriko daughter Ulania 3 more than three seconds off the pace.
Mark Edwards is four-star winner in Sopot, Poland
Mark Edwards hit the turbo button to claim victory in the 4* 1.45m on Dillinger NE at the CSIO4* meeting in Sopot, Poland.
Sixty-two competitors contended this speed class but his rivals were no match for Mark on the Diarado nine-year-old Dillinger and they galloped into the top spot with 1.79 seconds in hand.
Mark had guided Dillinger NE into third in an earlier 66-strong 4* 1.40m speed to finish 2.61 seconds off the winning time.
Great Britain finished just off the podium and in fourth in the CSIO4* Lotto Nations Cup of Poland.
Fourteen teams contended the 12-fence 1.55m course designed by Szymon Tarant with Britain making the cut of the eight top teams at the halfway stage in seventh spot on eight faults to go forward into round two.
The team had plenty of work to do second time out. Denmark stood at the top on a zero score with The Netherlands on three faults and Germany on four to fill the top three. Saudi, Australia and host nation Poland all sat on five faults while Belgium scraped into the top eight on 12.
Britain dug deep. Pathfinder Mark Edwards greatly improved his uncharacteristic initial 12 faults to storm home clear on Marlene Edwards’ Tinkers Tale 13-year-old Flying Tinker to give his teammates a confidence boost. Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way of Adrian Whiteway. Returning only two faults in round two with Deborah Cox’s 11-year-old Chacco-Blue stallion Chacco Volo finished as the drop score on 16. It was down to the final two riders.
Olli Fletcher rose to the occasion with Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham’s 12-year-old Hello William to supply a superb double clear, one of only six in the whole competition. Anchor Robert Murphy had come home on six in round one and left every fence intact with Jos Lansink’s Koblenz VD Middelstede but they again fell victim to the clock and picked up two time faults. It put the team on a total of 10, climbing up the order to fourth.
On a zero score in round two, The Netherlands moved up to the top spot on a total of three faults, one fault ahead of Denmark in second with Germany on a score of five faults in third.
Mark jumped two good rounds in his first four-star Grand Prix on Royal Tale, also in her first four-star Grand Prix to finish just off the podium. They were the only British representative in the jump-off but an unlucky rail down cost them dear.
Twenty-five percent of the 50 starters qualified for the jump-off with 12 coming forward in round two carrying their faults, six clears joined by one with one time fault and the fastest four-faulters. Mark and Royale Tale and they jumped a magnificent round in the first round to finish on four faults. It put Mark at a disadvantage in eighth place but, as he had nothing to lose, he supplied a fast clear round second time out on the nine-year-old mare and moved up the order as others faulted. They finished behind the three double clears in fourth, Denmark’s Zascha Nygaard Lill on Stanley claiming the win.
Image: Matthew Sampson and One Whisper. Credit:Spruce Meadows Media/Mike Sturk
1mvoc359sj6lg.jpg "Guy Williams Speeds to Victory in the Redpost Equestrian Senior Foxhunter Second Round at Hickstead.")
