Robert Whitaker claims a victory double in Gothenburg
Monday 23 February 2026
Robert Whitaker conjured up a well-deserved victory double in Gothenburg, Sweden, with Equine America Vermento and Strike A Pose.
“The horses are all jumping pure class at the moment,” said Robert.
Equine America Vermento stepped up to the plate in an early 5* 1.50m for Robert, and the win certainly caught the audience’s attention as a ‘rogue’ saddle pad inched its way off Vermento’s back and fell to the floor in the jump-off.
German course-designer Peter Schumacher’s 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m track reduced the 46 starters to nine for the jump-off. Robert made short work of the shortened course, guiding Caroline and Stephen Blatchford’s 13-year-old Argento x Skippy stallion – bred by his father John Whitaker – into the top spot by 0.79 seconds, the errant, allegedly non-slip gel pad, which goes under the numnah, slipped off as the pair jumped a midway vertical but Vermento was seemingly unfazed.
“The gel pad just slipped out, I’ve no idea why, but he just kept jumping, I don’t think he even noticed,” said Robert, who found the courses this week – “Quite difficult. It’s an oval ring so you are always jumping out of a turn.”
Robert was also in the winner’s enclosure on the nine-year-old Strike A Pose, another owned by Caroline and Stephen Blatchford and bred by Robert by his former top five-star ride, Catwalk IV and out of a Lux mare. Drawn late in the final five of the 28 entries, Robert secured his second win with 0.43 seconds in hand.
“He was a little green on the first couple of days, but this is another level up for him,” said Robert, who finds ‘Striker’ is comparable to his sire Catwalk. “Everything about him is very similar – his looks and technique, although he is a bit easier; he has a very good mind and just wants to get on with the job.”
The show at the Helsinki World Cup qualifier this week is next on the agenda – “And then we’ll see after that.”
The on-form Scott Brash claims another two wins in Doha
There’s no stopping Scott Brash! The Scottish maestro claimed a winning double to add to his ever-growing tally in Doha, with Hello Jefferson. It marked Scott’s seventh win at the Al Shaqab arena in Qatar, over the 4/5* events from the New Year, and Jefferson’s fourth, including two 5* Grands Prix – a stunning achievement.
Scott started the week with a win in the initial day’s feature 5* 1.50m, commandingly outpacing his rivals on the super-quick and super-keen 17-year-old Hello Jefferson (Cooper Van De Heffinck x Irco Mena). Forty riders came forward over course-designer Uliano Vezzani’s (ITA) 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m speed track but Scott mastered it from the penultimate draw, hitting top gear to take the win with more than three seconds to spare.
The speedy pair also proved unbeatable in the 5* 1.55m 24 hours later. Thirty-seven riders came forward over a 1.55m course with 11 cleanly negotiating the 13-fences to qualify for the jump-off. Scott, in the latter half of the jump-off on Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham’s Hello Jefferson, again wowed the audience with a flying finish and, as the only partnership to break the 40 second barrier, set a target for the last three contenders. No-one came near to catching the pair, and they claimed their second victory in as many days by 0.89 seconds.
Sienna Charles claimed a podium place in the 3* Grand Prix on Stardust, beating brother Harry in the process. Seven of the 33 starters found the key to the 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m track, and it was all about the clock as six of them returned another clear round. Sienna and the Chacco-Blue x Con Air 7 16-year-old mare slotted into third 1.41 seconds off the winning time, and Harry was also double clear for fifth on the Cornet Obolensky nine-year-old Fighting Phil.
Millie Allen slipped Quick Diamant HR into second in a 5* 1.45m Table C (three seconds added for each knockdown). Twenty-six competitors tackled a 12-fence speed track, Millie and Karel Cox Horses’ Diamant De Semilly x Quidam De Revel 10-year-old mare finishing 1.04 second behind the pace for second spot.
Sameh El Dahan jumps to victory in the 4* 1.50m Grand Prix on the Andalucia Sunshine Tour
Sameh El Dahan jumped to victory in the 4* Medium Tour Grand Prix with Joanne Sloan-Allen’s WKD Aimez Moi on the concluding day of the Andalucia Sunshine Tour in Spain.
A big entry of 84 came forward to face the 13-fence 1.50m designed by Bart Vonck (BEL) but only 11 found the key to advance into the jump-off, Sameh easily steering the 16-year-old Je T’Aime Flamenco daughter into the top spot with more than two seconds to spare.
Sameh also picked up third in the 4* Big Tour 1.45m in a 13-horse decider, yielded from a field of 74. He was riding another Sycamore Horse Farm/Sloan home-bred, the 12-year-old WKD Balou Breeze (Balou Du Rouet x Cavalier Royale) finishing 0.47 seconds behind the pace.
Holly Smith seized victory in a 4* Medium Tour 1.45m two-phase with Sing Z, the Copycat Z x Contact Van De Heffinck eight-year-old speeding ahead of their 97 rivals to win by 1.09 seconds.
Tom Whitaker scored a winning double with the eight-year-old Gameboy SWB, topping a 4* Medium 1.35m two-phase by 1.27 seconds and a 4* 1.30m speed with 0.97 seconds in hand. Gemma Stevens was also a double winner riding John-Some, the Lexicon 12-year-old topping two 4* Medium 1.35m speed classes, winning 64 contenders by 1.03 seconds in the first and taking the other by 2.76 seconds. Chloe Winchester was also in the money, heading a 4* Big Tour 1.40m two-phase by 0.65 seconds aboard the nine-year-old mare Exited Z.
British riders dominated the Age class finals. Josh Hutchins claimed victory in the Seven-year-old 1.40m Final riding Oploo (Zambesi TN x Numero Uno) with 1.18 second to spare in the 17-horse jump-off. William Rekert outpaced jump-off 17 challengers to take the Six-year-old 1.30m Final by 0.22 seconds on Corinio Z (Columbus Z x Stakkato Gold). Brits narrowly failed to take the Five-year-old 1.20m Final but claimed the next three places on double clears – Molly Davies in second on Minni Egg MDS ahead of Jude Burgess in third aboard Golden Earring and fourth-placed Emily Gulliver riding Versace De Costa M. Laura Mantel jumped to the top in the Seven-year-old Farewell 1.35m speed by just 0.11 seconds on the Creevy Pacino Cruise gelding Dillon.
Anna Power is a winner in Valencia but fractionally misses out on a Grand Prix win
Anna Power seized a win and narrowly missed out on a Grand Prix win on the Valencia Spring Tour in Spain.
Anna hit top gear in the 3* 1.45m speed with Calgary PH Z to take a win on the final day. Thirty-four riders contended this speed track with Anna on Sue Edwards and Bina Ford’s Comme Il Faut 5 x Caretano Z eight-year-old setting an early and unbeatable round to win by 1.80 seconds.
Less than half a second denied Anna victory in the concluding feature 3* Grand Prix. Forty-three competitors faced the 1.50m Grand Prix track and 11 returned initial clears to join the jump-off. Anna guided Bina Ford’s big-striding 13-year-old McQueen (Cobra x Nissan Caretano Z) into second spot, only 0.42 seconds behind the winner, Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar on Genaro Paulois.
In the supporting classes, Hannah Tile scored a winning hat-trick with the consistent 15-year-old mare Capistelle JX, beating 47 rivals in an early 3* Small 1.30m speed by more than three seconds, topping the 3* Medium 1.40m speed by 2.78 seconds and the penultimate day’s 3* Medium 1.35m speed with 2.08 seconds in hand. Fraser Reed headed an early Six-year-old 1.20m two-phase by 0.42 seconds on the Escape Z daughter Steepleton Miracle Escape.
Charlotte Ash is a winner in Oliva Nova
Charlotte Ash was in the money all week at the three-star Spring MET II in Oliva Nova, Spain, but just missed out on a Grand Prix win.
Charlotte started off the week with podium places in the Gold 1.40m – which was split due to the big entry of 103 competitors. Charlotte claimed the win in the first section with the 13-year-old Irma-Riende (Baltic VDL x Indoctro) by an impressive 1.74 seconds and jumped into second 1.96 seconds behind the pace on the nine-year-old Air Sandulay – also second in the following day’s Gold 1.40m speed.
Irme-Riende also featured in the top-billed 3* Grand Prix for Charlotte. Forty-five riders came forward over the 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m course with 13 first-round clears making their way into the jump-off.
Brazil’s Matheus Ferreira Gomes Correa set the target from first draw on Graal Un Prince Domm and held the lead despite several challenges as riders dared and fences fell. It wasn’t until Spain’s Mariano Martinez Bastida threw caution to the winds and wiped three seconds off the time aboard Belano VD Wijnhoeve Z. With only two double clears recorded, late drawn Charlotte sensibly didn’t go crazy fast but unusually finished equal second as she dead-heated on time with Matheus.
Noora von Bulow slipped Primavera into second in the Gold 1.45m Final. Only eight of the original 58 starters accessed the jump-off, Noora and the 13-year-old Mylord Carthago x Cornet Obolensky 13-year-old mare finishing 0.67 seconds behind the winner, The Netherlands’ Marc Houtzager on Mereusa.
Jack Stirling raced to the top of the 38-strong Gold 1.30m speed to take a 1.81 second winning advantage on Oakingham Stud’s 12-year-old OS Vino.
Amanda Derbyshire makes it a winning double in Florida
Amanda Derbyshire posted a victory double in Myakka City, in Florida, USA, and almost made it a hat-trick in the Grand Prix.
Amanda made her intentions know in the $32,000 Everglades Equipment Group FEI Welcome Speed with long-term campaigner Cornwall BH. Twenty-six riders tackled this 1.45m course with Amanda cutting every corner at the gallop to secure victory by 0.60 seconds on the evergreen Holsteiner 18-year-old.
Amanda was in contention with two chances in the nine-horse decider of the 2* 1.45m Grand Prix. The experienced Cornwall – aka Wally, winner of the 2* Grand Prix at this venue a week earlier – was the best of the two but on this occasion finished 1.81 seconds behind Chili’s Samuel Parot’s speedy round on Chrystal Blue for second place. Amanda also claimed third with a steadier clear on the 12-year-old Conblue (Conthargos x Chacco-Blue).
TGF The Rock clocked up a 1.30m win for Amanda, heading day one’s Power & Speed by 2.67 seconds, and finished second in the 1.30m with immediate jump-off 24 hours later.
Image: Jenny A Photo/WoSJ
