More Success on the International Circuit for British Riders
Monday 28 October 2024
Winning is in the air for Jess Mendoza in Washington
A win was in the air for Jess Mendoza at Washington International Horse Show in The USA, as In The Air galloped to the top of the Nissan of Bowie $32,000 1.50m.
“It was her week and made our first WIHS [Washington International Horse Show] a special one,” said Jess, who also picked up the Leading Lady Rider award.
The pair had opened their account at this show with third in the $32,000 Walkenbach Equestrian Accumulator Costume Class. Twenty-seven riders contended this 5* 1.45m accumulator Jess and In The Air finishing 1.11 seconds behind the winner, France’s Nina Mallevaey on My Clementine and second-placed The USA’s McLain Ward aboard First Lady.
It set them up nicely for the 1.50m 24 hours later. Twenty-one competitors came forward for this two-phase, a new class in the schedule for this week. Jess made short work of the second phase against the clock, speeding ahead to claim a 0.47 second victory.
“The two-phase worked in my favour because I rode her in the costume class the day before. She went fast, so it was nice to get the first seven or eight jumps just getting her back and not rushing, then getting to the last few jumps fast is always fun with her,” said Jess.
Jess found In The Air – aka ‘Fly’ – an 11-year-old mare with Air Jordan x Indoctro bloodlines, in Holland and ended up also purchasing her half-brother out of the same dam from her breeder C. den Boer.
“She’s incredible, so athletic and like a little cat when she jumps. She’s been great because I can use her for all the speed classes, and she can be used for a big class. She’s very useful to me and so careful,” added Jess.
Laura Renwick hits form in Valencia
Laura Renwick notched up a winning double on the Autumn Moura Tours in Valencia, Spain, and narrowly missed out on a hat-trick. Laura headed 3* 1.45m and 1.40m classes before missing out on a Grand Prix victory by one to conclude week three in sunny Spain.
Forty-three competitors came forward over the 3* 1.50m Grand Prix track but such was the complexity of the questions on this testing course, only four posted initial clears to earn their place in the jump-off. Laura set off with determination in the opening draw, trusting the scope of Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s 11-year-old Echo Van’t Spieveld x Coronado mare to set a sizzling target for the others chase. Fellow Brit James Smith followed but he is still at the get-to-know-you stage with Eagele Z and dropped down the order to take an eventual fourth place. It was left to the last to go to beat the time, Spain’s Mariano Martinez Bastida guiding Belano VD Wijnhoeve Z into victory and pushing Laura into second by 0.98 seconds.
Laura topped an early 3* 1.45m aboard the home-bred Kosmos A, the Arezzo VDL x Namelus R nine-year-old outpacing 30 rivals to win by 0.57 seconds. James eased the 13-year-old Eagele Z into third.
Another home-bred provided another win for Laura, the eight-year-old NFS Angelina (Arko III x Couleur Rubin) flying ahead in the 49-strong 3* 1.40m speed to score a handsome 4.22 second victory. Olli Fletcher slotted the 13-year-old mare Garande into second spot.
Olli picked up a double in the Seven and Eight-year-old 1.30/1.35m classes riding two seven-year-olds. Rocky Star VD Bokke (WAndor Van De Mispelaere x Cancara) headed the first for Olli in an 18-horse decider with 0.34 seconds to spare. In the 24-strong two-phase, Hibou De La Roque (Elvis Ter Putte x Kannan), stepped up to the plate for Olli, beating second-placed Charlotte Walker’s Masterpiece F by 0.42 seconds.
James Smith steered Juno Rose 23 into second in the 50-entry 3* 1.45m speed, the 10-year-old Erdento daughter finishing 1.18 seconds off the pace, while Robert Murphy claimed fourth in Saturday’s 44-horse 3* 1.45m speed aboard Comme Cornet, 1.90 seconds behind the winner.
Brits were in winning form in the supporting classes – Joe Whitaker claimed a 63-entry 3* 1.40m two-phase on the seven-year-old Maserati WS by 0.23 seconds and Guy Williams beat 39 rivals to take a 3* 1.35m win on the 12-year-old Hanne Umonia with more than three seconds to spare. Logan Creighton topped a 1.30m by an impressive six seconds on the 12-year-old Calido I daughter Calini, and Charlotte Walker headed a Five-year-old 1.10m two-phase with Victoria’s Painted Secret CW with two seconds in hand.
Image credit: Shawn McMillan Photography
