NICK SKELTON WINS $75,000 WELLINGTON GRAND PRIX

After three major second place finishes in the first three weeks of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, Nick Skelton (GBR) and Carlo 273, owned by Beverly Widdowson, stepped up into the winner's circle in the $75,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2*. They took the win over Pablo Barrios (VEN) and G&C Quick Star 11, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal, and Beezie Madden (USA) on Abigail Wexner's Danny Boy.

 

Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) was the course designer for today's grand prix, which featured 14 numbered obstacles and 17 fences altogether that included the open water and a triple combination. There were 35 entries, and five of them found the clear round to move on to the jump-off. "I thought it was fair, some difficult lines," Skelton said. Barrios added, "To me, it was a pretty careful course to ride, but I liked it for my horse. I felt pretty confident when I walked the course. I felt like we could go clear."

 

Skelton and Carlo 273, a nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Contender xx Cascavelle, took their shot at the win. Skelton made two neat turn backs in the course, and when it came time to turn for home, Skelton pushed the grey into a very fast gallop to the final oxer. They stopped the clock in 39.72 seconds for the win.

 

"I knew I couldn't hang about. I watched Pablo on the screen outside. I did what I could do. Maybe I was a little bit faster to the last jump. I let it rip to the last, really," he said with a grin.

 

Skelton thinks that Carlo 273 is a very special horse, and believes his quirks can also be a benefit. "He's really nervous with horses coming towards him. He turns and runs the other way. He watches everything. He'll see a dog move, a child walking, or a golf cart go by, but when he goes through the start, he's a totally different horse. He lives on his nerves, but that's probably what makes him so good. This horse could be a very serious good horse," he noted. "I think he's an exceptional horse. He's very, very talented. He's fantastically careful. He has all the scope, and he's good to ride."

 

Carlo 273 has only had one rail in four weeks of competition, and he has been amazingly consistent. In week one, he was second in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Classic, and in weeks two and three, he was second in the major grand prix. "I made one mistake in the WEF on the second week. It was my fault," Skelton admitted.

 

For today's grand prix, Skelton felt that he could ask for a little more of Carlo 273. "It's probably as quick as I've asked him to go. I've taken a long time with him. (In the past two years), I didn't really speed him, never tried to win a class with him. Next week he'll do the 1.40m quietly, training a little bit, then go in the grand prix. When they're young, you've got to go up and down with them," he explained. "You can't put the gun to their head every day, or else they won't make 12 years old. Those horses are difficult to find, so when you have a good one, you have to look after them."

  

For full results and more information, please visit www.shownet.biz or www.equestriansport.com.

 

1. CARLO 273: 2001 Holsteiner gelding by Contender xx Cascavelle

NICK SKELTON (GBR), BEVERLY WIDDOWSON: 0/0/39.72

2. G&C QUICK STAR: 2000 KWPN mare by Quick Star xx Grannus

PABLO BARRIOS (VEN), GUSTAVO & CAROLINA MIRABAL: 0/0/40.00

3. DANNY BOY: 2000 BWP gelding by Clinton xx Alexis Z

BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), ABIGAIL WEXNER: 0/0/40.24

 

Photo Credit: Nick Skelton and Carlo 273, pictured with (L to R) ringmaster Cliff Haines, Kathy Mailloux and Allyn Mann of Adequan, and Katherine Bellissimo of Wellington Equestrian Partners, won the $75,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2* at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo copyright Randi Muster/Mustphoto, Inc., Official Sport Photographer of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival.