Robert Whitaker lands one of his biggest Grand Prix wins to lift the King George V Gold Cup on Vermento
Sunday 30 July 2023
“It’s taken 37 years to win it,” said an emotional Robert Whitaker after claiming the King George V Gold Cup with the only double clear on a horse bred by his father. “To win Britain’s biggest five-star outdoor Grand Prix is a big achievement – it’s one of my biggest wins.
It crowned an amazing week for the Whitakers and the home nation at the Royal International Horse Show with Robert’s father John part of the winning Nations Cup team just 48 hours earlier.
Robert is the third member of his famous family to lift the iconic gold trophy, following in the footsteps of Dad John, a three-time winner, and Uncle Michael, who has won four times. John bred Robert’s winning ride, the 10-year-old stallion Vermento now owned by Caroline Blatchford, who was sired by the great Argento with whom John enjoyed so much success.
“It’s just amazing, my dad bred the horse, and we’ve put a lot of work in him. I’ve probably nurtured him the last couple of years, saving him and jumping 1.50m classes,” said Robert, who hails from Yorkshire but now is based in Surrey.
Course-designer Kelvin Bywater set a testing 13-fence 1.60m track for the 43 riders forward. With the water jumped away from the in gate and following Hickstead planks on a left-hand approach causing one or two problems, only nine answered all the questions in the tricky course to access the jump-off.
“I was really nervous in the first round,” admitted Robert. “You never know what’s going to happen but he knows the ring quite well, this is a local show for me and he’s jumped a lot of smaller classes here, I think that worked in his favour. He jumped well in Falsterbo and as my other horse Evert is off injured, I didn’t have another horse [to jump in this class] so he stepped up – it’s his first five-star show and he was amazing.”
The jump-off was gearing up to be something special despite the damp, overcast weather and showers. But the raised and shortened track proved even tougher, with several making just one mistake.
Sweden’s Amanda Landeblad came home on four faults at the tall white gate in her opening round on her Swedish Nations Cup ride 13-year-old For Killy – a Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve x For Pleasure mare bred and produced in Britain by Danny Dunne up to international 1.35m young horse classes and sold in 2017.
They were beaten only by Brazil’s Pedro Veniss aboard Nimrod De Muze Z, who proved 0.22 seconds quicker than Robert but again, he fell foul of the white gate.
With so many of his rivals picking up faults in the jump-off, Robert was not short on advice with many members of his family on hand.
“My plan [in the jump-off] was to get in a good rhythm, not be too slow but don’t overcook it either but the way he was jumping, he was so safe. He felt really good in himself and still had a lot of energy at the end. You’ve never won until you’ve jumped the last but I had a good stride to the last fence,” said Robert, he cleared the final oxer with a flourish.
Nothing could dampen Robert’s spirits now, especially not the damp squib weather. But he had an agonising wait as the final three riders took their turn, and final rider Daniel Coyle for Ireland was out to give it his best shot. Robert’s father John – who obviously feels better in the ring himself than watching – paced nervously more than his son. When the planks fell for Daniel, a collective breath was released.
John – unusually a little emotional after providing the clinching clear in Friday’s Nations Cup to hand Britain the win after 13 years – again had a tear in his eye as his son and Vermento, whom he bred by his former top ride Argento, won the King George he himself has won three times.
“It’s a special competition. Following on from the Nations Cup which was an unbelievable win the other day, for Robert to win that it’s very special,” said John. “It’s unbelievably good. When I’m riding, I’m not at all nervous but watching the kids, especially Robert today, I was very nervous.”
“Dad loves the sport so much and everyone loves him,” said Robert, also emotional – “I’m not usually like this, I can’t help it!”
So, another Whitaker name is etched on the history books of the iconic King George V Gold Cup as Robert adds his name to list of winners alongside his father, who won in 1986, 1990 and 1997.
Image: Elli Birch/Boots and Hooves Photography
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