Scott & Sanctos Take Oslo by Storm with a World Cup & Grand Prix Win
Sunday 13 October 2013
Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos achieved an incredible double in Oslo this weekend by winning the FEI World Cup qualifier this afternoon in addition to the Grand Prix yesterday.
Hello Sanctos, owned by Lady Kirkham and Lord & Lady Harris made headlines last year when, after just eight months with Scott Brash, he won Team Gold at the London 2012 Olympics. This summer, they showed the world once again what a tremendous force they are together by winning another Team Gold, this time at the European Championships in Denmark; then two days later winning Individual Bronze.
Yesterday, Scott and Sanctos had the packed grandstands on their feet applauding him with the incredible jump off round he put in to secure the class. Today, his performance was even more magnificent with him achieving, what appeared to be, the impossible.
Having jumped the fastest of the nine clears achieved in the first round, Scott was the last to go in the jump-off which saw competitors enter the arena in reverse order. London 2012 individual gold medallist, Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Nino des Buissonnets had put in such a fast clear in the jump-off that spectators would have been forgiven for thinking they had it in the bag. Their round had looked so incredibly fast with a flat out finish across the line at the last that they had really looked unbeatable.
As Scott, ‘The Iceman’, entered the arena the crowd went silent and you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. It was clear by the way Scott looked around the course as he rode in that he wasn’t going to give up the possibility of a first place finish without a fight. Sanctos, who covers the ground well without ever appearing to look rushed, took the tight turns and long distances in his stride leaving all fences standing and astonishingly stopping the clock some two seconds faster than that of Steve Guerdat’s time. The noise of the packed grandstands acknowledging his achievement was deafening with the stamping and clapping continuing for long after people had risen from their chairs to stand in honour of his win.
The competition had seen forty riders contest it and the course had been both big and technical with many questions being asked by course designer Uliano Vezzani. The thirteen fence course had seen many competitors incur faults, primarily at the combination and also the Land Rover vertical.
Talking afterwards Scott commented “It was a big and difficult course out there today. When I walked it, I thought we would be lucky to get four or five clears in the first round. However, there were some top class horses in the competition and to be fair, Uliano got it right and achieved the nine clears he was looking for to go forward for the jump off. I didn’t see Steve Guerdat’s round, but I had watched one of the earlier ones go in the jump off and had worked out what distances I was going to take. I knew I had to be fast and it just all came together perfectly with Sanctos doing everything I asked of him. Horses like Sanctos are a once in a lifetime horse, not just for me but for his owners and everyone who looks after him. He is incredible and he has achieved so much for all of us, I can’t praise him enough. He’s an unbelievable horse and describing him as a ‘horse of a lifetime’ is the best way to put into words how we all feel about him”.
Scott now sits at the top of the Longines World Cup 2013/14 league table and will head to Helsinki to contest the second leg before giving Hello Sanctos a few weeks break. They will then head out to Doha in November to contest the Global Champions Tour Final.
For more information and full results from the Oslo Horse Show please visit www.oslohorseshow.com
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