Scott Brash flies to a win at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Cannes as we round up this week’s British results across the globe
Monday 10 June 2024
Scott Brash proved the quickest in Cannes, France, to take the Global Champions League Individual speed with Hello Valentino.
Forty-four of some of the world’s best came forward over Italian course-designer Uliano Vezzani’s 5* 12-fence 1.55m track but Scott cannily outpaced them all. Skilfully guiding Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham’s Diamantino x Careful 10-year-old, Scott sailed ahead of his rivals to swoop into the top spot with 2.34 seconds to spare. John Whitaker was also in the frame, taking fourth on Equine America Unick Du Francport.
World Number two Ben Maher had to settle for second place in day one’s 5* 1.45m speed with Jane Forbes Clark’s Ginger-Blue. Forty-nine riders tackled the 12-fence track with Ben fractionally missing out on the win, the 13-year-old Plot-Blue daughter Ginger-Blue only 0.13 seconds behind the winner, British-based Irishman Richard Howley and Petitfour VD Wareslage.
Ben netted third place in the second leg of the GCL Individual speed on Point Break. Fifty riders jumped the 13-fence 1.60m course, Ben easing Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Action-Breaker x Balou Du Rouet 10-year-old to a podium place more than four seconds behind the winning time set by speedy Frenchman Julien Epaillard on Dubai Du Cedre.
Matt Sampson hits form At Spruce Meadows
Matt Sampson scored handsome results with father and daughter Daniel and One Whisper at the Spruce Meadows five-star meeting in Calgary, Canada.
Matt jumped Daniel into third in Friday’s feature The Mustangs 1.50/1.55m. Twelve of the 50 entries qualified for the jump-off over a sizeable 13-fence 1.55m, and the competition was hot with six posting double clears. But no-one could catch Erynn Ballard and she commandeered the top two places with Libido Van’t Hofken and Gakhir, Matt the closest to ease Davenport Stud’s handsome 16-year-old Heartbreaker x San Patrignano Mister stallion into third 0.68 seconds off the winning time.
It proved a good warm-up for the feature Ross 1.60m Grand Prix presented by Rolex for Matt and the scopey Daniel.
Brazilian course-designer Marina Azevedo challenged the 37 competitors with a 13-fence track in the vast grass arena and only five found all the answers to battle it out in the jump-off. Matt drew the short straw as first to go and hit the ground running, galloping on the long distances to set a fast target. But it wasn’t quite fast enough as Czech Republic’s Vaclev Stanek hit top gear to wipe 0.30 seconds away to immediately snatch an unbeatable lead on Quintin. Matt had to settle for the runner-up position.
One Whisper notched up a win for Matt in the Aon Cup. Sixty-eight competitors faced a 13-fence 1.50m track with 17 of them finding the key to form a sizeable jump-off. Matt spotted the tightest of tracks in the jump-off, guiding Davenport Stud’s home-bred Daniel x Kannan 11-year-old mare into a 0.36 second victory, relegating long-time leader, Canada’s Erynn Ballard on Fave D’Authuit.
Lily Attwood claims a five-star win in La Baule
Lily Attwood scored a handsome win in La Baule, France, with Karibou Horta.
Twenty-nine competitors came forward in the 5* 1.45m Accumulator with Lily storming home with a maximum score on the Landor S x For Pleasure 14-year-old to win by 0.80 seconds.
Four faults dropped Lily down the line in the 5* 1.50m Derby speed but, as only two clears were recorded, the Harley VDL 10-year-old Johnnie Walker slipped into third spot.
Mark Edwards scores a double in Luxembourg
Mark Edwards maintained his good form and, after taking third in the EEF Nations Cup as a member of the British team in Roeser, Luxembourg, picking up two wins and almost making it a hat-trick.
The nine-year-old Montreuxs Tale daughter Royale Tale commandingly headed a 3* 1.40m Speed and Handiness with 3.12 seconds in hand over Mark’s 31 rivals.
The seven-year-old home-bred Tinkers Touch finished second in Saturday’s 66-entry 1* 1.35m two-phase 0.91 seconds behind the winner and went on to head the 1* Grand Prix. Eleven of the 49 starters contended the jump-off, Mark and the home-bred Tornesch x Tinkas Boy seven-year-old cruising ahead to win by 2.53 seconds.
Phillip Miller jumps Don Royale into a three-star Grand Prix third place
Phillip Miller jumped two clean rounds on Pennie Cornish and Brendon Stud’s Don Royale to take third in the CSIO3* Drammen Grand Prix in Norway.
Forty-one riders came forward over a testing 13-fence 1.55m course and only seven found the key to return for the jump-off. Phillip provided another clear round on the Don VHP Z x Orville 11-year-old – bred in Sussex by Brendon Stud – for third place 1.58 seconds behind the winner, Poland’s Michal Tyszko on Colinero.
Graham Gillespie is in the money at Peelbergen
Graham Gillespie claimed second in the 2* 1.45m at Peelbergen, The Netherlands, with the consistent Veneno.
Nineteen of the original 70 starters accessed the jump-off with Graham and the Chacco-Blue x Baloubet Du Rouet 16-year-old finishing in the runner-up position two seconds behind the winner, Brazil’s Stephan de Frietas Barcha on Chevaux Hex Lup Imperio Egipcio.
Sandy McLean clocks up more wins in his final week in Belgium
Already with an amazing 27 victories under his belt, Sandy McLean added more to his fast-growing tally to top 30 wins at Sentower Park on his final week of a month’s tour in Belgium.
Sandy started his campaign with a 1* 1.30m win on Zoey 12, the Quality 9 x Concetto 13-year-old flying into the top spot to beat their 48 rivals by more than six seconds. J.X Hale jumped to the top of the 1* 1.30m two days later, the Arko x Nissan Catango Z 10-year-old giving Sandy another victory, on this occasion by 1.27 seconds.
The Calido I x Acord II 10-year-old Calcord was only 0.26 seconds off winning in a field of 93 in the 3* 1.40m two-phase and had to settle for second place, while Don Viepar and Calcord slotted into fourth and fifth respectively for Sandy in the 69-strong 3* 1.45m speed.
Calcord also featured in the 79-strong 3* 1.45m two-phase, slotting into third place for Sandy, 1.85 seconds off the pace.
In the age classes, Matthew Pike’s seven-year-old SES Jumeirah (Diamant De Semilly x Douglas) outpaced 77 rivals to win the Seven-and Eight-year-old 1.30/1.35m speed with almost three seconds to spare for Sandy, and the six-year-old mare SES Moulin Rouge (Goldstar x Quidam De Revel) headed a 51-strong Five and Six-year-old 1.10/1.20m speed by 0.21 seconds.
Millie Allen came to the fore in the final day’s Seven and Eight-year-old 1.35/1.40m, taking the win in the 17-horse decider by 1.80 seconds on the eight-year-old mare Quick Diamant HR (Diamant De Semilly x Quidam De Revel).
Image: Longines Global Champions Tour
