Whitaker, Mendoza & Bevis Keep the International Grand Prix Results Coming
Monday 21 October 2013
Three British riders kept Great Britain within the Grand Prix placings at the international shows taking place across Europe this weekend.
The CSI5* World Cup show which took place in Helsinki saw Michael Whitaker gain some Western European League points with his 7th place finish in the Grand Prix riding Beatrice Mertens dark bay gelding Amai II. The League table now has two GB riders appearing within the Top 20. Scott Brash in 3rd position on 24 points and Michael on 10 points.
Jessica Mendoza, aged 17 from Chippenham was pipped to the top spot by just 400th of a second by Belgium rider Dominique Hendrickx and Covia at the CSI2* in Lier, Belgium. Jessica, riding her mother’s 12 year old brown mare Spirit T had produced just one of the only three double clears achieved within the class. Stopping the clock in a time of 31.84 seconds she was just 0.06 of a second slower than Dominique who took first prize and the lion share of the €23,500 prize fund on offer.
In Spain, at the CSI2* show in Oliva, it was Robert Bevis and the eye-catching grey HDC Courtney Z who stood within the line-up in third place. Their double clear in a time of 47.49 seconds saw them having put in enough to finish just behind Marie Hecart for France and Lauren Hough for the USA. The fourth and only other double clear was by Belgium rider Constant Van Paesschen who finished in a time of 47.52.