William Whitaker smoothly secures The Accumulator win at HOYS with a borrowed ride
Saturday 07 October 2023
.jpg "William Whitaker smoothly secures The Accumulator win at HOYS with a borrowed ride")
“He’s usually ridden by my brother Jim and he’s a very experienced horse; I knew what I needed to do and it was just going out there and getting the job done,” said William, who has been coming – and winning – to this iconic show since his pony days with wins in the 138cm, Pony Foxhunter and Pony Showjumper of the Year titles to his credit.
Thirty riders bid to be the quickest around the fences and clear the big 1.60m Joker with skinny top plank, William riding a deceptively fast round to win with half a second in hand on the Candillo 3 15-year-old after securing the ride a week earlier.
“I know him well and he’s been a very good horse for Jim with loads of experience so that part was taken care of, but I did pop to a training show at Aintree on Monday just to get a feel for him. He knows what he’s doing, my job was making it as easy as possible for him, keeping it smooth as quickly as I could and leaving the jumps up,” said William, who was pleased to be back at this venue.
“It’s a pleasure to ride here and to get a win on home soil is even more special.”
It was a British top three as Nicole Lockhead Anderson slotted Emily Sage’s 10-year-old Harley stallion I Am A Harley into second place ahead of Joe Stockdale on Millfield Counterfeit in third.
HOYS, NEC, Birmingham – 7 October, 2023
The Accumulator
1st William Whitaker & Caloro Ex Z – 65 points - 44.00 seconds
2nd Nicole Lockhead Anderson & I Am A Harley – 65 points - 44.51 seconds
3rd Joe Stockdale & Millfield Counterfeit – 65 points - 46.23 seconds
Image: 1st Class Images
