The British team were victorious in the Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain today at Hickstead, for the second year in a row. Last year saw the team end a 13-year drought when they claimed the Edward, Prince of Wales Trophy on home turf, and today the Brits made it back-to-back wins in this iconic team competition for the first time since 2004. They did it in decisive style, finishing on a team total of four faults with The Netherlands in the runner-up spot on eight faults and Ireland third with 16 faults.
With only a score of four on their scorebord, the Brits gave their home crowd worth their money. Ben Maher steered Exit Remo (San Remo) to a double clear and also John Whitaker couldn't be caught making a mistake aboard Equine America Unick du Francport (Zandor Z). The first round seemed easy for Tim Gredley and Medoc de Toxandria (Der Senaat 111 Z) but the pair couldn't keep up the pace in the second round, leaving with four penalties. Last but not least of the team was Robert Whitaker with the eleven years old stallion Vermento (Argento).
In second place was the Dutch team, who had a total of eight penalties. Team Ireland took home third place with 16 points on their plate.
Halfway Stage turned the tables!
At the halfway stage, first-drawn Great Britain was the only team to still have a clean sheet, with pathfinder Ben Maher (Exit Remo), Tim Gredley (Medoc De Toxandria) and anchorman John Whitaker (Equine America Unick Du Francport) all producing superb clears. Robert Whitaker and Vermento were the drop score, with just the planks after the water falling for the reigning King George V Gold Cup champions.
But The Netherlands, despite sending a team of younger athletes, remained close on their heels, with just four faults on the board after round one. The Brits and the Dutch stayed neck-and-neck for much of round two, and when third-to-go Robert Whitaker had two late fences, it kept the competition at fever pitch right until the final round.
Having been drawn first to go in round one, the Brits were the last to go in round two. When penultimate Dutch combination Lars Kersten (Funky Fred Marienshof Z) produced a clear round, the pressure was on John Whitaker. A clear round would deliver the win for the Brits, and one fence down meant a jump-off for honours.
But John, 68, has been on more than 180 Nations Cup teams in his remarkable career, and if there’s anyone who can deal with a bit of pressure, it’s him.
"I actually think I ride better under pressure," said John. "When I have to do it and the pressure is on, it brings out the best in me. Luckily my horse was in good form today. The first round was a little bit hairy towards the end but we managed to leave the jumps up, but the second round I was very happy with the way he jumped."
His team mate Ben Maher was delighted to get another Hickstead Nations Cup win under his belt, after winning it for the first time 12 months earlier. "I’m just very proud and happy to be here on the team this week," said Ben, who heads to Paris next for the Olympic Games. "Thank you to Agria - the history behind this competition means a lot to the sport, and without the sponsorship that we have today then it wouldn’t be possible so thank you very much."
This year's competition was the first to run as a standalone Nations Cup, following the end of the former FEI series. For Tim Gredley, today's competition felt 'even better this year'. "When I was doing working hunter classes I remember getting an autograph from John Whitaker - so to be sat next to him jumping on a team with him is surreal. It’s great on so many different levels," he said.
Robert Whitaker was last on a winning British team at Hickstead in 2004, and it was the first time he'd been on a victorious team on home turf at alongside his father John. "It is great to be on the team with my dad as well, and to win it is fantastic," he said. When asked if he'd had a couple of fences down just to put a bit more pressure on his Dad, he joked: "I was just testing how good he really was!"
It was another standout result for British chef d'equipe, Di Lampard. “Absolutely amazing," was how she described the win. "To retain the trophy is fabulous, and what a way to go off to Paris,” she added.
Edward Bunn, Executive Director of Hickstead, gave thanks to the title sponsors for their invaluable support. "On behalf of the Bunn family and Hickstead, we want to thank Agria. After the disappointment last year when we came out of the series, we've put on a great show with the help of Agria, and the Nations Cup was even better this year."
Two British riders both had their first five-star victories today when they shared the win in the Equine Giveaways Royal International Stakes. Both Mark Edwards (Royale Tale) and James Smith (Juno Rose 23) crossed the line at the same time of 63.78sec to share the top spot.
Welshman Mark established the quarry in this speed class when he blasted into a 6sec lead on his father Martyn’s nine-year-old mare Royale Tale. Another 17 riders jumped, with none managing to get within 5sec of his time, before James Smith on Thomas Carruthers’ chestnut mare Juno Rose 23 gave him a run for his money. Despite his stirrup leather slipping off the bar three from home, James was able to stop the clock at the exact same hundredth of a second.
Earlier in the day, prolific Hickstead winner Nicole Lockhead Anderson added another International Arena win to her roster with victory in the Breen Equestrian CSIYH1* 2nd Qualifier, riding the eight-year-old Mecoblue PS. She just pipped Lucy Townley on Lizzie Bunn's Billy Be Boss.
"He's a very fast horse naturally, so I just kind of stayed in a good rhythm. He’s definitely a horse for the future, and he’ll jump the final on Sunday so hopefully he can do the same again!" said Nicole.