Latest from Horse & Hound in Robert-smith

Teenage Derby horses, Holly Smith, and a son of the great Hickstead: who won showjumping ribbons at the weekend?

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 09 May 2022 14:42:30 +0000

There was another bumper action-packed weekend of international showjumping over the weekend (4-8 May) with plenty of success for British and Irish riders — as well as some star-studded equine progeny. Here is your weekly round-up of international jumping action.

1. “We trained in a lake near my home”: La Baule Derby victory for Denis Lynch

Irishman Denis Lynch and the 16-year-old stallion Rubens LS La Silla tackled La Baule’s famous 22-fence Derby track on Saturday and triumphed with the fastest of two clear rounds from a field of 14 riders. Taking second was French rider Nicolas Delmotte (Denerys Du Montceau) with another Irish rider, Mark McAuley and the 18-year-old Miebello, in third with the fastest round of the day but with four faults to add. Denis also won the La Baule Derby in 2012 riding Night Train when he was injured in the prize-giving, and he attributes this year’s victory to some cross-country practice at home.

“I knew Mark McAuley had a horse that was very fast and my Irish teammates in general are good, so I had to prepare myself well,” said Denis. “My horse and I know each other very well, we’ve done all kinds of competitions, and before La Baule, we trained in a small lake near my home. This Derby of La Baule was really a goal for me. Thanks also to my owners who have been with me for a very long time.”

Full results from the La Baule Derby.

2. Holly Smith and Fruselli surge to grand prix glory

British Olympian Holly Smith and the speedy chestnut Fruselli continued their phenomenal winning surge, claiming victory in the CSI3* grand prix of Le Touquet, France, doubling up on a win on Friday, while it was a hat-trick for Holly who had also won with Azolette on Thursday. Holly and Fruselli, who will be in action in Royal Windsor’s five-star classes this week, scorched home in Sunday’s grand prix just a fraction ahead of Ireland’s Richard Howley riding Consulent De Prelet Z. Sienna Charles was another winner at the show, riding Valkiry De Zance, as was Joe Whitaker (Icaterina), and Trevor Breen took the runner-up spot in the Derby riding Mandy Hall’s Toyger.

Full results from Le Touquet grand prix.

3. A victory on home soil for Robert Smith

On home soil, Northcote held its inaugural CSI2* show where victory in the AW Jenkinson-sponsored 1.45m world ranking grand prix was secured by Robert Smith with the 14-year-old Ilton (Dulf Van Den Bisschop x Calvaro Z) he owns with Karina Reilly. Robert steered the tightest of lines to win by 0.94sec.

“He’d had one down earlier in the week so I just went round – today he was good,” said Robert, who will look to the county circuit in the immediate future. “I voted for Brexit, but at the moment it’s making the horse job difficult.”

Full results from Northcote CSI2* grand prix.

4. “Eric told me to go for it”: Olympian’s former ride takes Rolex grand prix honours

The Rolex grand prix of La Baule went to Canada’s Beth Underhill riding the former top mount of her mentor Eric Lamaze, the 13-year-old stallion Dieu Merci Van T&L.

“I have a great track record in riding, with a little break in my career; I started again not too long ago,” said Beth, who was also part of the Canadian team who finished third in Friday’s Nations Cup. “I’ve been riding my horse for two months and this is the third 1.60m course I’ve done with Dieu Merci. He suits me perfectly because he is fast and has very long strides so we match up very well.

“This morning I went around the stadium and saw all the names of the winners on the marble in the René Pasquier stand, where my name will soon be. I saw the name of Eric [Lamaze], inscribed twice in 2011 and 2014. Eric told me after the first round to go for it because I could do it. I’m thrilled with my performance and thrilled to be with Eric who has given so much and continues to give us everything.”

The only other double clear from 50 starters came from runner-up Yuri Mansur of Brazil riding the 14-year-old Vitiki – the top six were all horses in their teens. In seventh was Frenchman Simon Delestre riding the 10-year-old Cayman Jolly Jumper, a son of Eric’s late great Hickstead.

View Rolex grand prix results.

5. Sam Hutton conquers in Belgium

Sentower Park’s CSI3* 1.55m grand prix also resulted in a British win, this time for Belgium-based Sam Hutton riding the 11-year-old gelding Givenchi. Victory came after a highly competitive 11-way jump-off.

Full results from the Sentower Park grand prix.

6. Belgium tops the Nations Cup podium

La Baule also hosted an independent Nations Cup, and eight countries fielded world-class squads for the event. A decade after they last won here, Belgium topped the podium with eight penalties, just ahead of France and Canada, who each came home on a score of 12 but were separated by time. All the riders praised Gregory Bodo’s track.

“What a place, what an atmosphere, what a public!” said Belgium team pathfinder Gregory Wathelet (Nevados S), who was also on the winning team 10 years ago. “To enter this arena is just incredible, we don’t often have this atmosphere. The course-designer has put together a very technical, tricky, but really enjoyable course to ride. We didn’t see the horses, I think, going too hard, it’s really what we needed. This win is well deserved by the whole team.”

Belgium’s chef d’equipe Peter Weinberg gave his insight: “I’m German and I’ve been here before with Germany, with whom I’ve already won the Nations Cup. I am happy to win again with the Red Devils. I set up this strategy to put Gregory first, if ever there was a jump-off, because the horse is the fastest and it allowed him to recover. It was a beautiful course, which was a bit technical, it required a good intelligent horse, but also a good rider.”

Nations Cup results here.

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Robert Smiths pulls Blue Chip grand prix out of the bag on ‘characterful’ ride

Suzanne Jones — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:01:57 +0000

Robert Smith reckoned he was hot to win the Blue Chip grand prix and duly pulled it out of the bag with the scopey Ilton to crown a cracking night on Friday’s Gala evening.

“I knew Ilton would be close, he’s older, experienced and won a good class in Peelbergen three weeks ago and when he’s on, he can win big classes,” said Robert.

Course-designer Nigel Jess used clever technical distances and rollback turns to test control, rideability and scope in his 13-fence track and clears proved hard to come by at first. However, six found all the right answers from the 41 entries to promise a cracking jump-off.

“The course is always good when you win but it was a tough track. I had a young inexperienced horse in it with Nonante and you had to be on point but I was pleased with her performance [five faults]. The standard was high, there were a lot of entries but he got the right result with six clears,” assessed Robert.

Nici Wilson opener on Guaranteed Quality finished on eight faults but Mennell Watson conjured up some clever riding to bring the diminutive stallion Whisper In The Wind home clear. However, the time looked vulnerable.

Upping a gear on the big-striding Ilton, Robert executed rollback turns without interrupting the pace and kept on a level stride to the final Blue Chip oxer, wiping 2.64 sec off Mennell’s time.

Adrian Speight gave him a good run for his money with Millfield Baloney but broke the beam half a sec in arrears.

It was down to the final two ladies – both in with a chance of the Andrews Bowen £1,000 bonus on offer to the top three riders of the Blue Chip Pro challenge trophy – winner Holly Smith and second-placed Yazmin Davis. But it wasn’t to be as rails fell for both.

Robert, who had missed out on the bonus by one with fourth place in Thursday night’s competition, has ridden the Dulf Van Den Bisschop x Calvaro Z 14-year-old for seven years.

“He’s a character, there’s no badness in him, just cheekiness and he’s actually a better horse outdoors in big rings,” said Robert, who carefully selects his classes with Maubeuge and other International meetings a possibility in the near future.

You saw them here first — top showjumpers’ baby-faced appearances in Horse & Hound

Jennifer Donald — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:24:02 +0000

From John Whitaker to Ben Maher, today’s leading riders didn’t get where they are without appearing on the pages of H&H along the way. So we decided to have a flick through the archives to remember when they were bobbing about on ponies or picked out as “Olympic hopefuls” by some of our shrewd reporters… and what we wrote about them way back when…

1. Stephen and Robert Smith

Robert Smith (Image credit: NO CREDIT NEEDED)

Both of Harvey Smith’s sons were making a name for themselves as the 1970s progressed and in 1977 a report from the Junior European Championships read: “At the same time as the British A team was winning the Prince Of Wales Cup at Hickstead, the British junior team won the European Championship at La Tour De Peilz in Switzerland. Team members were Jean Germany on Dark Vale, Harvey Smith’s sons Robert riding Royal Rufus and Stephen on Alabama, and Stephen Vallance on Moydrum. In the second round it was essential for Robert Smith and Royal Rufus to jump clear. This they achieved in excellent style. The team members each received a beautiful watch.”

2. Annette Lewis

Annette Lewis (Image credit: NO CREDIT NEEDED)

Anyone who remembers the glorious, acrobatic antics of Annette Lewis and the grey Tutein, will spot her trademark style in this early image from Aldershot Horse Show in the late 1970s. Genevieve Murphy’s report read: “The Lewis sisters [Annette and Michelle] both added to their substantial store of prizes already won this season. Annette Lewis on Provencal dead-heated with Julie King on Norseman IV in the Junior Open, while Michelle Lewis finished 1.4sec behind on Ironside to take third place.” The writer also observed: “Most of those who go out of juniors at the end of the year are already set to ride horses next season and some of them will surely turn out to be our international riders of the future.”

3. Clem McMahon

(Image credit: no credit needed)

In 1990, “A strong Irish contingent” took the overall trophy at the Scottish Home Pony International at Muirmill in Scotland, thanks in no small part to the country’s winning 13.2hh team, which fielded soon-to-be leading international rider Clem McMahon.

4. Ben Maher

Pony European Jumping championships, Hartpury 1997Ben Maher on Dusty Boy (Image credit: © Kit Houghton)

Another to make his H&H debut on ponies is Ben Maher who, with Dusty Boy, won team gold medals at consecutive Pony European Jumping Championships in 1997 and 1998.

5. Ellen Whitaker

(Image credit: suzanne jones)

A 13-year-old Ellen Whitaker is spotted in H&H, having captured the final leg of the 1999 Young Show Jumper Award series — and earning her place at the Olympia final — at her first attempt. Reporter Suzanne Jones wrote: “Based at Michael [Whitaker]’s Nottinghamshire yard, Jasper’s Gold has only been ridden by Ellen when their shows coincide. “We picked him up last night especially for this class,” said Ellen’s mother Carol. “And we return him to Michael after Wembley.”

6. Robert Power and Dan Skelton

Dan Skelton (Image credit: suzanne jones)

Now leading lights of National Hunt racing, both jockey Robert and trainer Dan made their names as young showjumpers. In the same year as an 18-year Robert was pictured competing in the international show at Towerlands, a 14-year-old Daniel Skelton “looked every inch the professional” when winning the Blue Chip Junior Novice qualifier at Gracelands riding Bodyguard.

Robert Power (Image credit: Trevor Meeks)

7. Michael Mac

The late Michael Mac was pinpointed as “one of the most successful juniors to date this season” by H&H writer Henry Birtwhistle in 1977: “He was 15 earlier this year, so could, technically have another season on ponies, but he has grown so rapidly over the past 18 months this will not be possible. He started jumping two horses during the winter, but was especially anxious to have a season on his good grey The Cossack IV; the pony was out of action due to injury for much of the 1976 season. This year the partnership has amassed an impressive total of firsts at Walsgrave, Bicton, Mill Lodge, Trent Park, Arena North and others.”

8. Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Shane Breen

In “a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit” a glittering cast of riders stepped up to the podium for the European Pony Championships held at Pratoni Del Vivaro, Italy, in 1990. Joining British rider Scott Smith’s individual bronze, were Sweden’s Malin Baryard, who earned the gold medal, while Shane Breen of Ireland clinched silver.

9. Nick Skelton

Nick Skelton (Image credit: NO CREDIT NEEDED)

The now double Olympic champion had already made a name for himself as a junior but in 1977, a year before earning his first senior cap abroad, Nick was making waves in amateur classes alongside the likes of Graham Fletcher, Tim Grubb and Tony Newbery. At the Lancashire international show at Arena North, H&H’s Henry Birtwhistle reported on an unusual prize: “The consistently successful Nick Skelton took the Victor Ludorum and with it the Berger prize of decorating to the value of £500, which I understand is likely to be used on Ted Edgar’s stables!”

Continued below…

(Image credit: Future)

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10. John Whitaker

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And finally… never a truer word was written in October 1975 when one H&H writer observed a young John Whitaker in action: “Through this season when John has really made his mark in top competition, earning himself a place on the Olympic short-list, the hallmark of his riding has been his considerable composure and unusually well-developed sense of balance.”

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British riders out in force at Liverpool International Horse Show

Becky Murray — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 13:09:29 +0000

Showjumping fans can look forward to seeing some of their favourite British riders out in force at this year’s Liverpool International Horse Show later this month (28-31 December).

Competing at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, fans can catch a glimpse of John and Michael Whitaker who will ride alongside Robert Smith, William Funnell, Harry Charles and Laura Renwick as they battle it out for a place in the hotly-anticipated grand prix taking place on New Year’s Eve. The fences stand at 1.60m with Longines world ranking points and a share of the €75,000 prize pot up for grabs.

Irish riders Billy Twomey, Shane Breen, Anthony Condon, Michael Duffy and Conor Swail are also in the lineup alongside international riders Felicie Bertrand from France, Tobias Meyer from Germany and Andrew Kocher of the United States.

The crowd-favourite puissance on Sunday (30 December) will see experienced riders David Simpson, Mikey Pender, James Smith, Nano Healy and Michael Whyte among the startlist to take on the famous big red wall. The 2017 top prize was shared by British riders Holly Smith and Louse Saywell and Irish rider Christopher Megahey, who all went the full five rounds leaving the wall intact at 2.2m.

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Fancy a New Year treat? Get your Liverpool International Horse Show tickets NOW

Don’t miss your chance to get tickets to the Liverpool International Horse Show

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How high?! 10 puissance facts you really need to know

While spectators and riders alike love the thrill of the puissance, did you know these 10 interesting facts about the

Show president Nina Barbour said: “The puissance is always such a crowd pleaser and we are delighted that so many of the stars are heading to Liverpool. The Sunday evening is really building up to be a must-see performance.”

Other classes across the four days include the CSI4* with an 87-strong start list (Thursday 27), the mini major that will see future stars on ponies team up with top riders in a pairs relay (Sunday 30); and the speedy knockout class (Monday 31) which begins with eight pairs of riders racing against each other up and down a mirror image of showjumps to secure their place in the next round.

Tickets for the show are still available.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Check out this top British showjumper as you’ve never seen him before…

Jennifer Donald — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 15:21:21 +0000

We all know that the great Robert Smith is a maestro in the saddle, with wins galore to his name from grands prix to Nations Cups.

But after the Warwickshire-based showjumper and his 11-year-old Cimano E won the 1.45m grand prix on the CSI2* De Peelbergen Winter Tour in the Netherlands on Sunday (25 November), he revealed he was almost as talented on two wheels as four hooves. In fact, we reckon he could give Bradley Wiggins a pretty good run for his money.

Not only did Robert earn a cool €8,250 for his victory in the show’s feature class, but he was also presented with an electric bike — and it didn’t take long for him to try it out.

After a slightly wobbly start, Robert performs a flying lap of honour on his new set of wheels, building up an impressive turn of speed and looking right at home in the saddle. Next stop the Tour De France, perhaps?

NB: Please be patient while waiting for the video below to load. If it doesn’t appear, click here to watch.

Oh and he also won a bike ? #hardworkpaysoff #makinghorses #truehorseman #robertsmithshowjumping #bettalife #animo #safemixPosted by Robert smith showjumper on Sunday, November 25, 2018

“I’ve won a bike before but never an electric one,” Robert told H&H. “I was actually surprised how well it went over the sand. It’ll be good for taking on the wagon and using at shows.”

Robert’s victory came in an 18-strong jump-off and Cimano E was in flying form against the clock, rocketing round clear to take top honours.

“He’s great in a jump-off, he’ll drop and run and is really quick from A to B — he can really scamper,” said Robert.

The British star also finished fifth in the young horse final at the show with the very exciting seven-year-old Banzai D’La Rousserie, one of a string of new horses in the yard.

“He’s been ticking along and improving all the time, I think he’ll be a very good one,” added Robert.

Don’t miss the full report from the show, plus a full international round-up, in this week’s Horse & Hound, out Thursday 29 November.

‘It’s utter nonsense’ — Robert Smith misses Nations Cup after quarantine mix-up

Jennifer Donald — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 11:14:11 +0000

Great Britain was forced to field a three-rider team in the FEI Nations Cup in the UAE on Thursday (16 February) after a quarantine mix-up meant Robert Smith’s horses were unable to travel to the Middle East.

Robert was part of the original squad selected to compete in the first Nations Cup team competition of 2017. But at the “12th hour” Robert was told his horses were unable to travel to the Al Ain venue in the United Arab Emirates, which meant the British team was down to the trio of Louise Saywell (Cordalis), Nigel Coupe (Golvers Hill) and Joe Clayton (Con Man JX). They finished eighth with 37 faults behind victors France in Thursday’s two-round competition.

“There were difficulties with the import license,” performance manager Di Lampard told H&H. “It was one of those things that wasn’t brought to light until it was too late. The horses needed to be in isolation 15 days prior to the show.

“It was obviously disappointing and hard without a discard score.”

Two weeks ago, Robert was competing in the CSI5* World Cup show in Bordeaux, France, oblivious to the fact that his horses should have been in quarantine.

“I only found out at the 12th hour that my horses were supposed to be in quarantine two weeks before the show, instead of competing in Bordeaux,” said Robert.

“It was only as the vet was about to sign the horses away that it came to light.

“It certainly wasn’t for me not wanting to go — but somewhere between Abu Dhabi and here, something stuffed up.

Continues below…

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“There’s no excuse, it’s utter nonsense. I can’t believe I was the only one it happened to either.”

Don’t miss the full report from the FEI Nations Cup and the rest of the international action in next week’s Horse & Hound (out Thursday 23 February).

Robert Smith celebrates birth of Harvey Smith junior

Jennifer Donald — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 15:05:06 +0000

While most of the country was gearing up for some New Year merriment, showjumper Robert Smith and his new wife Raffaelle were enjoying their own celebrations, having just welcomed the birth of their new son Harvey Robert Smith.

“We’re all doing well,” Robert told H&H this week. “I’m not really a nappy changer, but I’m sure I’ll be tricked into doing it at some point!

“We didn’t know if we were expecting a boy or a girl — of course he’s named after my Dad but it was a name we both really liked, too.”

Young Harvey made a dramatic entrance — four days late — while Robert was preparing to compete in the first day’s classes at the Equestrian.com Liverpool International Horse Show.

“It was an eventful day — I was all ready to go and jump!” said 55-year-old Robert, who, after seeing the arrival of his 8lb 1oz son just after five o’clock in the afternoon, returned to the show to finish eighth in the evening’s 1.50m speed class with his mare Bavi.

The elated Warwickshire-based rider went on to secure two runner-up spots with Cimano E and Ilton and finish fourth in Monday’s grand prix riding Bavi.

Robert already has four children — Rae, Chloe, Eliza and Archie — and the birth of baby Harvey sealed a momentous month for his parents, who also tied the knot on 1 December.

Robert’s father Harvey is one of the best known showjumpers of all time, having competed at two Olympic Games and won countless grands prix. He now trains racehorses in Yorkshire with his wife Sue, winning the Grand National with Auroras Encore in 2013.

We wish Robert and Raffaelle our congratulations — and good luck with those sleepless nights!

Don’t miss the full report from the Equestrian.com Liverpool International Horse Show in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound (5 January), on sale now

Robert Smith: Course builders can ruin a show H&H VIP

Horse & Hound — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 07:55:22 +0000

The National Championships at Stoneleigh is a good concept and I had a great show, picking up a win with my seven-year-old Ilton VD Spithoeve in the gentlemen’s final.

It’s difficult running an event for the first time, and while I don’t want to be too harsh on the organisers, the show did leave a bit to be desired.

I was travelling in each day and it was a long way down to the arenas. You expect teething troubles but there should be enough experienced people behind the show to know what’s expected. If you make it too difficult for competitors and grooms, they won’t come back. The atmosphere in the main arena was a bit sterile too, and could have done with more noise and razzmatazz.

One of the main issues for me was the course-building, which in two or three classes wasn’t ideal, with distances that weren’t great. Course-builders are under pressure to produce a result, but there is a fine balance to be struck. If you have a course-builder who’s not up to scratch, who has his own ideas and won’t listen, he can ruin a show. A course should be built cleverly to catch you all over the place — not just with a big combination or a sly distance.

Course-building is a problem on the national circuit in newcomers and Foxhunter second rounds. At one show the Foxhunter will be 1.20m, at another it will be pushing 1.40m — you’ve got to restrict course-builders to heights. In Europe, where there are age and height classes, they don’t deviate.

We ask a lot of our young horses in terms of what they are expected to jump, and I agree with William Funnell that the UK system should have been switched to age and height classes years ago.

The six-year-olds who can win a Foxhunter second round can do it because they have been campaigned around the circuit since they were four. By the time they’re eight or nine years old, they should be ready to get on with it, but how much has been taken out of them in the early stages? When you’re making horses it has to be consistent, and you’re better keeping the tracks under height than over. A good course-builder will understand that.

Mission accomplished

I watched some of the European Championships at Aachen; it was vital that we made it through to Rio and great news that we qualified. A medal would have been nice, but the team fulfilled the main aim.

There were some surprises in the line-up: I was startled not to see Guy Williams, and thought it brave of Di Lampard to take a risk on Jessica Mendoza. She’s shown some form this season but is not a proven big-track Aachen jumper.

Scott Brash’s decision not to put any of his horses forward for selection didn’t seem a good move. You’d assume that if someone doesn’t want to help in qualifying for the Olympics then they are not interested in going themselves — you can’t cherry pick. You might be in a privileged position with horses at one stage, but you can be sure in showjumping that fortunes will change.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 3 September 2015

Robert Smith: England is the best place to make horses H&H VIP

Horse & Hound — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 07:25:23 +0000

I missed riding at the Great Yorkshire show again this year, after I broke two ribs last week in the jump-off of a class at South View.

My horse Candy Boy split his legs over a back rail; I went over the top and was kicked down the ring. I’ll be out of action for another three weeks — it’s one of those occupational hazards.

The Great Yorkshire is a show I have grown up with and I always compete there if I can. For me, it is the best county show on the circuit. It has a great atmosphere and a fantastic grass ring, which is enjoyable to jump on when we see synthetic arenas so much of the time.

The Cock O’The North was as strong a class as ever, with the lead changing hands right up until last draw. It was good to see someone different — Douglas Duffin — win.

They are a partisan crowd and, as a Yorkshireman, it has always been one I wanted to win. I first won it at 17 on a horse called Upton, tying on the exact same time as John Whitaker and Ryan’s Son. There was a big finish, with a line of fences along the grandstand, and after two years of trying, it meant a lot.

It was disappointing to be on the sidelines this time around as I had a couple of young horses I was hoping to jump. Hopefully next year I will be back.

The next generation

My daughter Chloe jumped at the Great Yorkshire on the horse I planned to ride, just having a fence both days. She is now 19 and has been helping to keep things ticking over at home riding the young horses.

After a couple of years out, I’ve been getting back into competing. I’ve pinched a couple of Chloe’s horses, which she wasn’t too happy about! She has some nice novices and making them is something she will need to learn to do.

This is the best time of year to jump in England. There’s Bolesworth, the Derby meeting and the Great Yorkshire in succession, and there is no real reason to go abroad.

A lot of the county shows have been making a real effort. Suffolk and the Royal Highland were both excellent this year. There are a lot of people trying to lift their game, and they should definitely be supported.

I still believe England is the best place to make horses. Going abroad is costly and 90% of the time you are jumping on a surface over plain obstacles. Plus there is not always great prize money on offer outside of the rankings classes.

Fingers crossed

The European Championships are ever more at the forefront of people’s minds at the moment, and I think Britain can be hopeful of securing its Olympic qualification at Aachen.

Di Lampard, the World Class performance manager, has done well so far this year. She has some good horses to pick from and we are in a decent position. You can’t tell what happens until you are at a championship, but we’ve had our share of Nations Cup wins and they remain as good an indicator as any of European form. They are big events that get you used to the pressure, and there is a different kind of pressure involved in team jumping.

• Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Robert Smith in H&H next week (30 July 2015).

Ref: Horse & Hound; 23 July 2015

Scott Brash leads Britain to win Dublin Nations Cup

Pippa Roome — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 18:45:53 +0000

Britain won the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup today at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show.

Victory in the Aga Khan Trophy secured Britain 3rd place overall in Europe division 1 of the Nations Cup and ensured qualification for the final in Barcelona (26-29 September).

“We came here under pressure as we haven’t had the best year in Nations Cups, but when they come under pressure these guys are fantastic,” said British chef d’equipe Rob Hoekstra.

Scott Brash spearheaded Britain’s success with 2 fantastic clears on Hello Sanctos.

“He’s been fantastic the last 6 or 7 shows — he’s been clear all the way since London [GCT show, pictured],” said Scott.

Nick Skelton (Big Star) and Ben Maher (Cella) each contributed a 4-fault round and a clear. Robert Smith and Voila had 2 fences down in each round to be the discard score.

The Netherlands finished 2nd, while Ireland and the USA tied for 3rd.

“We’re disappointed,” said Irish chef d’equipe Robert Splaine. “We wanted to win it for the crowd. They fought hard, but it just didn’t happen on the day. But Britain needed a big result and fair play to them.”

Germany and Spain finish bottom of the overall rankings in Europe division 1. Germany will miss the Nations Cup final, but Spain are allowed to take part as host nation.

Switzerland topped the standings, with France 2nd, Britain 3rd, the Netherlands 4th, Ireland 5th and the Ukraine 6th.

Full report on showjumping and showing from Dublin in H&H magazine next week, out Thursday, 15 August.

Ben Maher and Scott Brash head for Euros — but not Nick Skelton

Amy Mathieson — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:53:06 +0000

Olympic gold medal winning showjumpers Scott Brash and Ben Maher are on the British squad for next month’s European Championships — but the anchorman of the London 2012 team, Nick Skelton, is missing from the line-up.

It’s a big surprise, given that Nick has been on top form recently — including winning the prestigious grand prix at Aachen with Big Star (pictured below).

A subsequent statement from the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) said Nick “wasn’t getting any younger” and that Rio 2016 was the main target for him and Big Star.

“We have to look after Nick and Big Star as they have a big part to play for Team GB to first qualify for Rio and then to defend our Olympic title in 2016,” said performance manager Rob Hoekstra.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Nick added: “After much consideration and discussion with Gary, Beverley [Widdowson, owners] and Rob, I feel that it is in the best interest for Big Star to give him a year off from a Championship. It is our goal to try and reach Rio 2016 and conservative management will only help to this cause”.

On the team for the Europeans Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) and Ben Maher (Cella) will be joined by William Funnell (Billy Congo), Robert Smith (Voila IV) and Michael Whitaker (Viking V).

Rob Hoekstra is upbeat about his squad for Denmark.

“I think it’s a very exciting team, particularly as we have three horses heading to a Championship for the first time,” he said

“The squad have a lot of clear rounds between them and we have high hopes of doing well at this year’s Championships.”

William Funnell said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be selected with Billy Congo. The fact that he’s home-bred and produced makes it all the more special.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

And Robert Smith added: “I’m really pleased. I always knew when I saw Voila 12 months ago, that she had the potential to be a Championship horse and it’s very satisfying to see her selected.”

The Showjumping European Championships takes place in Denmark next month (20-24 August).

For more see next week’s issue of H&H magazine, out 18 July.

Farewell to… pony showjumping trainer Harvey Kaye

Horse & Hound — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:30:27 +0000

The pony showjumping trainer Harvey Kaye died on 17 August aged 64.

A family friend of the Smiths, Harvey Kaye trained Robert Smith when he was younger, often accompanying him to pony shows while Robert’s father Harvey was away competing internationally.

Mr Kaye, who was based in Lancashire, had been suffering from stomach cancer.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (30 August 2012)

Nick Skelton heads British Nations Cup team in Dublin

Horse & Hound — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:06:25 +0000

Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper Nick Skelton will be back in action this Friday (17 August) on the Nations Cup squad at Dublin.

The competition is the final in the Nations Cup series and will take place at Dublin Horse Show (15-19 August)

Nick has been put on the squad with Beverley Widdowson’s 11-year-old gelding Carlo 273. Ms Widdowson also owns Nick’s Olympic ride Big Star.

Joining Nick on the squad will be Olympic reserve Tina Fletcher and Hello Sailor, William Funnell and Billy Angelo, Robert Smith and Voila and John Whitaker and Argento. Four of the five will jump on the team.

The competition is the last of the eight five-star Nations Cup competition. Team GBR go into the final round in third place on the league table – behind Germany and France.

The Nations Cup will start at 3pm.

For more information visit: www.dublinhorseshow.com or watch the action online

Talan makes international debut with new Saudi rider

Jennifer Donald — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Robert Smith’s former ride Talan made a subdued international debut with his new rider, Prince Faisal Al Shalan in Lummen, Belgium, this week.

The 12-year-old Concorde stallion, formerly co-owned by Robert and Di and Pennie Cornish, was sold to Saudi Equestrian before the Olympic cut-off date of 31 December 2011.

Prince Faisal was part of the gold medal-winning Saudi team at the Pan-Arab games last year and competed in the 2008 Olympics. He and Talan notched up 13 faults in today’s (20 April) CSI*** 1.45m class and retired in a speed class earlier in the week.

Are you looking to buy a showjumper? View our online database of horses for sale

Robert Smith’s top ride Talan sold to Saudi Arabia

Horse & Hound — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:10:24 +0000

Robert Smith’s top ride Talan has been sold to Saudi Arabia ahead of the Olympics.

At midnight on 31 December, the deadline for a horse to change hands and be allowed to compete for another nation in London this summer passed.

And it was revealed that Saudi Arabia made an eleventh-hour purchase of Talan.

The horse will be ridden by HH Prince Faisal.

British showjumping team’s chef d’equipe Rob Hoekstra confirmed the sale to H&H, adding: “The Saudi Arabians have been trying to get their hands on our horses for a while”.

The Saudi team – along with Jordan – have just earned the final qualifying places at the 2012 Olympics after winning gold at the Pan-Arab games in December.

For more on this story read Thursday’s issue of H&H (5 January).

Great Britain wins FEI Nations Cup at Dublin Horse Show

Horse & Hound — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:41:46 +0000

Britain won the FEI Nations Cup at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show this afternoon after a jump-off with the host nation.

Britain were third equal with Belgium and Germany after the first round, but brilliant second-round clears from Nick Skelton (Carlo 273, pictured), Michael Whitaker (GIG Amai) and Robert Smith (Talan) put the team equal with Ireland, who had been second at the halfway stage.

Nick Skelton jumped-off for Britain, going clear in a fast time of 39.98sec. Ireland put Billy Twomey in to jump-off on Tinka’s Serenade, but when the chestnut hit the second fence, a red and green upright, Britain had secured the Aga Khan Trophy.

“All Nations Cup wins feel good, but today was very special for me,” said Nick, who was one of three riders in the contest to manage two clears, as well as his faultless jump-off performance. “To have a jump-off with Ireland in their own country was very exciting and it was a good competition, which the public enjoyed.

“I didn’t think we’d win — I thought we were too far behind after round one. I went and had a Bulmers [cider] during the second round.”

Scott Brash was Britain’s fourth team member, riding Intertoy Z, and improved from 12 faults in the first round to four in the second.

France, the leaders after one round, finished third equal with Belgium.

This result secures Britain’s place in the top league of the Nations Cup for 2012. Denmark finished last today and are sure to be relegated to the promotional league next year, while the USA, Belgium and France must fight it out to avoid the other relegation place at the final leg of the series in Rotterdam on 26 August.

Full report on showjumping and showing from Dublin in H&H next week, out 11 August.

British squad for FEI Nations Cup in Rome confirmed

Horse & Hound — Fri, 20 May 2011 10:42:37 +0000

Peter Charles, Ben Maher, Nick Skelton, Robert Smith and Michael Whitaker have been selected to travel to Rome, Italy next week for second round of the FEI Nations Cup.

The squad includes three horses that jumped in the first round of the Nations Cup in La Baule — Murka’s Nevada VI (Peter Charles), Carlo (Nick Skelton) and Talan (Robert Smith) — along with Michael Whitaker’s experienced GIG Amai II and Ben Maher’s up-and-coming Tripple X III.

Ben Maher recently won the €80,000 Grand Prix in Linz on this nine-year-old black stallion, which is owned jointly by Ben and Quainton Stud, but this will be their first Nations Cup appearance.

World Class Showjumping Performance manager Rob Hoekstra will be aiming to improve on Britain’s fourth place performance in the first leg of the Nations Cup in La Baule last week. The FEI Nations Cup in Rometakes place on Friday 27 May at 16:00 CEST.

Germany win WEG team showjumping gold; Britain ninth

Horse & Hound — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 03:36:13 +0000

Germany secured the showjumping team gold tonight at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, adding nothing to their team score with three clear rounds, while Britain’s riders had mixed fortunes.

Germany had led overnight, and when her first two riders, Janne-Friederike Meyer and Carsten-Otto Nagel, both went clear, they only needed either Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum or Marcus Ehning to be fault-free for victory. Meredith, in the third rider slot, secured the winning round on Checkmate.

“It’s a great honour to be the third member and be able to secure the gold without our last rider going and I’m very proud,” she said. “I’m pleased to have done it on Checkmate as he’s always been in Shutterfly’s shadow.”

After his two clears earlier in the week, Britain’s Robert Smith suffered the disappointment of two rails down on Talan, but he has made it through to the next round of the individual contest as he is 29th and the top 30 go through.

The next Brit into the Rolex Stadium, David McPherson, had fence four down, and then the first part of the tricky treble at five. With the young Chamberlain Z clearly wrong-footed, he pulled him out of the third element and when he also had the triple bar at seven down he retired — although the scoreboard showed him as eliminated, he didn’t look to have presented at fence eight.

Third Brit Scott Brash just had the last part of the treble down on Intertoy Z: “The combination’s a bit tight for him and I sat up a bit early, I just needed a bit more leg on coming off the ground. But the horse was brilliant and he’s come on a lot this week.”

Michael Whitaker rounded things off in fine style with just one time-fault on GIG Amai.

“He’s learnt every time he’s gone in and he tried very hard in there; he was perfect,” aid Michael. “This week’s brought my horse on no end and all in all the team’s done as well as we expected.”

Michael thought he had done enough to make the cut for the individual qualifier, but has just missed out in 33rd.

The Americans had a disastrous night after going into the evening in bronze position and ended up 10th, with Britain ahead of them in ninth.

Meanwhile France and Belgium climbed up through the order from fifth and eighth overnight to take the team silver and bronze medals.

The next round of the individual showjumping contest takes place on Friday night, when the top 30 riders fight for a place in Saturday night’s final, where the four leading riders swap horses and all jump a round on each other’s mounts.

Showjumping results from WEG

Full report on the showjumping from WEG in H&H out 14 October, more updates on the individual contest online later in the week.

Britain qualifies for team showjumping final at WEG

Horse & Hound — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 23:05:54 +0000

Britain has qualified for the team showjumping final at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games tomorrow evening by finishing in 10th place after the second leg of competition today.

British team first-timer Scott Brash (pictured) improved dramatically on his performance yesterday to just have four faults for a foot in the water with Intertoy Z today.

“I’m a lot happier today, he jumped excellently,” said Scott. “I’m a bit gutted about the water, I thought he’d jumped it, but he must have just touched on it. He’s not a great speed horse, so the course suited him better today and I rode him better than yesterday.”

Michael Whitaker ended up as Britain’s discard score today after having the planks after the water and the final oxer down on GIG Amai.

“I’m obviously disappointed, but I’m pretty pleased with the way he jumped,” he said. “I gave him a big kick at the water and after that he got keen and it all got a bit disorganised.”

Robert Smith, who went clear this morning on Talan with one time-fault, is in eighth position individually after two rounds, while David McPherson (Chamberlain Z) also contributed to the team score today with just four faults at the water.

Tomorrow’s competition will be over the same track as today’s, with some alterations to dimensions of fences. The water jump will also be replaced by another fence — potentially good news for Britain as Intertoy Z and Chamberlain Z both faulted there today.

Germany is leading the team contest after today’s competition, with Brazil in the silver position and the USA in bronze. But the scores are very close, with six teams within one fence down and Britain only six marks behind Germany.

“We’re sitting pretty here tonight as the one-two-three, but we could be five-six-seven tomorrow,” said Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa at the press conference.

Rodrigo (HH Rebozo) is second in the rolling individual standings to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Al Eid (Presley Boy).

There has been some confusion about the format for tomorrow’s competition, but a statement just released has clarified matters. In the evening, starting at 7.20pm (00.20am Thursday in Britain), the top 15 individual riders — either competing as individuals or whose teams are not in the top 10 — will jump first in reverse order. The top 10 teams then jump in reverse order, so Britain’s riders will be first to go in each rotation. The final team placings are decided after this. Only the top 10 teams are still in the running for team medals.

In the afternoon, starting at 1pm (6pm in Britain), all team members whose teams were placed below 10th, plus individuals who are not qualified for the evening, will jump. This session will take place in reverse order of individual classification.

Showjumping results from WEG

Log on tomorrow to find out where Britain’s showjumping team finishes, full report on the WEG showjumping in H&H out 14 October.

WEG blog: I’ve lucked in with showjumping in the sunshine

Horse & Hound — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:01:35 +0000

Some days you luck in, some days you luck out. Today, it looks like I’ve lucked in. While my Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games reporting colleague Sarah Jenkins shivers at the paradressage — I’ve just lent her a fleece — I get to watch showjumping in blazing sunshine.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

After yesterday’s exhaustion, I’ve got my second wind. And I’m loving showjumping today. I had the opportunity to walk the course and wow, those jumps are big. I evented to intermediate level and have walked my fair share of four-star cross-country tracks in the service of H&H, and I thought I knew about bravery and huge fences, but this is something different.

The other great thing is that the organisation here have made a serious effort with the presentation of their course. Each day, there’s a theme, with the jumps decorated accordingly. Today, it’s Kentucky racing. So fence six is the Tote Board and Winner’s Circle (above left) — “Here the Churchill board displays this year’s Kentucky Derby results” says the helpful explanatory sheet which comes on the reverse side of my course map.

It’s a good thing they’ve got 5,000 volunteers here, because it took a small army to reassemble the Tote Board (below right) when Kamal Bahamdan, from the Kingdon of Saudi Arabia team (KSA in short, took us a while to work that one out), and Cezanne 30 crashed it down.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

There’s some confusion here in the press office. We thought only the top 10 teams jumped again tomorrow night, but the organisers have now announced another session of jumping tomorrow afternoon for the teams placed below 10th, so everyone gets to jump again — or at least, that’s the current plan, but don’t be surprised if it changes. With individuals thrown into the mix too, it’s tricky to keep up, and the poor press office staff are having a nightmare trying to get us the right information.

With luck, it won’t affect Britain too much, because if Scott Brash and Michael Whitaker can keep up the great efforts made by Robert Smith and David McPherson this morning, we’ll be jumping in the eventing.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

In an effort to keep up my reputation as “the girl who mostly blogs about what she eats”, I took a picture of my pudding last night (left) in the gorgeous fish restaurant we ate in. It was, as you can see, rather large. I didn’t eat it all, even I have my limitations. But they kindly popped the leftovers in a box for me to take home. Note to Editor: don’t worry, I’m not exceeding my daily food expenses budget. Food is cheap here.

I’m off to find out the latest on the showjumping tomorrow, but while that kind of change would sometimes throw me, I’m taking it in my stride today. The sun’s shining, Britain’s doing well — and I’ve got half a macadamia nut brownie in the fridge for when I get back to the hotel.

Log on again for more updates on the showjumping at WEG, full report in H&H out 14 October.

Britain on track to qualify for WEG team showjumping final

Horse & Hound — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:05:27 +0000

Britain lies seventh halfway through the second leg of the team showjumping competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The top 10 teams go through to tomorrow night’s final, so the pressure is on to retain that position this afternoon.

After his strong performance yesterday, Robert Smith (pictured) racked up another clear this morning with Talan, adding just one time-fault to his score.

“I’d like to have not had the time-fault, but at the beginning he was quite careful so I had to give him a little bit of time, and then he got quite strong,” said Robert. “One minute I was kicking, the next I was pulling.”

Britain’s second rider David McPherson had four faults when Chamberlain Z landed in the water jump at fence seven, and was left kicking himself for a “dummy jockey error”.

“I’m as sick as a pig — my horse was jumping amazingly,” he said. “When I go to the water, he gets a bit quicker than I anticipate, so the last stride gets a bit compressed [leading to him landing short]. It’s his greenness showing, he’s not consistent in the length of his stride.”

America led overnight, but has slipped to fourth now, with Germany taking the lead. Mario Deslauriers, yesterday’s individual leader for the home nation, had eight faults today with four at the water and the last down. He jumped out of order due to Urico losing a shoe in the warm-up, but said this did not affect his performance.

“At the water he drifted left which made the stride a little off and made a real effort but must have just touched the tape,” he said. “The last fence was unlucky — he overjumped the front rail and got it behind.”

Britain’s Scott Brash is the second rider in after the lunch break, with Michael Whitaker later this afternoon.

Showjumping results from WEG

Log on again for more updates on the showjumping at WEG, full report in H&H out 14 October.

British showjumpers disappointed on first day at WEG

Horse & Hound — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:16:13 +0000

Three of the four British riders were disappointed today in the speed competition which opened the showjumping at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

This afternoon, championship debutant Scott Brash was first out for Britain with Intertoy Z, having three down to finish with an adjusted time of 89.02sec, including 12sec added for faults. He now lies 82nd out of 120 competitors.

“I’m very disappointed, to be honest,” he said. “The speed competition wouldn’t be his strong point, but I expected him to be spooky in there and he wasn’t, he was too forward. I expected him to back off and jump, but he didn’t. It’s a learning curve and I hope he’ll be better tomorrow.”

British anchorman Michael Whitaker was enjoying a brilliant round on GIG Amai until taking off too far from the parallell over the water tray at fence 12 and taking off the bar, and then going on to hit the second part of the double which followed.

“The first one was definitely my fault — I was too far off,” said Michael. “I really fired him at the one before and got away with it, so I went on the same one again, but didn’t get away with it. It was a bit too much of an ask for a younger horse. You can’t blame him, he was trying.”

Michael’s adjusted time of 82.28sec leaves him 43rd.

David McPherson also had two down this morning on Chamberlain Z, and now lies 56th.

The British team lies ninth, and although this is a training team of younger horses here for experience rather than medals, the riders were visibly disappointed with today’s performance.

The only happy British rider was Robert Smith, who produced a fast clear on Talan and finished 14th out of the 120 starters.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The home side dominated today, with lunchtime leader Marco Deslauriers holding top spot on Urico at the end of the day and McLain Ward slotting in just behind him on Sapphire. Hungary’s Sándor Szász is third on Moosbachhofs Goldwing. (Pictured are McLain, Mario and Sándor, left to right).

In the team standings, America leads, followed by Germany and then France.

All Britain’s riders will jump again in the team round tomorrow, after which the top 10 teams go through to the team final on Wednesday night.

Showjumping results from WEG

Log on again for more updates on the showjumping at WEG, full report in H&H out 14 October.

Britain’s Robert Smith fifth halfway through WEG speed competition

Horse & Hound — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:09:29 +0000

Robert Smith got the British showjumping team off to a great start in the showjumping competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with a fast clear round in this morning’s speed competition.

Robert lies fifth at the halfway stage of this first leg of the team contest, having ridden Talan to a confident clear to leave all the fences intact in 77.12sec.

Experienced competitor Robert was only brought into the team due to the injury to Tina Fletcher’s ride Hello Sailor, but he said: “I planned and prepared as if I was coming and always thought I was going to get there. Talan is coming off three weeks not doing much, so it’s good to get a good speed round into him.”

Britain’s second rider David McPherson had two fences down with Chamberlain Z, but still finished in a relatively quick time — with 8sec added for the faults, he finished on 83.95sec for 23rd at this stage out of 57.

David said: “I think I probably went a bit beyond what he’s used to doing on day one [in terms of speed], but they were such light miniscule rubs and I think this will set him up well for tomorrow. This is all about the team score — don’t write us off yet just because I’ve had a couple of rails.”

Mario Deslauriers is the current leader on 71.25sec riding Urico. The 1984 World Cup winner used to represent his home country of Canada, but swapped to ride for America this year, having lived in New York for many years, and the home crowd certainly appreciated his efforts this morning.

WEG results

Log on again for more updates on the showjumping at WEG, full report in H&H out 14 October.

Robert Smith, British showjumper

Horse & Hound — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:16:30 +0000

Robert Smith is a British showjumper, born on 12 June 1961 in Yorkshire. He now lives in Warwickshire.

Having represented Great Britain in Nations Cup teams on over 80 occasions (winning 18 times), and having topped British Showjumping‘s rider ranking list for three consecutive years, Robert Smith is one of Britain’s most consistently successful international showjumpers, as well as being a sought-after trainer.

His father, the legendary showjumper Harvey Smith who won the Hickstead Derby four times, introduced Robert to horses when he was six, marking the beginning a fiercely competitive father-son rivalry. Robert began to display his own prowess at the age of 15 when he won the Yorkshire Grand Prix at the Great Yorkshire Show.

In 1977 Robert made his mark on the international scene as a member of the British junior european gold medal winning team and two years later, at just 17, he became the youngest ever winner of the King George V Gold Cup at the Royal International Horse Show – a victory he repeated in 1988 and 1998. European team bronze followed in 1997.

A member of the World Class Performance Squad from 1999 to 2005, Robert has enjoyed consistently good results. In 2000 he made headline news by winning seven classes at the Horse of the Year Show and in 2002, after winning three classes including the World Cup Qualifier, he was named leading rider at Olympia. In March 2003, Robert received the World Cup silver medal for 100 starts in World Cup competitions and a year later was awarded the Animal Health Trust UK Equestrian Award.

In 2004, Robert matched his brother Steven and father’s accomplishments by representing Great Britain as an individual at the Athens Olympics with Mr Springfield, where, finishing fourth, he was the highest placed British rider. He went on to win back-to-back British Open titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as an array of world cup qualifiers, grand prix’s and puissance competitions.

Outside of the competition circuit, Robert operates a high calibre performance horse sales agency, based in the UK and Holland.

Recent achievements:

2010

â€¢ Abu Dhabi: 1st Nations Cup team (Talan)

2009

â€¢ Chester: 1st British Masters final (Vangelis S)

â€¢ Sheffield: 3rd British Open championship (Vangelis S)

2008

â€¢ Madrid: 3rd Nations Cup team (Vangelis S)

â€¢ Rome: 1st Nations Cup team (Ronaldo VI)

â€¢ Dublin: 1st Nations Cup team (Vangelis S)

2007

â€¢ Royal Windsor: 1st Grade A comp (Vangelis S)

â€¢ Rome: 1st Nations Cup team (Ronaldo)

2006

â€¢ 1st on FEI World Cup ranking list

â€¢ Sheffield: 1st British Open championship (Kalusha)

â€¢ Aachen: 3rd Nations Cup team (Marius Claudius)

â€¢ Rome: 2eq Nations Cup team (Marius Claudius)

â€¢ Hickstead: 1st Nations Cup team (Marius Claudius)

â€¢ Arena UK: 1st & 4th grand prix (Marius Claudius & Vangelis S)

2005

â€¢ Gothenburg: 1st World Cup qualifier (Kalusha)

â€¢ Sheffield: British Open championship (Kalusha)

â€¢ Lisbon: 2nd Nations Cup team (Marius Claudius)

â€¢ BS/Scope Festival: 1st grand prix (Ronaldo)

â€¢ Olympia: 1st World Cup qualifier, 1st grand prix (Kalusha)

2004

â€¢ BS leading international rider

â€¢ Sheffield: 2nd British Open championship (Mr Springfield)

â€¢ Rome: 2nd Nations Cup team (Mr Springfield)

â€¢ Hickstead: 1st Nations Cup team (Mr Springfield)

â€¢ Dublin: 3rd Nations Cup team (Marius Claudius)

â€¢ Barcelona: 3rd Nations Cup team (Mr Springfield)

â€¢ Athens Olympics: 4th individual (Mr Springfield)

GB team announced for Hickstead Nations Cup

Charlotte White — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:48:17 +0000

The team for the British leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup, held at Hickstead this Friday (24 July) has been announced.

The GB squad is currently in the relegation zone, lying in ninth position of 10 after seven competitions. France tops the board.

British show jumping performance manager Derek Ricketts has selected the following squad for the home fixture of the series:

Ben Maher with Robin Hood W, Quainton Quirifino Z and Akosie du Wonderland

Peter Charles with Pom d’Ami, Rubert R and Pall Mall H

Robert Smith with Vangelis S, Balourado and Talan

Tim Gredley with Omelli, Seander and Fabriana

The Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place at the Longines Royal International Horse Show (22-26 July) with the first round commencing at 10.30am.

For tickets, go to www.hickstead.co.uk

Robert Smith launches show jumping syndicate

Amy Mathieson — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:40:25 +0000

Top international show jumper Robert Smith has launched a syndicate to keep his 2012 Olympic hope Vangelis S in Britain.

Following the sales of Pilgrim (news, 3 January), Arielle (news, 24 April) and Rolette (news, 16 October) overseas in the past year, the rider hopes the Robert Smith Partnership will enable Britain to retain a top jumper.

Robert told H&H: “The best horses are being sold out of the country but we want to keep them here.”

He added that he has been planning the partnership for a couple of years — but had been waiting for the right horse.

Robert said: “Vangelis S is ideal because he has come forward so quickly this year.”

Businessman Tom Gittens will run the partnership. He currently runs several syndicates in racing as well as an eventing syndicate for Oslo, who is with William Fox-Pitt.

He said: “Robert wanted to make sure the horse we went for was a genuine future star.”

British Equestrian Federation performance manager Will Connell told H&H: “Anything that keeps the top horses in the country is good news, as is getting more owners involved.

“Vangelis S is one of the horses we are keeping an eye on in the build-up to next year’s Europeans and is a top jumper.”

Vangelis S is a British Show Jumping Association gold elite accredited stallion — a top horse based on performance and stallion gradings. Bred by Sharon Baldwin, the 10-year-old is by Non-Stop out of Regina S. He recently gained World Cup points in Verona and was placed at the Horse of the Year Show.

The horse is being aimed at the 2009 Europeans and, ultimately, the 2012 Olympics.

At £25,000 plus VAT per 20th share, the scheme is not cheap. Shareholders get a percentage of all prize-winnings and stud earnings plus discounted straws of semen.

• For further information, visit www.therobertsmithpartnership.com

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (4 December, ’08)

Samsung Super League nations cup victory for Britain in Rome

Horse & Hound — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:41:26 +0000

The British squad of Michael and John Whitaker, Tim Stockdale and Robert Smith won the second leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI Series in Rome on Friday (23 May).

Emulating last year’s result, Derek Ricketts’ squad picked up 10 vital Super League points at the Piazza di Siena. This was the ninth time that Britain has won the nations cup in Rome.

Tim Stockdale riding Fresh Direct Corlato and John Whitaker with Peppermill both went clear in the first round. They were joined by Michael Whitaker and Suncal Portofino 63 on four faults. Robert Smith and Ronaldo VI were the discard score with 12 penalties. This left Britain in equal first place with United States and Ireland.

Tim, John and Michael produced repeat performances in the second round leaving them neck and neck with the United States. This lead to a jump off between John Whitaker and America’s William Simpson. A mistake from the American left the dooropen for John and Peppermill, who pulled everything out of the bag to jump yet another foot perfect round to claim victory for Britain.

British team manager Derek Ricketts said: “This is a fantastic result. All of the horses have jumped very well. John’s dependable performance in the jump off was superb and clinched us the victory here in Rome today. It’s a great feeling to come back and repeat last year’s win!”

2008 Samsung Super League with FEI Series Round 2 – Rome, Italy

1. Great Britain 8 pen

2. United States of America 8 pen

3. Germany 16 pen

=4. Ireland 20 pen

=4. The Netherlands 20 pen

6. Italy 21 pen

7. Belgium 24 pen

=8. Sweden 32 pen

=8. Switzerland 32 pen

Jessica Kurten wins World Cup qualifier in Leipzig

Horse & Hound — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:54:54 +0000

Ireland’s Jessica Kurten secured a second sensational victory with Castle Forbes Libertina in the 2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series when coming out on top in Leipzig, Germany (20 January, ’08).

Irish team manager Robert Splaine said: “Jessica was in a class of her own and Libertina was unbelievable. They are such an amazing partnership.”

Robert Smith was Britain’s only representative in the 12-horse jump off. Taking the role of pathfinder, he was unfortunately eliminated after Kalusha stopped twice at the double. Ireland’s Denis Lynch and Lantinus collected four faults in 35.26sec to set the early pace but Germany’s Lars Nieberg and Lucie immediately demoted him with a clear in 36.10.

German amateur Max Kuhner produced a steady clear (42.75sec) with Acantus, which was good enough for eighth place at the end of the day.

Marcus Ehning and Sandro Boy then raised the bar by crossing the finishing line without any penalties in 34.42, to finish marginally ahead of Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and the exciting stallion Ninja La Silla by just 0.01sec.

Ludger Beerbaum and Couleur Rubin posted a keen time of 34.89sec to stay well in the frame, but no-one could match Jessica’s performance. Second-last into the ring, she set off with Libertina at full gallop and after getting a great turn-back at the fourth fence, she came home in an unbeatable 33.60sec.

“When Libby is in this kind of form then I just have to stay on board and let her take all the decisions,” said a delighted Jessica Kurten afterwards. “She is a super-intelligent horse and I’m so very lucky to have her!”

World Cup qualifier results

1, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 0/0 33.60;

2, Sandro Boy (Marcus Ehning) Ger 0/0 34.42;

3, Ninja la Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) Swe 0/0 34.43;

4, Couleur Rubin (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 34.89;

5, Lucie (Lars Nieberg) Ger 0/0 36.10;

6, Levisto Z (Judy-Ann Melchior) Bel 0/0 36.35;

7, Le Mans (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 40.95;

8, Acantus GK (Max Kuhner) Ger 0/0 42.75;

9, Meautry’s Locarno (Luciana Diniz) Por 0/4 35.12;

10, Lantinus (Denis Lynch) Irl 0/4 35.26

Western European Leaderboard after round eight

1. Jessica Kuerten – 79

2. Rutherford Latham – 45

3. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson – 47

4. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum – 46

5. Ludger Beerbaum – 44

6. Helena Lundback – 41

7. William Whitaker – 39

8. Albert Zoer – 38

9. Judy-Ann Melchior – 33

10. Steve Guerdat – 31

11. Nick Skelton – 30

12. Malin Baryard-Johnsson – 28

13. Luciana Diniz – 27

14. Marco Kutscher, Michel Hecart- 25

16. Marcus Ehning – 24

17. Max Kuhner – 24

18. Michael Whitaker, Daniel Deusser – 24

20. Heinrich-Hermann Engemann – 23

Mr Springfield back to brilliant best at Olympia Horse Show

Horse & Hound — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:38:36 +0000

Mr Springfield, the horse Robert Smith rode into fourth place at the 2004 Olympics, made a triumphant return to competition in the Bic Accumulator on Olympia’s third afternoon.

After competing in Athens, Jimmy McCloskey’s Irish-bred gelding travelled to the Calgary Masters, but then suffered an injury that kept him out of competition for three years. This was his first victory since he returned to competition in October.

“And he feels as good as — if not better than — ever before,” said Robert, who finished well clear of Austria’s Julia Kayser (HBC Dancing Queen) and German star Marcus Ehning on For Fun.

The earlier Bic Speed Stakes produced the first overseas victory of the show when Frenchman Michel Hecart galloped to victory on another Irish-bred horse, That’s Life, defeating Robert Whitaker on Rusedski II by almost 1sec.

Despite a fence down apiece, Guy Williams (Una II) and Mark Armstrong (Rex) were too quick for their rivals in the Christmas Pairs relay, but the £4,300 prize in the closing Waverey TBS Santa Stakes went to Portugal.

Luciana Diniz was first to go in a classy 11-horse jump-off but she jumped a fantastic round on Meautry’s Locarno that none of her rivals could get near.

Luciana was born in Brazil, but decided to jump for Portugal to have more chance of championship appearances.

“I had dual nationality anyway,” she explained.

Results (first three and all British placings)

Bic Speed Stakes

1. That’s Life (Michel Hecart), FRA

2. Rusedski II (Robert Whitaker)

3. Lady Des Hayettes (Michael Whitaker)

5. Henri De Here (Ellen Whitaker)

7. Rex (Mark Armstrong)

8. Una II (Guy Williams)

9. Kerball (William Whitaker)

Bic Accumulator

1. Mr Springfield (Robert Smith)

2. HBC Dancing Queen (Julia Kayser), AUT

3. For Fun (Marcus Ehning), GER

5. Merva Des Hayettes (Guy Williams)

9. Azucar (John Whitaker)

10. Lavaletta II (Mark Armstrong)

Christmas Pair Relay

1. Una II (Guy Williams) & Rex (Mark Armstrong)

2. Hooligan de Rosyl (Daniel Deusser) GER & Okometa (Alois Pohlmann-Schweckhorst), GER

3. Fraulien Smilla (Cian O’Connor), IRE & Azucar (John Whitaker)

Waverley TBS Santa Stakes

1. Meautry’s Locarno (Luciana Diniz), POR

2. H&M Esprit (Malin Baryard), SWE

3. Gitania (Marcus Ehning), GER

6. Sefana (Mark Armstrong)

8. Ronaldo (Robert Smith)

British riders off to strong start at Olympia Horse Show

Horse & Hound — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 07:47:33 +0000

They may be up against some of the world’s top riders, but Britain’s show jumpers showed their rivals the way home on the opening evening of the centenary Olympia International Show Jumping Championships.

Bob Ellis’s strong track for the major class, the Martin Collins International Christmas Stakes, produced an 11-horse jump-off, in which Michael Whitaker’s stunning round on Suncal Portofino proved too good for the rest.

Michael was delighted with Gillespie Equestrian’s mare.

“In her past four classes, she had two firsts, one second and a third,” he said.

A brilliant performance by Robert Smith that brought applause from his rivals signalled the start of this year’s show.

Robert and the 15-year-old Dutch-bred Kalusha have triumphed on numerous occasions in this famous arena and they stormed round from final draw in the Dodson & Horrell Welcome Speed to demote penultimate-drawn Dutchman Leon Thijssen and Oxford D’Esquelmes by 0.8sec.

“This is a good start to the show. Kalusha was injured last year, so he had a quiet season, but he felt as good as ever today,” said the Yorkshireman.

The Whitaker name was back up in lights at the end of the performance when Ellen Whitaker received the Raymond Brooks-Ward Memorial Trophy, given in memory of the show’s founder to a young rider in any discipline who shows the most Olympic potential.

Results (top three and all British placings)

Dodson & Horrell Welcome Speed

1. Kalusha (Robert Smith)

2. Oxford D’Esquelmes (Leon Thijssen), HOL

3. For Fun (Marcus Ehning), GER

4. Cortaflex Amber Du Montois (William Funnell)

5. Lou Lou (Tim Stockdale)

6. Rusedski II (Robert Whitaker)

10. Likido (Nick Skelton)

Martin Collins International Christmas Stakes

1.Suncal Portofino (Michael Whitaker)

2. Paparazzi 10 (Alois Pohlmann-Schweckhorst), GER

3. Complete (Cian O’Connor), IRE

7. Ronaldo (Robert Smith)

Britain wins Samsung Super League in Rome

Horse & Hound — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:05:03 +0000

A double clear from John Whitaker and Becky Stones’s stallion Peppermill secured victory for Britain’s show jumping team in this afternoon’s leg of the Samsung Super league in Rome.

Aided by clears from John and Royal Windsor hero Tim Stockdale (Fresh Direct Corlato) plus a four-faulter by Michael Whitaker on Suncal Portofino, Britain lay equal second at the halfway stage.

But their rivals fell away in round two, and with Michael and John clear this time and Tim with just a single mistake, victory was sealed by a single fence over Germany, Belgium, France and Switzerland, who shared second spot.

Robert Smith’s ride for Britain, the inexperienced Ronaldo, found the going tough and had the discard score in both rounds.

This was a complete reversal of fortune after the British team finished last in the opening leg in La Baule, France.

The next outing for the Brits will be in St Gallen, Switzerland, next weekend, where Johh, Michael and Tim will be joined by Nick Skelton and William Funnell.

Royal Windsor: Friday show jumping

Penny Richardson — Fri, 11 May 2007 16:11:33 +0000

Robert Smith and Tim Stockdale warmed up well for their forthcoming trip to the Rome Super League show by jumping the sole two double clears in Friday’s major class at Royal Windsor, the Martin Collins Grade A.

A tough enough track and a tight time-limit caused problems for the 29-strong field, but eight reached the jump-off. Tim set the standard from third draw on John Bosher’s mare Fresh Direct Corlato and only Robert could emulate him, finishing almost 5sec quicker with Sharon Baldwin’s stallion Vangelis S to capture the £1,300 prize.

Robert is now considering Vangelis as a possible European Championship ride. “He’s got an enormous jump and just needs the mileage,” said Robert.

The two earlier classes belonged to the irrepressible Robert Whitaker. He headed a strong B and C class on his mother Claire’s scopey mare, Azucar, and then beat his father in the 1.40m open.

John rode a great jump-off round on the coloured stallion Utah Van Erpekom, but his son conjured some incredible turns from the huge Finbarr to take the £350 prize by a comfortable margin.

Robert Smith favourite for British Open Show Jumping

Horse & Hound — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:48:41 +0000

Reigning British Open Champion Robert Smith is bookies favourite to win the British Open Show Jumping Championships at the Birmingham NEC (12-15 April).

Robert, who just missed an individual medal at the Athens Olympics, is aiming for a hat-trick at this year’s Championships having won the title on his own Kalusha, in 2005 and 2006. Ladbrokes are quoting Robert as the 6/1 favourite to retain the title for the third consecutive year.

A competitive line-up of top international riders will no doubt give Smith a run for his money. Among them is the Whitaker family comprising Michael (number four in the world, number one in Britain), and John, Robert and Ellen who currently occupy first, second, third and tenth respectively in the UK rankings. Six of the world’s top fifty riders have been invited to contest the Championship including former world number one, Switzerland’s Markus Fuchs and Ireland’s Jessica Kurten.

“Kalusha had a break over the winter, so the British Open will be his first big show this year,” Smith explained. “He is 13 and good to handle but he does have a mind of his own and can be unpredictable when jumping. However, he seems to like the British Open and if he starts well he should remain consistent throughout the competition.”

To book tickets for this year’s British Open please telephone NEC Box Office (tel: 08700 100 216) or book online at www.britishopenshowjumping.com. Tickets range from £25 to £45, subject to booking fee, with concessions for children under 15 and senior citizens.

Difficult start for WEG jumpers

Horse & Hound — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:33:28 +0000

Britain lies 11th in the team ranking going into tomorrow’s Nations Cup at the World Equestrian Games show jumping championships in Aachen, Germany after a difficult opening day for Derek Rickett’s side today.

The forced withdrawal of Robert Smith’s Marius Claudius was an imperfect start, and with John Whitaker and Peppermill lying best of the British in 28th place individually, Michael Whitaker and Portofino in 46th, Tim Gredley and Omelli in 47th and Nick Skelton in 69th after a late call-up with Russel, it is going to take some considerable effort to pose a threat to the leading Dutch side.

However when today’s results were converted into points, just over two fences separate the British from the top of the order where Holland holds sway by a small margin over the USA in second and the three-man Brazilian side in third place.

“It’s very disappointing that Marius Claudius is out” Ricketts said this morning. “The blacksmith pricked the horse’s foot when he was shoeing him three days ago but he was perfectly sound in the trot-up on Monday. However his jump in the warm-up competition seems to have irritated the foot; it’s his off-fore, and two vets had a look at him and gave their opinion. He was re-shod with pads on his feet and still isn’t right so we were left with little choice but to take him out,” the team manager explained.

“There was nothing I could say” Robert Smith said today. “He just wasn’t happy, and I’m really disappointed.”

John Whitaker was first Briton to take on Frank Rothenberger’s 13-fence track which gave them plenty to think about. The problems started after the water with a double, oxer to planks, at fence five which was followed by a dog-leg with a difficult distance to a white oxer at six, while the doubles at nine and ten also proved extremely influential. The water-ditches under the oxers at 10 saw plenty of horses doing a double-take there but Peppermill looked fresh and happy as he cruised around to stop the clock in 84.98 seconds. However with time the deciding factor today that was never going to be quick enough to fill a top placing.

Tim Gredley found himself way off the white oxer at six, adding four time penalties to his score when Omelli landed on the back bar, but he steadied well to lower only the bogey second element of the ditches at 10 before crossing the line to finish.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Nick Skelton and Russel brave the elements in the team competition

Image by Trevor Meeks

Heavy rain as competition resumed after the lunch-break greeted Nick Skelton and Russel who were clear to the double at nine where the rider chose the left-hand option only to lower the second element there. And with eight seconds to add his score when the last also fell the veteran British contender finished well down the line, while the dreaded 10b ditch claimed another victim in Michael Whitaker and Portofino.

A dreadful silence descended on the arena when the former Joe Turi ride, Superville, took a horrible fall on landing over the first element at fence five and Hungarian rider Mariann Hugyecz watched in deep distress as the 16-year-old horse got to his feet and cantered off

carrying his near fore-leg limply. However there was a happier end to the day when it was announced that, after intensive veterinary attention, the brave gelding had suffered only a badly bruised shoulder.

In the Irish camp there was a last-minute replacement too when Cian O’Connor’s Waterford Crystal was lame on Monday night. And the replacement combination of Marie Burke and her home-bred stallion Chippison produced the performance of their career to date when jumping

themselves into ninth spot individually during a round in which the son of Cavalier was clearly enjoying every minute.

America’s Beezie Madden heads the leaderboard at the end of the first day after a great late run with Authentic while Canada’s Eric Lamaze is lying second following a near-kamikaze performance with Hickstead. Holland’s Gerco Schroder and Eurocommerce Berlin jumped themselves into third spot ahead of US rider McLain Ward with Sapphire in fourth.

Read the show jumping reports in full in next week’s Horse & Hound (7 September)

Meet Robert Smith

Horse & Hound — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 10:40:01 +0000

Horse: Marius Claudius, 12yo 16.2hh bay KWPN stallion by Concorde

Age: 45

Championship experience: Robert represented Britain as an individual at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, where he produced an outstanding performance to finish just outside the medals in equal fifth. He has also helped Britain to win team bronze at the European Championships.

Recent form

Marius Claudius has shown he is back to his best since returning to top level competition after a break from competition since June last year. He has played an important role in a number of Samsung Super League nations cups this season, including the recent class at Hickstead where the British team triumphed. Robert is currently in top form, retaining his British Open title in the spring and has been number one on the FEI World Cup ranking list. The partnership produced a class double clear at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to win the Links of London Grade A class.

Major results with Marius Claudius

1st grade A: Royal Windsor 2006

Nations Cup Teams 2006: Hickstead 1st, Aachen 3rd, Rome =2nd

4th Speed Stakes: CSI**** Sheffield 2006

1st Masters: CSI**** Sheffield 2005

1st A7: CSI-A Eindhoven 2005

Nations Cup Team 2005: Lisbon 2nd

1st A4 CSIO Lisbon 2005

Background

The eldest son of Harvey Smith, Robert has represented Britain on 73 Nations Cups, has won the King George V Cup three times and was Britain’s only representative at the 2003 World Cup final with Marius Claudius. He has four children.

Whitaker qualifies for World Cup final

Horse & Hound — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:35:44 +0000

Michael Whitaker has secured a place at the FEI World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (26-30 April). Following a success at the final qualifier at Gothenburg this weekend (13-16 April), last year’s FEI runner-up will be representing Britain at the championships along with British Open Champion Robert Smith.

Whitaker’s performance this weekend demonstrated his resolve to claim a place at Kuala Lumpur. Leopoldo Palacios and Frank Rothenberger’s challenging course caught out the majority of the field, leaving Whitaker and Portofino as one of only nine combinations to contest the jump-off round. But Whitaker’s gritted determination almost led to his downfall. After making a particularly tight turn, he hit a bad stride approaching the double and Portofino put in a stop.

“She didn’t see so she had no chance.” Whitaker said afterwards. “Maybe I was stupid but I was trying to win.” Thankfully the mistake only relegated him to eighth and he was still awarded a place in the championships.

Meanwhile double FEI champion Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum was on flying form this weekend and will certainly be attempting a hat-trick of FEI World Cup titles at the end of the month. After winning at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Holland three weeks ago, she secured another victory this weekend aboard Checkmate.

“Checkmate was phenomenal today,” she said afterwards. “He is a horse with an unbelievable talent and he has a lot of fun doing his job – and I have a lot of fun riding him while he is doing it!”

After an impressive jump-off time of 32.37 sec, the only person who could stop Michaels-Beerbaum from winning was Britain’s Robert Whitaker. Partnering Lacroix, the young talent jumped a brilliant round but an unfortunate four penalties at the final fence relegated him to seventh position. Maria Gretzer finished second, Jean Marc Nicolas third and fourth place went to Linnea Ericsson.

Riders competing in Kuala Lumpur as of 17 April 2005:

1. Robert Smith (GBR)

2. Gerco Schroder (Ned)

3. Marcus Ehning (Ger)

4. Beat Mandli (Sui)

5. Jessica Kuerten (Irl)

6. Juan Carlos Garcia (Ita)

7. Jean-Marc Nicolas (Fra)

8. Markus Beerbaum (Ger)

9. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (Swe)

10. Ludger Beerbaum (Ger)

11. Philippe Leoni (Fra)

12. Heinrich Hermann Engemann (Ger)

13. Michael Whitaker (GBR)

14. Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst (Ger)

15. Linnea Ericsson (Den)

16. Marco Kutscher (Ger)

17. Pia-Luise Aufrecht (Ger)

18. Geir Gulliksen (Nor)

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is automatically qualified as reigning champion.

For all information on the FEI World Cup Jumping final in Kuala Lumpur (26-30 April) log onto the website: www.klworldcupfinal.com.

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Smith tops the European tree

Horse & Hound — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:57:28 +0000

Current British Open champion, Robert Smith is currently leading the Western European League of the FEI World Cup Jumping Series having scored a total of 75 points.

Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is hot on his heels with 74 points, but the British veteran need not fear – he has already sealed his place in the final. The top 17 riders after the last qualifier in Goteborg (13-16 April) will join Smith at the 2006 FEI World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur (26-30 April).

Inspiring wins from Smith in the qualifiers at Olympia and Wellington helped earn his points. Before making the journey to Kuala Lumpur, the champion jumper will defend his British Open title at the British Open Championships in Sheffield.

British number one Nick Skelton is currently lying in ninth place on the FEI leader board, but he has opted not to compete in the final. Thus it is up to Michael Whitaker, currently lying just outside the qualifying places in 19th, to earn Britain a second rider in the final.

Ben Maher is also still in with a chance of a trip to Kuala Lumpa following an impressive fourth place in the s’Hertogenbosch qualifier last weekend. The young rider, from Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, is currently lying in equal 26th place.

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Local riders triumph at British Open

Horse & Hound — Fri, 16 Apr 2004 10:30:46 +0000

Robert Smith and Paul Barker gave the large and enthusiastic audience something to smile about when they took the major classes on the opening night of this year’s British Open Show Jumping Championships at Sheffield’s Hallam FM Arena.

Robert pictured produced a fantastic round to head the opening championship speed leg on the marvellous Mr Springfield. The pair flew round a substantial track to win by almost 2sec from in-form Essex man John Renwick on Cushty, with Ireland’s Billy Twomey (Anastasia), Nick Skelton (Arko) and John Whitaker (Lactic Two) gaining valuable points towards Sunday’s final in third, fourth and fifth places.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The Sheffield Masters produced a tremendous jump-off, with all six riders finishing within 2sec of each other. Paul Barker, 24, gained his best international win to date when some brilliant turns from penultimate draw on Blue Chip Quinton took the honours by just 0.14sec from local hero John Whitaker with Gem Of India.

The opening warm-up class, the Steel City Shield, went to Brazil’s Bernardo Alves, 29, who is enjoying his first visit to Britain.

Bernardo, a double Pan Am Games gold medallist, has been based with the Pessoas in Brussels for three years and their training certainly appears to have paid off. Riding the chestnut mare Solitaire, he finished comfortably ahead of William Funnell, riding Douglas Bunn’s British-bred Buddy Bunn.

Young riders also had their chance on the opening day and 18-year-old Welsh girl Sophie Heaven, straight from a month’s training with Di Lampard, jumped a lovely round on Jurius to win from fellow Welsh rider Gemma Plumley and Continue B.

Marius Claudis goes hunting

Horse & Hound — Mon, 02 Feb 2004 10:23:25 +0000

Many top national hunt and event horses have done it, but it must be unique for an international show jumping stallion at the height of his competitive career to go hunting.

Robert Smith’s ride, Marius Claudis, the second highest money-earner in Britain, having won around £100,000 last year, is worth “megabucks”, yet he enjoyed a proper day with the Warwickshire a fortnight ago.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Having hunted one or two grade As myself, most of which were verging on lunatics when they saw hounds, I couldn’t resist going along to watch Robert. The last time he hunted was when he was a young lad.

At one time I used to hunt all my young horses because nothing gives them a better education. In this current era of lighter poles and material, there’s always trouble when a track includes a ditch or a bank. That is unless horses have been hunting in which case they usually take them all in their stride.

Another reason why hunting is so good for show jumpers is that most of them nowadays are brought up on perfect going. Indoor surfaces are better than ever, many riders have all-weather arenas at home and most outdoor rings are less undulating than they were.

But even good ground deteriorates when it rains hard, and it’s surprising how many otherwise experienced horses simply don’t know how to jump out of it, although I can appreciate people being reluctant to hunt valuable horses on heavy, wet land.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of hunting is to freshen up a horse. Last year, said Robert, his horses lost a bit of fitness after Olympia, and not wanting to keep working them in the school, he decided to give them a bit of a change.

In fact Marius Claudis, and Robert’s other ride, Jerry Maguire, both behaved impeccably, but you know what they say about a horse’s second day’s hunting . . .

Read Graham Feltcher’s full report on Robert’s day with the Warwickshire in the current issue of Horse & Hound (29 January).

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British No.1 triumphs in Oslo

Horse & Hound — Wed, 29 Oct 2003 12:37:56 +0000

Britain’s Robert Smith scored an emphatic victory in the second leg of the FEI World Cup series in Oslo, Norway on Sunday while Holland’s Eric Van der Vleuten, who finished fourth with Audi’s Jikke, cemented his league-table advantage.

Robert had thrown down the gauntlet when topping Friday’s World Cup Preliminary competition and capitalised on his last-to-go starting position in the qualifier with a superb jump-off round from the stallion Marius Claudius.

With 14 through to the jump-off it was always going to be a tough and the Yorkshireman was chasing the target-time of 34.29secs set by Jos Lansink and AK Zandor Z.

“There were so many clears that it was very fast and I knew that I must take a really difficult turn to the penultimate fence if I was to be in with a chance to win, so I did it and it worked.” said a delighted Robert.

Jos Lansink slotted into second ahead of Richard Davenport riding Luc while fourth place for Eric Van der Vleuten, winner in the opening round in Helsinki last weekend, puts him in an even stronger position at the head of the league table with 33pts.

Robert Whitaker was the fastest of the four-faulters in the jump off to secure 10th place with Qualite.

World Cup qualifier results

1, Marius Claudius (Robert Smith) GBR 0/0 32.34;

2, AK Caridor Z (Jos Lansink) BEL 0/0 34.29;

3, Luc (Richard Davenport) GBR 34.65;

4, Audi’s Jikke (Eric Van der Vleuten) NED 0/0 34.72;

5, Cinderella (Maria Gretzer) SWE 0/0 34.96;

6, Verelst Goliath (Ludo Philippaerts) BEL 0/0 35.12;

7, LB Lacorrado (Beat Mandli) SUI 0/0 35.26;

8, H&M Butterfly Flip (Malin Baryard) SWE 35.40;

9, Controe (Marco Kutscher) GER 0/0 36.28;

10, Qualite (Robert Whitaker) GBR 0/4 35.41.

FEI World Cup Jumping leaderboard after round 2

1, Eric van der Vleuten 33pts;

2, Robert Smith 21;

3, Malin Baryard 18;

=4, Jos Lansink/Helena Weinberg 17;

=6, Richard Davenport/Bruno Broucqsault 15;

=8, Jeroen Dubbeldam/Michel Hecart 13;

=10, Marco Kutscher/Maria Gretzer 12.

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Robert Smiths pulls Blue Chip grand prix out of the bag on ‘characterful’ ride

Course-designer Nigel Jess used clever technical distances and rollback turns to test control, rideability and scope in his 13-fence track and clears proved hard to come by at first. However, six found all the right answers from the 41 entries to promise a cracking jump-off.

Nici Wilson opener on Guaranteed Quality finished on eight faults but Mennell Watson conjured up some clever riding to bring the diminutive stallion Whisper In The Wind home clear. However, the time looked vulnerable.

Upping a gear on the big-striding Ilton, Robert executed rollback turns without interrupting the pace and kept on a level stride to the final Blue Chip oxer, wiping 2.64 sec off Mennell’s time.

Adrian Speight gave him a good run for his money with Millfield Baloney but broke the beam half a sec in arrears.

Robert, who had missed out on the bonus by one with fourth place in Thursday night’s competition, has ridden the Dulf Van Den Bisschop x Calvaro Z 14-year-old for seven years.

“He’s a character, there’s no badness in him, just cheekiness and he’s actually a better horse outdoors in big rings,” said Robert, who carefully selects his classes with Maubeuge and other International meetings a possibility in the near future.

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