Second to go in a 12-strong jump-off, the Irish rider and the 11-year-old he owns with Ariel Grange threw down the gauntlet from the off. The Clinton gelding showed an astonishing turn of speed, in perfect balance, and was calm enough to land and turn, especially on the crucial rollback to the last oxer, to finish in 30.52 seconds.
“I wasn’t sure I’d done enough but I couldn’t do any more,” Daniel said. “I knew I had Ben Maher, Martin Fuchs and the other guys to come but there was nothing more I could have done. And thankfully it was enough tonight”
Daniel has been riding Incredible for about a year; they won a World Cup leg early on and have since jumped on Nations Cup teams for Ireland.
“I think it’ll be another year before I know everything about him,” Daniel said. “That’s not easy when you’re competing at this level but he’s a good horse.”
Daniel said Incredible was not at his best at the start of the show as he was “crazy fresh”.
“I needed to get him to relax because when he does, he has all the talent in the world,” he said. “That’s why I decided to jump him in a few rounds of the puissance; he’s got so much scope and talent, I thought a couple of rounds might soften him and make him relax – and it worked.
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“He’s got so much talent; more even than [Daniel’s Olympic ride] Legacy; but trying to get him to focus is the hardest job. She always tries her best but sometimes, because he’s got all the talent, he doesn’t have to. I just need to figure him out.”
In second place was Ben Maher with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Enjeu de Grisien, whose cracking round had looked to be challenging Daniel and Incredible’s time but ended up a second slower. Robert Whitaker and Unex Competition Yard’s Gentlemen VH Veldhof came third a fraction behind, in 31.65 seconds. Martin Fuchs and L&L Lorde did manage to beat Daniel’s time but a blip at the last meant the oxer came down, relegating them to seventh place.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
