‘It’s 10 years since I won in this ring’: Jack Whitaker claims first senior Hickstead victory
Jack Whitaker and Valmy De La Lande competing in the Royal International salver at Hickstead in 2023.
(Image credit: Elli Birch/Boots and Hooves)
Jack Whitaker secured not only the first British individual five-star win of the week but also his first senior win in Hickstead’s main arena when he headed a gripping 1.50m Royal International salver with Equine America Valmy De La Lande.
“I think the last time I won in here was children on horses about 10 years ago,” said 21-year-old Jack, who has had strong five-star form on home soil this year, also finishing a very close second with the gelding at Royal Windsor.
Brits hold the advantage
Matt Sampson set the tone with a competitive opening bid on the grey stallion Daniel, before Joe Stockdale, who has been knocking on the door all week with a couple of top-three placings, axed 0.24sec on Barbara Hester’s Ebanking.
His advantage was short-lived as next-in Jack blitzed the target by 1.77sec on the experienced 14-year-old grey, who was previously jumped to five-star by Jack’s father Michael, until he took over the reins in 2020.
It was Will Edwards and his chestnut mare SHW Candies B — a close second in the previous day’s Royal International trophy and with a brilliant track record in this arena — who posed the biggest threat in penultimate draw.
They looked slightly slower round the first half of the course but really opened up after the double — which had been a bogey in the first round — taking a stride out on the final line but were still unable to catch Jack’s stellar target, finishing 0.60sec behind.
“I thought if there was anywhere I might get beat, it was to the double. When I walked the course I thought ‘I’ve got to get that one right’. It was the poles [which were harder to see, with vertical stripes], it was against the [hospitality] bar, up hill and the oxer coming out was big enough,” Jack said. “I’d slowed him down to jump it in the jump-off to give him some time to jump in.
“I knew there were a few fast ones behind me including my good mate Will Edwards who has a very fast horse. I was winding him up in the collecting ring a bit, but he didn’t manage to catch me.”
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