Ellen wins Speed Horse of Year

Not to be outdone by her brother Thomas, winner of this afternoon’s Junior Show Jumper of the Year, Ellen Whitaker galloped to victory in the 2006 Speed Horse of the Year Competition at HOYS.

Partnering Henri de Here, Whitaker, who is currently ranked eighth in Britain, rode the fastest round of the class – so fast that she won the competition despite knocking a pole.

“I’ve won this class before with one fence down,” Ellen admitted afterwards, “so I knew I could still win.”

After dropping a pole, she upped the pace as she progressed round the course to finish in an unbeatable 49.63 sec. “To be honest it was far more nerve wracking watching my brother,” she told HHO afterwards.

Geoff Luckett took second place with Billy Twomey in third.

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