Exciting new Olympic prospect for John Whitaker
John Whitaker will be riding a new stallion, Maximillian, on the British Nations Cup team in Lummen (4 May).
John saw a video of the Danish-bred 11-year-old son of Carnute, who was previously ridden by Sweden’s Anna Olssen, last year and tried the horse before Christmas. However, John didn’t start riding him until the last couple of weeks of the Spanish Sunshine Tour after the deal had been secured.
“He may not look like he had fantastic results so far, but he only had one down in the grand prix in Drammen last year, which is a really tough course, and Rob [Hoekstra] obviously thinks he’s good enough to jump on the team,” John told H&H.
Most notably, the horse was registered in Britain, to John’s wife Clare, just before the Olympic deadline of 31 December, so could he be a Greenwich contender for the Yorkshireman?
“It certainly gives me another chance,” said John. “It may be slightly early for Argento and this horse gives me another string to my bow. I didn’t really push Argento in Spain – I just had a play around with him – but I’m taking them both to Lummen this weekend so we’ll see how they both go.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.