Joe Stockdale lands his first ever five-star grand prix: ‘I’m chuffed to bits’

In a monumental day for British showjumper Joe Stockdale, the 26-year-old landed a milestone first five-star grand prix, yesterday (11 January) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Joe partnered the 12-year-old stallion Ebanking, owned by his mother Laura Stockdale and Barbara Hester, to victory in the feature class, the President’s Cup presented by Longines.

“I’m chuffed to bits,” said Joe.

Joe Stockdale on Ebanking: “He’s really been due a result”

Five high-calibre combinations lined up for the jump-off, but Joe triumphed as the sole double clear, “Ebay” delivering a typically solid performance over the 1.60m track.

“He’s feeling great and he’s been in really good form for a while now,” said Joe. “He’s really been due a result actually. He’s been very unlucky in the last few rounds and just not had the rub of the green. So it’s great to get the result, he’s deserved that for a while.

“I had two riders to come after me in the jump-off and I knew David Will [riding Xixo Borgia] was always going to be very quick. It was a tough jump-off because the line that jumped the worst in the first round was also in it – there was a vertical with a water tray underneath it, which I think about half the class had had down. So it was a real bogey fence and I knew there wasn’t going to be loads of clears second time around.

“So I tried to play the middle ground of being trim and fast and not leaving too much out there so it was easy for the two riders behind me. I took a couple of risks, but not as risky as if I was just going for the time.”

Joe has three horses in the UAE for the tour and picked up some good results with Laska JDV, including a second-place finish in the opening day’s speed class.

“Both horses had a really good weekend,” he said of Laska and Ebanking.

In a weekend packed full of British celebrations, Scott Brash also landed a grand prix double, just across the Persian Gulf in Doha, Qatar.

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