{"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"u28R38WdMo","rid":"R7EKS5F","offerId":"OF3HQTHR122A","offerTemplateId":"OTQ347EHGCHM"}}

Nick Skelton claims his ninth win in Florida


  • Britain’s winning streak at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Florida has continued in the circuit’s eleventh week.

    Nick Skelton secured his ninth major win claiming the $30,000 ( £18,958) WEF challenge cup on 22 March.

    Riding Beverley Widdowson’s Big Star, Nick finished in 33.77sec to beat Ben Maher and Tripple X III in what has been an unbelievable festival for him.

    “[Big Star] is going great. He’s come along leaps and bounds [and] he’s only nine years old,” said Nick.

    Scott Brash and Intertoy Z rounded off the week winning the $25,000 ( £15,798) Suncast 1.50m championship jumper classic yesterday (25 March).

    The pair beat Ben Maher and Quiet Easy 4 and Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and KEC Alligator Alley who were second and third.

    The course – set by Richard Jeffery – proved problematic with not one combination going clear.

    Thirteen of the 40 entries finished with four faults and a jump-off was held to break the tie.

    “That doesn’t happen too often, but they are big, hard tracks here,” Scott said.

    “I think [Intertoy Z] was just unlucky in the first round because [in] the jump-off he was fantastic.”

    The FTI WEF will run for twelve weeks in total, finishing on 1 April.

    Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout major shows like London International and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

    You may like...