Young Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz prevented John Whitaker from winning a second London Horse Show showjumping class this afternoon in the mistletoe speed stakes.
John had snatched the lead from 13th draw with Green Grass, the borrowed horse on whom he won the two-phase on Friday.
“He’s naturally quite a fast horse, so I just have to contain myself and not try to go too fast,” said John. “My time is beatable, but if you go faster, you risk knocking the jumps.”
John Whitaker and Green Grass finish second in the mistletoe speed stakes at London International Horse Show. Credit: Peter Nixon
However, the penultimate competitor, 22-year-old Edouard, managed to both leave all the fences up and go faster, stopping the clock on 49.3sec against John’s 50.67sec.
“I saw John’s round and I knew that I had a bit of an advantage horse-wise because my horse is really, really fast over the jumps,” said the London Show Show showjumping debutant. “So I knew if I took a few more risks, I had a good chance of pulling ahead.
“It’s always a gamble when you try to beat the legend John Whitaker, but it worked out so I’m really pleased.”
Edouard has had the 12-year-old Balou Du Rouet mare Balenciana K for three years.
“I’ve done Nations Cups on her and we kind of figured out that she’s really good for speed classes, so we’ve been trying to use her as a speed horse and she’s really done her job,” said Edouard.
“She likes to be spoken to politely. She’s a real chestnut mare. The legend is true that chestnut mares are sometimes a bit sassy and she’s definitely one of those.”
Edouard said his first time at this show has been “unbelievable”.
“The crowd is just that something you don’t experience every weekend of the year,” he said.
Edouard’s compatriot Martin Fuchs put in the fastest round of the class on Tam Tam Du Valon, already a double winner this week, but he lowered the final two fences so added six seconds to his time to finish fifth.
You might also be interested in:
‘I didn’t expect to win that!’: borrowed horse comes up trumps for John Whitaker at London Horse Show
Watch those turns! See Harry Charles’ brilliant World Cup jump-off round from London International
Young Brit takes World Cup qualifier at London International – 20 years after his father won this class
Two contrasting horses clear 1.90m to share London Horse Show six bar honours
5 reasons why a subscription to HorseandHound.co.uk makes the perfect last-minute gift
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
