Well done John

SJFAN

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What a great 1st round John Whitaker rode. Casino is not the most natually speedy, and is a better horse outdoors. I saw him looking very promising when Kelly Brown rode him as a youngster. To my eyes John did everything right, and was unlucky not to win, the horse only catching the front rail of the last with one hind leg.
I like Clare Balding but was surprised when early on she said that it was a long way from Australia for the little horse (which eventually won) to have come. Surely she should have realised that the horse will never have set hoof in Australia?
 

Rambo

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I think John showed his class in that field today. They weren't kidding when they said it wasn't even his 2nd string...i'd be surprised if that horse was even his 3rd lol!

I thought he rode a little less tidily than is his usual style...but full marks to him...he did everything right.

Edwina rode a classy round on a classy horse. It was never going to touch a pole so in the end it was an easy win for her.

Ben Maher showed he has a new horse to fill the void left by the sale of Rolette too. I was very impressed with Robin Hood W..and with Ben's riding too. I'd say he probably looked the best out there....
 

jules89

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JW -yeah maybe less tidy but wow

And Edwina was so very impressive,an awesome partnership!!

I keep noticing Robin Hood W, still a bit gangly but very classy, and totally agree that Ben was one of the best riders in that class, if not the tidiest and read the course the best of everyone.
 

SJFAN

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Yes, I agree, Robin Hood, well produced by Lara Abraham, had looked a very good prospect since Ben took over the ride. I first saw them together in Donaueschingen in September, via the videostream from the show website.

Happy Xmas, and all the best for 2009! Love to Bo and Trike.
 

dieseldog

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Edwina's chestnut I think is my favourite show jumper at the moment. It looks like the type of horse I would love to have, really stood out for me in Hong Kong as well. It is a real girls horse.
 

Foxford

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I really enjoyed the three rounds mentioned. The horses and riders made it look easy! It was nice to see experience vs youth in the jump off.
 

lucretia

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as we said the other day we shouldnt be surprised by anything the commentators say. i dont supppose clare realised edwina and jan topps are an item.
and ben maher's round was a delight to watch particularly. but the course designer bob ellis confessed at the press conference that that he was a little hard on the riders witht the time but the ground jury thought it was ok and didnt change it. JW thought a great many faults had occured cos people were worried about the time, obviously.
 

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In my very humble opinion, I thought that both John & Edwina jumped THE rounds of the year - both were superb and this has to be one of the best classes I've watched in a long time.
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RachelB

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I have never bitten my nails before, but I actually did watching John's round! The horse looked so big I never imagined he'd make the time. I almost couldn't watch the triple - John really is amazing to have ridden that, and the whole round, so well!
I know nothing much about SJ so I am pleased that other people think Ben Maher rode a good round as well!
 

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I never realised how small Itot du chateau is. How he and Michel Hecart, who is not exactly lightweight, won so much money together I will never know! What a horse!
It was great to see the competition so well covered on BBC 2. I thought that all the commentators were excellent. At last the beeb have people who know what they are talking about (most of the time!)
I thought the riders mostly did well around a difficult course and even more difficult time. However every time I see Robert Whitaker ride I am less and less impressed (ducks and runs for cover!!)
 

Puppy

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LOVED that little chestnut, what a dude of a horse!
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And Edwina rode him superbly
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Very well done.

John did so well too, and nice to see such a thrilled owner. Anyone know how big Casino is? He looked flipping huuuuge!!
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Gonetofrance

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Robin Hood W reminds me of Milton the way he gets such height and power in the air. Really really impressed by the horse, today was the first time I've seen him, and he's the one I'd most like to own out of that field.
What a ride JW gave Casino to go clear, he picked him up and carried him round. That said, the horse tried for him, but it's a big ungainly sort for a track indoors, especially one like that.
Great class!!! Nice to see the riders under pressure and respond accordingly.
 

Rambo

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[ QUOTE ]
LOVED that little chestnut, what a dude of a horse!
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And Edwina rode him superbly
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Very well done.

John did so well too, and nice to see such a thrilled owner. Anyone know how big Casino is? He looked flipping huuuuge!!
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[/ QUOTE ]

According to the BSJA website he's only 16.3hh....but i agree he looked very big, and quite gangly in places in that arena. The track was extremely tight and technical to which would have made it look even smaller...and him even bigger
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SJFAN

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As Rambo says "official height" is 16.3. I'd have thought more like 17.1 but it might be optical illusion because of his heavy build - Irish draught blood looks to dominate. As Ellen said, John spends a long time working him in during the morning of a big class - flatwork that is rather than jumping.
 

Rambo

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[ QUOTE ]
As Rambo says "official height" is 16.3. I'd have thought more like 17.1 but it might be optical illusion because of his heavy build - Irish draught blood looks to dominate. As Ellen said, John spends a long time working him in during the morning of a big class - flatwork that is rather than jumping.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes....the BSJA website is a little arbitrary in the heights it publishes tbh. They take the height from the horses passport...which in Bo's case would have been issued as a 4yo. He's listed as 16.3hh too....but we reckon he's easily 17hh perhaps a little more lol!
 

lucretia

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at the press conference John said he was more like 17.2 in comparisson to edwina's 15.2 he needed steps to get on him or words to that effect x
 

Rambo

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[ QUOTE ]
Another oddity is that if they are not given a height, they enter it as 193.cm.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes...but that's a continental thing i think. Bo's passport is in cms too.
 

BuckingHorse

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My 16hh is listed as 193cm on the BSJA website.
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Totally agree about Ben and Robin Hood, v exciting prospect for the future, the horse is so scopey and he has got another one up and coming in Wonderboy.

It turned out to be a great class, amazing to see the quality of horses coming through for GB especially when you think that none of our Olympic horses jumped.
 

SJFAN

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Sorry to be pedantic (I'm famous for it!) but one of our Olympic horses did jump, Corlato. She didn't look anything like at her best. Ben does seem to quickly strike up a good rapport with horses he takes over. Wonderboy III was much admired by a lot of us when Georgie Strutton was bringing him up through the grades.
 

Jazz1

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was so impressed with both john & edwinas' rounds, john looked like he really had to work at it, the man always has been & always will be amazing. To see him so happy after his round says it all - you rarely get a smile from him so to see how over the moon he was nearly had me in tears!!
Edwina rode a great round & the horse is brilliant, i dont see much of the showjumping ''circuit'' nowadays so was the first time id seen the little horse with her.
well done to both
 

BuckingHorse

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I forgot about Corlato! Poor Tim's not having a good time of it at the moment. It's frightening how quickly you can lose confidence, even the top riders.
 

SteveGG

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While on the subject of the world cup qualifier was I the only one who noticed that Nick Skelton almost jumped a fence the wrong way round !
None of the BBC team seemed to notice - they just thought he had lost power coming round the corner and that's why they stopped ! They stopped because he realised that he was about to jump the wrong fence (& be eliminated).
 
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