Last weekend they were third in the Grand Prix in Eschweiler, this weekend the new combination of John Whitaker and Ornellaia went to the top in the qualifier for the DKB-Riders Tour. The 1.50 class in Hagen had a long start list, with no less than sixty riders in it. It was the 59 year old living legend that was the best though, with a double clear round and a time of 40.89 seconds. “I have had the mare for two months now,” John said about his winning partner. “She belongs to Princess Haya of Jordan. I feel very lucky to have such an owner.”
Ornellaia has great genes, with Peter Wylde’s World Championship-horse Fein Cera as grandmother and For Pleasure – another fantastic championship horse – as father. Tomorrow though, John will be riding Argento in the Grand Prix.
Closest to John came Denis Nielsen on Cashmoaker (Calido I x Lafitte). “I am very happy that it went so well,” said the 26 year old German rider after ending second.
In third came Katharina Offel on the French bred stallion Quebracho Semilly (Le Tot de Semilly x Eiken des Fontenis). “I was first in the jump-off, so I did not really know about the time – I went for it where I felt I could. It was fun!”
Results
1. John Whitaker/Ornellaia 0 / 40.89
2. Denis Nielsen/Cashmoaker 0 / 41.01
3. Katharina Offel/Quebracho Semilly 0 / 42.19
4. Cameron Hanley/Living the Dream 0 / 43.77
5. Frederic David/Ecuador Van`t Roosakker 0 / 45.47
Source: Press release from the DKB-Riders Tour