Edited press release from Hickstead

It was a British clean sweep in this morning’s CSIO5* 1.50m Royal International Salver at Hickstead, with the host nation taking eight of the top nine placings. The win went to 21-year-old Jack Whitaker and Equine America Valmy de la Lande (Mylord Carthago x Starter), giving the rider his first Longines International Arena win for more than a decade.

“I knew there was a few fast ones behind me. One of my good mates, Will Edwards, has got a very fast horse, so I thought I had to put the pressure on him – and he just wasn’t fast enough, was he?” joked Jack, who ended up just 0.6sec faster than Edwards. “Valmy’s been my best horse for a few years now. He’s serious, and we know each other inside and out. He was good for me today – I had a few rogue shots in the jump-off, and he took off for me every time. He was on the ball.”

Aboard SHW Candies (Chacco-Blue x Heartbreaker), Edwards took second place, followed by his compatriot Joe Stockdale in third with Ebanking (Etoulon x VDL Sheraton) – 1.53 behind the winning time.

The day's action came to a close with the CSIO5* 1.45m Royal International Speed Classic. A total of 48 starters came forward for the €25,500 world ranking class, but it was the fifth rider to go who held the lead almost from start to finish. Brazil's Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa and Catch Me Marathon (Contagio x Werther) had their second major win of the week, following their victory in Thursday's Royal International Trophy. "My horse gave me a great birthday present," said Francisco, who turned 45 today.