Richard Spooner takes second place with the only other double clear
Repeating his double clear performance in yesterday’s Samsung Super League competition, John Whitaker and Becky Stones’s stallion Peppermill claimed victory in the Grand Prix of Rome. The competition was over two rounds without jump-off (FEI Art. 273.3.3). The prize money was 135,000 Euros and the competition was a qualifier for the FEI European Jumping Championship 2007 as well as the 2008 Olympic Games.
Course designer Uliano Vezzani set a challenging technical course for the 56 horse and rider combinations that came to the starting gate in round 1. The test consisted of 13 obstacles including a triple at fence 8 and a double at fence 12. Only Whitaker, 23rd to go and Spooner, 54th to go managed clear rides.
In round two the course was shortened to 7 obstacles with 8 efforts. Of the 14 riders that returned, 5 managed clear rides. Whitaker and the 10 year-old bay stallion, last to go in the jump off kept the capacity crowds on the edge of their seats as they jumped the second double clear round of the competition, to take the win over America’s Richard Spooner by over two seconds. Italy’s Jonella Ligresti Bonomelli finished 3rd with just a tiem fault in each round.
1. 151 WHITAKER John GBR PEPPERMILL 0 0 0 41.42 42,800
2. 125 SPOONER Richard USA CRISTALLO 0 0 0 43.89 24,200
3. 80 LIGRESTI BONOMELLI Jonella ITA NANTA 1 1 2 52.46 14,400
4. 121 ENGEMANN Heinrich-Hermann GER ABOYEUR W 4 0 4 41.48 10,200
5. 87 BOST Roger-Yves FRA IDEAL DE LA LOGE 4 0 4 42.57 8,400
6. 63 FIORELLI Emanuele ITA WESTERN UNION JUMPING DU ROZEL 4 0 4 46.70 5,600
7. 37 MUHLBAUER Thomas GER ASTI SPUMANTE 1 6 7 51.77 5,600
8. 149 SKELTON Nick GBR ARKO III 4 4 8 40.81 5,600
9. 59 VOORN Vincent NED GESTION PRIAMUS Z 4 4 8 44.77 4,000
10. 18 GUILLON Olivier FRA IONESCO DE BREKKA 4 4 8 44.84 4,000
11. 53 GARCIA Juan Carlos ITA DA ZARA TORONTO V/D PADENBORRE 4 4 8 46.18 2,550
12. 115 MARTINENGO Giulia (1. Aviere) ITA ATHLETICA 4 8 12 43.19 2,550
13. 144 CARTA Giampiero ITA URSA 4 8 12 44.76 2,550
14. 79 TEBBEL Rene GER TEAM HARMONY COUPE DE COEUR 8 11 19 75.46 2,550
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