‘It was give it all or not at all’: history made in epic London grand prix

Mariano Martinez Bastida has made history as the first Spanish rider to win the London International Horse Show grand prix, seeing off some of the best in the business in the process.

Mariano and his own Jup finished a shade ahead of Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs with Commissar Pezi, and world champion Henrik von Eckermann and Iliana in third place.

“It’s incredible,” Mariano said. “It’s the first five-star grand prix I’ve ever won, and to win it in a place so emblematic of the sport and as historic as London, makes me extremely happy.”

It had been a challenging track; only six of the 35 starters jumped clear in the first round, the first of those last year’s winners Daniel Coyle and Legacy.

The Irish combination looked set for a good crack at successfully defending their title as they came in first for the jump-off; Daniel and Ariel Grange’s beautiful classy mare full of speed and jumping from the off. But they just clipped the 1.65m Longines vertical on a tight angle to finish in 36.57 seconds – which  turned out to be the fastest time, but secured them fourth place.

Next in, world number one Henrik was never going to go for a slow clear; he barely checked Dufour Stables’ 11-year-old mare in a foot-perfect and fast round that nevertheless, in 37.97 seconds, left the door slightly ajar for those who followed.

After Andreas Schou and Billy Matador lowered an early vertical and the first part of the double, in came Mariano and his own Dutch-bred 10-year-old; the big Carrera VDL gelding showing all his scope, balance and length of stride as he shaved four fifths of a second off Henrik’s time.

Martin Fuchs and Luigi Baleri’s compact 11-year-old gelding put in a polished, speedy round that looked as if it could catch Mariano but their time of 37.63, although faster than Henrik, was over half a second behind the speedy Spaniard. And when last to go, Austrian European team bronze medallist Katharina Rhomberg and the promising nine-year-old Colestus Cambridge clipped the second part of the double, Mariano knew he had topped the podium.

“I have a lot of experience with my horse,” he said. “Not in such significant grands prix, but I knew my horse has the speed and ability to do it, and I thought it was either given it all or not at all, so I gave it all. I know he has a big stride and had caught up a lot of time from [fences] two to three so I just used that and let the fences come to me.”

Martin said he was slightly disappointed in himself, and that he may have underestimated Mariano.

“I actually thought I would be quick enough, and was still half a second too slow,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen like that when you’re in such a good starting position, but I’m still very happy with my horse. He’s just had a good win in Geneva so it’s a nice way to end the year, with a second place here in the grand prix.”

Henrisk added that Iliana had jumped a beautiful first round, and that he was slightly too careful in the jump-off.

“She couldn’t have done it better; I should have risked it more,” he said.

Asked if such a small jump-off field changed tactics, he added: “Normally it’s nothing to do, because you haven’t so much to lose. But it was just me chickening out a bit!”

Best of the Brits was Joe Stockdale with Ebanking, owned by his mother Laura and Barbara Hester, who had an unlucky four faults in the first round.

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