The type of round riders dream of: Britain just pipped in superb London World Cup

“In a jump-off like that, you listen to the horse and he tells you what’s possible.”

Max Kühner became only the second Austrian to win the London International Horse Show World Cup leg, and the first since 1989, when he and the spectacular Cooley Jump The Q triumphed over Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette in a superb jump-off.

Second of five to go, Max and the 12-year-old he owns with Remo Baleri had one of the rounds riders dream of; everything coming as and when expected, every stride where it should be, and their names in the history books.

“It was a really good feeling today; it’s one of the few days we have in our careers when we’re so happy and proud,” Max said. “In a jump-off like that, you listen to the horse and they tell you what’s possible and what’s going on, and today we had very clear communication. I could really feel him telling me what to do and asking which kind of support, and it was a very smooth and good feeling.”

The course had proved tough, testing and technical, the faults coming throughout, as is expected in a World Cup leg. There were some bogey fences; the airy verticals at nine and four, each on a related distance from an oxer, caught plenty out, as did the triple combination, which had two one-stride distances.

But time penalties also played a part; Ben Maher (Enjeu De Grisien) was among five riders for whom time wouldn’t wait, and there were others who surely would have been clear had they not pushed to cross the line within the 73 seconds allowed.

So of 37 starters, only five contested the jump-off, and first in was Donald Whitaker and his fabulous European team silver medal-winning mare, who was flying from the start, spot-on for all the turns and showing her ground-covering stride to finish in 35.52sec.

The crowd gave a huge cheer, but Max and 12-year-old Cooley Jump The Q had something to say about the situation. The little Irish-bred gelding turned a shade tighter at every ask, adjusting and accelerating to cross the line a second and a half ahead.

Next in, Cian O’Connor, who has only been riding Chatolinue PS for a couple of months, elected not to ask the big questions too soon, and settled for a stylish clear a couple of seconds slower than Donald, for third place.

Robert Whitaker and his ultra-consistent star ride Vermento came in next, setting the surface on fire as they came flying to the last line ahead of Max but agonisingly clipped the penultimate fence for fourth place. And when last-in Penelope Leprevost and Baloubet de Talma also faulted, the title was heading to Austria, and Max to the top of the western European World Cup league.

“The World Cup wasn’t really my plan for this season,” Max said. “I haven’t done many legs, but I always get some points, so maybe I’ll have to review the plan now!

“For me, today was a good jump-off. I know Donald and his horse, and I know they’re very fast. And there wasn’t really one place where I could save time, but it all came in front of me very, very fluently, and Cooley was really with me.”

Max added that he has been riding Cooley – named because his owner jumped the queue of people wanting to buy him as a three-year-old – since he was six, so they have had time to build their partnership.

“When we saw him, we said ‘Okay, we need that horse’,” he said. “It took a while till we could make it happen but we’ve known since he was six years old that he’s a big talent.

“He has a lot of blood, and it doesn’t take a lot to make him very nervous – sometimes a fly is enough – but today he was really with me, and I could use all his big potential.”

Donald said that of course he would rather have had the win, but “I’m taking second place all day”.

“The World Cup at Olympia is a class I’ve always wanted to win, so it’s devastating but at the same time, amazing and I’m over the moon to come second,” he said.

“We’ve had an unbelievable year; she’s fantastic and has given me absolutely everything. I can’t be disappointed with second because she was amazing and tried her heart out, like she always does. She just gets better and better, every round, and she’s one in a million.

“The best horse in the world, in my mind, and without doubt my horse of a lifetime.”

Cian was delighted with Karlswood Partners’ 12-year-old Diablo Blanco gelding’s third place, after just a couple of shows together.

“The lads were very good and very quick, and I just don’t know him well enough yet,” he said. “When you have a new horse, you don’t want to ask the questions and maybe shock the horse, so that was the kind of round I was hoping for, and then we can build on that.”

Course-designer Alan Wade, who will be building for the 2028 Olympics, said he always builds for the best combinations in the class.

“I thought it was a bit strange there were so many different answers to some of the tests,” he said. “I saw people adding strides in places I didn’t think they would need to, but overall, we got an hour and a half of entertainment in the first round. It was top-level, five-star scores. There was no hiding place, but there were answers to every question.”

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