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Nick Skelton and Carlo win the La Baule 2012 CSI0 5* Grand Prix 13th MAy 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:40:00 +0100

Nick Skelton and Carlo beat Belgium's reigning world champion Philippe Le Jeune to win the £53,000 Longines Grand Prix in France.

Click the link below to watch Nick's winning round on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJjCHkm4VCc

Photographs courtesy of PSV Jean Morel

Nick Skelton and Big Star Repeat Victory in $80,000 Pennfield Feeds CSI 3* Grand Prix

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Wellington, FL - March 18, 2012 - The tenth week of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded with a day full of jumper competition at The Stadium on the beautiful grass field. Nick Skelton (GBR) and Beverly Widdowson's Big Star earned yet another victory at the FTI WEF in the $80,000 Pennfield Feeds CSI 3* Grand Prix. Skelton and Big Star beat out Cian O'Connor (IRL) and KEC Alligator Alley and David McPherson (GBR) and Chamberlain Z in a three horse jump-off.

Today's course was set by Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC. The class saw 45 competitors and just three were able to clear the first round course to advance to the jump-off. Returning to defend their title as the winners of the same class in 2011, Skelton and Big Star were the only pair to go double clear for the victory and also completed the fastest round in 39.95 seconds.

Cian O'Connor and KEC Alligator Alley, owned by Sinead and Oonagh Kennedy, had one rail at the last jump and a time of 41.93 seconds to finish second. David McPherson and Chamberlain Z, owned by McPherson and Mr. & Mrs. Holtgers, also had a rail in the jump-off and their time of 42.49 seconds placed third.

Big Star is a nine-year-old KWPN stallion by Quick Star x Nimmerdor. Skelton and Big Star were the first pair to show in the day's class and held the only clear round for most of the afternoon. O'Connor and McPherson did not show until 40th and 41st in the order of go, and cleared the course back to back.

Commenting on the jump-off, Skelton detailed, "He's a quick horse, but I didn't go crazy fast. He jumped really good. When you've got two like this after you, you never know what's going to happen. Don't believe any of them when they tell you they're just going for a steady clear. Even if there are only two in the jump-off, you've still got to go. You can't be nonchalant about it. You've got to get stuck in and go."

Skelton acknowledged the great success that he has had with all of his horses during this year's FTI WEF. "The horses have gone really well here," he said. "I'm lucky because I've got two very, very good horses. Probably as good as anybody's got. That makes life a lot easier. They make me look good."

Second place finisher Cian O'Connor has also had a great circuit and was pleased with his mount today. "I'm very happy with Alligator. I just got him at the start of this circuit. Before that he was doing 1.40m in Ireland," O'Connor noted. "He has never really even traveled outside of the country, so he has come a long way. When you look at the start list, you would think Nick Skelton and Big Star are the class act in the field. To be second to them is a big honor and a big deal. I'm certainly very, very pleased with my horse today."

Commenting on his round, O'Connor stated, "I knew Big Star would be very quick. Even naturally he's very quick without going fast, and Nick is a fast rider. I reckoned even if I had a couple down, I was going to be third. I went for a medium round. As it happened, if I had left the fence up, I was still going to be second, so it didn't really make any difference. When the horse is learning to jump this level, there's no harm to turn back inside and across fences. He was off the pace, but if they don't get closer to the pace, you can't just go from schooling to going fast. It's all part of this horse's career, which will hopefully take off at the bigger shows in Europe this summer."

Third place finisher David McPherson was also happy with his horse Chamberlain Z and today's outcome. "He has finally got it together today and he jumped great," McPherson said. "Under no circumstances would he ever catch Nick. Also I have not been in many jump-offs with him. He has jumped fabulous round after fabulous round, but I didn't want to go and do anything lunatic. I'm pleased with him."

McPherson praised Skelton, a fellow British rider, on his success. "He's brilliant on two fabulous horses at the moment. He's riding with absolute confidence. It just looks like he's in the groove," he acknowledged. "It is very rare that you have those 'purple patches' that are so sustained. It looks like he's going to have a phenomenal year."

On his placing in today's class, McPherson noted that it will help in qualifying for the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix in week 12. "This was actually quite important for me to get a place here because I have only done three or four grand prix. I needed to get some points, so good job for me. I'm really pleased," he said.

Outside of the jump-off, Alexandra Thornton (GBR) and Blue Curacao, owned by Dunwalke LLC, finished the first round course with one time fault in 85.57 seconds to earn the fourth place honors. Thornton was also presented a special award as the Leading Lady Jumper Rider for the tenth week of competition, an award sponsored by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler.

Richie Moloney (IRL) and Equinimity LLC's Ahorn Van De Zuuthoeve also had one time fault in round one with a time of 87.91 seconds to place fifth. Jonathan Asselin (CAN) and Attache Stables' Showgirl had two time faults in 91.70 seconds and earned the sixth place prize.

Skelton and Unique Score Again in $32,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Skelton and Unique Score Again in $32,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Click the link below to read the full article:
2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

Nick Skelton Returns to Winner's Circle with Big Star in the $32,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:35:00 +0000

Nick Skelton Returns to Winner's Circle with Big Star
in the $32,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Click the link below to read the full article:
2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

Nick Skelton and Big Star Reign Supreme in $80,000 Adequan CSI 2* Grand Prix

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Click the link below to read the full article:

2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

Nick Skelton Scores Again in $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 2 with Carlo 273

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Click the link below to read the full article:

2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

Nick Skelton and Unique win the $25,000 SuncastR 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Nick Skelton and Unique Continue A Good Week with $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Victory.

Click the link below to read the full article:

2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

Nick takes second in the opening show at Wellington, Florida

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:04:00 +0000

Nick takes second in the opening show at Wellington, Florida, riding Beverley Widdowson's Unique in the G & C Farm 1.45m Jumpers Time First Round competition.

Final Results: $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers Time First Round
1 EVERYTHING CIAN O'CONNOR (IRL): 0/60.510
2 UNIQUE NICK SKELTON (GBR): 0/61.196
3 INTERTOY Z SCOTT BRASH (GBR): 0/62.918
4 TRAFFIC BOY SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL): 0/63.228
5 AZZARO VAN'T HAGEN HOF LAURA KRAUT (USA): 0/65.539
6 BLUE LOYD CIAN O'CONNOR (IRL): 0/66.782
7 LISONA DARRAGH KERINS (IRL): 3/76.228
8 LENNOX LEWIS 2 LESLIE HOWARD (USA): 4/60.420
9 WOODSTOCK O LAURA KRAUT (USA): 4/63.355
10 OH' D EOLE MCLAIN WARD (USA): 4/66.940
11 APACHE ASHLEE BOND (USA): 4/68.141
12 UTAN ANGELA COVERT-LAWRENCE (CAN): 4/72.468

Nick takes a double win at the British Showjumping Awards Ball

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:57:00 +0000

Nick takes a double win at the

British Showjumping Awards Ball.

Click the links below to view the presentations:

International Combination - http://youtu.be/tQHJJtfSht0

Rider's Rider - http://youtu.be/jkAJB3IsTnw

Nick and Carlo 273 win the $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:36:00 +0000

Nick Skelton and Carlo 273 Capture Victory in $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix, CSI 3*-W
presented by Events DC at 53rd Washington International Horse Show on 30th October 2011.

Click here to read the full article.

Nick Skelton takes second place in Alltech National Horse Show $250,000 Grand Prix CSI-W Victory

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:02:00 +0000

Lexington, KY - November 5, 2011 - The Open Jumper action at the Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, wrapped up tonight with a fast-paced jump-off during the Alltech National Horse Show $250,000 Grand Prix CSI-W. Richard Spooner and Cristallo set the pace with tidy inside turns and a clear effort, beating Great Britain's Nick Skelton aboard Carlo 273 by just three-tenths of a second. Jessica Springsteen and Cincinatti Le Silla rounded out the three as the fastest four-fault combination during the short course.

Richard Jeffery set a large, technical track for tonight's first round to challenge the horse and rider combinations. It included a triple bar, an oxer-oxer double combination, and a challenging vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination going towards the gate. Only five riders managed to complete the course with all fences in place and return for the short course. They began over an oxer-vertical double combination before making a very sharp inside turn to a second oxer. Riders then had a long gallop to a single vertical before making another sharp turn to the wall. Finally, they made a right turn to a vertical-oxer double combination before galloping home over the last wide oxer.

Spooner and Cristallo, owned by Show Jumping Syndicates of Agua Dulce, CA, were the first to master the technical course and qualify for the speed phase. The "Master of Faster" did not disappoint when he returned to the ring with his veteran mount. He made a very nice inside turn to the first wide oxer, and followed it with another very tight turn to the wall before galloping home over the double combination and final oxer. Although it almost seemed that the turn to the wall would be too much, Cristallo leapt over it without a rub and the pair broke the beam at 37.970 seconds with all the rails intact. The pair set a pace that no other horse and rider combinations would be able to catch, and eventually led the night's victory gallop.

"I knew it was a tough field of riders behind me," explained Spooner after his win. "When I go into jump-offs I don't like regrets. I wasn't going to try to leave a lot on the table. I went out and went as fast as I felt I could, and focused on leaving the jumps up. I took a big risk to the wall; I got a bit lucky there. I was concerned a bit that my wheels would fall off going to the last combination there. I am sure Nick was quite optimistic that would happen as well, too. Cristallo held it together though, and really came through for me."

Skelton was the last to challenge the short course with Carlo 273, and the speedy duo produced the only other fault-free round. They also managed to catch all the inside turns, and although they had a fast gallop through the end of the course, a slow start proved costly when they tripped the timers at 38.33 to place second.

"I didn't really get the distance I wanted to the first fence, so I ended up having six strides to the vertical," said Skelton. "Then, when I turned, Carlo just sort of stopped dead. I stood still for a split second, so I knew I was well down then. I knew from the rustic to the end of the course I was pretty quick. I thought if I got five to the second I probably wouldn't have beat him anyway, and I probably wouldn't have gone as hard then as I did. I was very pleased with Carlo anyway; he jumped very nicely this week."

Margie Engle and Indigo, owned by Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek, and Gladewinds of Wellington, FL, stepped into the Alltech Arena following Spooner. Their attempt at the first inside turn proved less successful as they lowered the height of the wide oxer. Engle then chose a more conservative pace and track for her mount, earning them a four-fault score in 46.71 seconds for the fifth place honors. The Netherland's Harris Smolders and Exquis Oliver Q, owned by Axel Verlooy, were faster than Engle, but still conservative and also had a hard time after the first turn. The pair produced a four-fault effort in a time of 44.05 seconds for fourth. Young rider Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck, NJ, had the fastest four-fault round after committing to the sharper turns with Cincinatti Le Silla. They had an error at the same oxer, but stopped the clock at 40.660 to garner the third place award. Springsteen was also the winner of the Leading Lady Rider Award presented by Martha Jolicoeur, while Skelton earned the Audi Leading Rider Award and a one-year lease of an Audi Q-7 for his efforts during the week.

The ASPCA Maclay National Championship will be held tomorrow, an event that Springsteen was victorious in during her junior years, and she was excited to have more success at the Alltech National Horse Show. "I definitely can compare the pressure. I think the pressures were just as high for me as a junior when I was competing in the Maclay and as they were tonight competing in the Grand Prix. Cincinatti Le Silla is amazing to ride; she's very light. She is one of the most fun horses I have, you feel like you're floating when you go around the ring."

This marked the first year that the Alltech National Horse Show has been held at the Kentucky Horse Park, and the first year that Alltech has joined forces with the prestigious event. "I love the National Horse Show, I was lucky enough to do it one year at the Garden, my last junior year, when I was doing the equitation," commented Spooner. "I have a kind of fondness for it. There is a lot of prize money. I heard that the facility was phenomenal, the management was going to be excellent, and obviously the prize money is a big factor. Whenever you are planning a trip you have to think of the risk-reward, and there's a lot of reward coming here and that makes the decision a heck of a lot easier."

Alltech President and Founder Dr. Pearse Lyons noted, "When our winner came and he had this big check, he said it was worth the journey. Well, for us I think it was also worth the journey to have you guys here. I have to say that I am always awed by the size and power of those animals. I salute you and I say to you that I hope all three of you and the rest of the riders and the rest of the people out there competing will be with us next year, you all come back and see us."

"They really did a fabulous job with this year's Alltech National Horse Show, it was really on par with any indoor horse show in Europe or anywhere in the world," said Former FEI Secretary General, Michael Stone. United States Chef d'Equipe George Morris added, "The Alltech Arena is an ideal location for the National Horse Show, it is perfect for all the horsemen and horses, and it really captured the feel of Madison Square Garden."

At the end of the night, Alltech National Horse Show President Mason Phelps, Jr. commented, "We will certainly be back next year and it will be bigger and better. I am getting together with the people at Alltech on Monday to brainstorm about what we're going to do to give exhibitors more prize money, classes, and days in the schedule. We are going to look at more options for next year. I promise you that we are bringing back all of the parts of the National Horse Show that we saw at Madison Square Garden years ago, they're all coming back little by little: the saddle horses, the coaches, and of course the best jumping, and if the FEI looks at us favorably, hopefully a Nation's Cup!"

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will come to a close tomorrow with the Maclay National Championship for the ASCPA Maclay Horsemanship Classes - Presented by Hadfield's Saddlery as the highlight event. Tonight's events benefited the United States Equestrian Team Foundation, and tomorrow's class will benefit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. For more information about the 2011 Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, please visit www.nhs.org.

Article provided by Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

Nick and Unique won the Puissance on 28th October by jumping 7 feet

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:36:00 +0100

Nick and Unique won the Puissance on 28th October by jumping 7 feet.

Click here to view the full article and watch the video

Double win for Nick on opening day of HOYS

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:39:00 +0100

Nick wins two clases on the opening day of HOYS - winning the Grandstand Welcome Stakes on Unique and The Jump 4 Joy Ltd Trophy on Big Star.

Click the link below to read the full report:

www.hoys.co.uk/blog

Nick's interview at St Gallen

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:21:00 +0100

Nick wins Individual Bronze at the European Show Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:31:00 +0100

Photograph courtesy of
Kathryn Pearne Photography

Click the link below to read the full article:

Nick wins Individual Bronze at the European Show Jumping Championships 2011 in Madrid

Great Briatin triumph in FEI Nations Cup, Dublin

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:09:00 +0100

Great Britain win the seventh leg of the FEI Nations Cup.

For the full round up, click on the link below:

Full report on the British Showjumping website

Nick Skelton and Big Star Continue to Shine in $78,000 Pennfield Feeds Grand Prix, CSI 2*

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:31:00 +0000

Nick is interviewed for Saturday Night Spotlight

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Read Nick's frank interview with Rebecca Walton from PhelpsSports.com

Great Britain's Nick Skelton is a true Show Jumping legend. He is a five-time Olympian with ten European Championship Medals, six World Championship Medals, a World Cup title and over 60 major Grand Prix titles. Skelton suffered a near-fatal injury in 2001 but made an amazing recovery and is still holding his own at the top level of the sport. This year he is spending the winter in Palm Beach where he is quickly taking top honors in all of the biggest classes. During the first week of WEF he won the grand prix with Big Star and the 1.50m Classic with Unique, and then just this past Sunday he scored second place honors in the grand prix with Unique, just behind partner Laura Kraut and Cedric. Today, Skelton took some time to discuss his current horses and plans for the future.

As a representative of Great Britain what makes you decide to come to WEF each year?

Well I think for me, I've been off for a long time since August due to surgeries so the horses haven't been jumping. For me to get into shows in Europe now I am quite a long way down the computer list, so for me to get into any shows in Europe is difficult. I've come here with some relatively young horses like Big Star and Carlo, I think it's good education for them and it's a great opportunity to jump a lot of horses in different classes. It's good for them.

You mentioned your surgeries; can you talk a little more about that?

I broke my back in 2000 and didn't ride for two years but I've been good since then. I had a hip replacement in August and then I had a rotator cuff and bicep repair in October.

You don't seem to be feeling the pain for it after your class today...

No, it's the first time in 10 years I haven't had any pain so it's quite nice.

You have formed a partnership with Laura Kraut, how did that come about?

We have horses together and she comes to England and I come over here so it works out nicely.

You've had a lot of great horses over the years, what do you look for in a young horse that you are hoping to bring to the grand prix level?

For me, they first and foremost have to be careful, really careful. If they haven't got all the scope in the world it's not the end of the day for me. I think if they are really careful there is always something they can win. If you give them a good ride you can get that little bit of extra out of them, if they are triers. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time like we were with Big Star - he has everything. He has scope, is careful, rideability, young, he has everything, so we were lucky we were in the right place at the right time to buy him. Same with Carlo.

You have a great string here, who are you aiming towards the $500,00 Grand Prix?

Obviously Carlo (left) is the most experienced, and then there is Unique and Big Star. They can all jump the grand prix classes. It might be a bit early for Big Star, he's still only eight years old.

Any plans to aim for World Cup Finals?

I haven't done a World Cup Final in a long time; the last one was with Arko a few years back. I am not really into the World Cup Finals because its hard to get to the shows within? the system. Britain only maybe has one rider in the top 10 so we only get one invitation. The boys like Ben [Maher] who wants to go to World Cup Finals, or Michael Whitaker, then they get to go. I don't mind, I think its difficult to do everything and do the whole summer and winter with the same horses.

You're a five-time Olympian and I am sure you have hundreds of career highlights, but which have been the personal best for you?

The World Cup Finals in 1995 with Dollar Girl, winning Calgary four times which no one else has ever done, that was quite a highlight for me. Basically when all the horses go well. (laughs)

What are your plans and goals for 2011?

I'll probably aim for the European Championships with Carlo and then next year the Olympics, either one of those.

London is hosting the 2012 Olympics so I assume you definitely want that?

We have to put up a good performance there and hopefully put together a good team.

Would Carlo be the horse you want to aim at that?

I don't know, Carlo or Big Star, I am not sure. At this point in time I wouldn't pick one, we'll see what happens, there is a long way to go.

You've been in the industry a long time and watched it change over the years, is there anything you would like to see change going forward?

I don't know, I have been in this sport a long time. I think the horses are getting better, more scarce, getting more expensive. I think the sport is actually going the right way with the Global Tour, the $500,000 class here, and the Million up north. I think the top end of the sport is pretty healthy. There's not a lot I would change really. You can get into a lot of things with medication rules and all of that, but for me I just go and do it. I've been in the sport a long time and I've learned to live with the good and the bad. I'm happy and pleased to have good horses to ride.

What are the major differences you notice over here versus showing in Europe?

Where ever you go in the world it's always competitive, there's never an easy ride anywhere. Even if you're here or Bordeaux there this week it's just as hard to win there as it is to win here. There are so many good riders and good horses about now. I think Mark Bellissimo and Michael Stone have done a brilliant job here, the rings are superb and the facilities are great.

When you have some spare time what do you like to do?

National Hunt Racing, my sons are both in that sport. One is a jockey and the other one is an assistant trainer. I go with them whenever I can , and maybe one day I'll be with them if I stop riding.

Any additional comments?

Nope everything is good today, tomorrow is a different day though.

Thank you for time, good luck this year.

Thank you.

Big Star Wins Again with Skelton in $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Wellington, FL - February 13, 2011 - The fifth week of competition at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival concluded on Sunday with the $25,00 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic, and it was Nick Skelton (GBR) and Big Star, owned by Beverly and Gary Widdowson, who proved victorious over a field of 65 entries.

Alan Wade of Co. Tipperary, Ireland, designed today's courses and set a first-round track that 11 combinations would clear. Skelton and Big Star, an eight-year-old KWPN stallion by Quick Star x Nimmerdor, cleared the jump-off in 40.985 seconds, a blazing time that beat second place finisher McLain Ward (USA) and Louisburg Farm's Esplanade 7, by more than two seconds. Ward and Esplanade were clear in 43.131 seconds. Marie Hecart (FRA) and Babbe Van't Roosakker, owned by Haras De La Rogue, were third in 43.314 seconds.

Skelton did not see Ward's jump-off ride. "He told me he wasn't very fast, but knowing him I didn't believe him," Skelton joked. "I've never seen him not go fast! I thought I'd go nice, but every time I turned I had a good distance. He's a fast horse anyway. I think I got it into that double (combination). I had an unbelievable shot to it and I think it got sent from above. It was perfect. I didn't think I was almost three seconds faster."

This is the second big win for Big Star, who also claimed victory the $40,000 Equine Couture/Tuff Rider Grand Prix in week two. Skelton won another Suncast 1.50m classic in week one.

"He's a freak of a horse for eight years old," Skelton said of his mount. "You have to remember how old he is and not get carried away. He's still got to get the experience, but he's a great jumper. He has everything: scope, the mind, unbelievable talent. I'm very lucky to have him."

Nick Skelton and Big Star win the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Grand Prix

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:41:00 +0000

Wellington, FL - January 22, 2011 - Nick Skelton (GBR) notched his third major victory of the circuit tonight with Big Star, owned by Beverly and Gary Widdowson, in the $40,000 Equine Couture/Tuff Rider Grand Prix, CSI2*.

Tonight's class was the first of 11 events in the "Saturday Night Lights" series at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). A crowd of 3,800 spectators were there to enjoy world-class show jumping and all that the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center has to offer.

The second week of the FTI WEF concludes with tomorrow's competition. The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition through April 3, 2011, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

This week's course designer in the International Arena is Luc Musette of Belgium. There were 37 entries in tonight's grand prix, but only three were able to go clear in the first round to advance to the jump-off.

Skelton noted, "It wasn't overly big, but it was quite tricky. He did a very good job; he is a very good course builder."

There were four riders with just one time fault over the 76 second time allowed. Reed Kessler (USA) and Mika finished fourth (76.65 seconds), Ljubov Kochetova (RUS) and Lapsus du Lavoir were fifth (77.03 seconds), Emily George (CAN) and Quidam's Ramiro placed sixth (77.83 seconds), and Angela Covert-Lawrence (CAN) and Utan were seventh in 78.11 seconds.

The first clear round and pathfinder in the jump-off was 22-year-old Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, on Nice de Prissey, a 2001 Selle Francais stallion by Rosire x Amarpour, put down a solid trip and kept all the jumps up, which put pressure on the two remaining riders in the jump-off. They stopped the timers in 43.85 seconds. Goutal and her mount, owned by Cloverleaf Farm, would finish in second place.

Nick Skelton on Big Star

Following the class, Goutal said, "It was a big class for my horse tonight. He is ten, but still a little green. I have had him less than a year. I was really excited with how well he jumped in the first round, (and) I had two very fast riders behind me. I tried to just go smooth and keeps the jumps up; I just wanted to give it a shot without losing control. He is still young and hasn't been in that many jump-offs, especially at this height, so I was thrilled with him tonight."

Next in was Skelton, who already won two classes in the opening week of the FTI WEF. This time on Big Star, an eight-year-old KWPN stallion by Quick Star x Nimmerdor, Skelton took risks throughout the jump-off and made a daring gallop to the final oxer. It paid off when the scoreboard flashed his time of 40.80 seconds for the win.

Skelton said of his jump-off ride, "I watched Brianne go and I thought she was quick, but I was worried about Yann because I know he can go faster than I could, so I thought that I had better get going. I rode badly really, because one to two I got too quick and then I couldn't turn him back to three, so I was very lucky at three."

He also noted that the long run to the final oxer didn't faze the young horse. "It didn't seem to bother him," he agreed. "You can do whatever you want with him."

Yann Candele (CAN) and Redefin, owned by Susan Grange, were the last to contest. When a rail fell in the first of the double combination, the class results were determined. Candele finished the jump-off with four faults in 44.83 seconds for third place.

Of his final ride, Candele explained, "I went last and I was hoping for them to have a rail somewhere so that I could keep having a chance, but they both went clear and Nick put some pressure. The jump-off wasn't that good for me because it was a long gallop and my horse gets distracted for that kind of stuff. I came to the double and he knocked one down and it was over, that was it. We just went around and finished up for confidence."

Skelton has had Big Star since he was five years old. Although Skelton has competed in six Olympic Games and has ridden some of the most prolific show jumpers in history, he feels that Big Star is something really special. He said, "I have had some really good horses, but I don't think I have ever had one as good as this one. He is a freak. For an eight-year-old horse, he has the brain of a 12-year-old. He is really something else, and he has all the qualities that you need."

Final Results: $40,000 Equine Couture/Tuff Rider Grand Prix, CSI 2*
1 BIG STAR: 2003 KWPN stallion by Quick Star x Nimmerdor
NICK SKELTON (GBR), Beverly and Gary Widdowson: 0/0/40.80

2 NICE DE PRISSEY: 2001 Selle Francais stallion by Rosire x Amarpour
BRIANNE GOUTAL (USA), Cloverleaf Farm: 0/0/43.85

3 REDEFIN: 1998 KWPN gelding by Larino x Zeus
YANN CANDELE (CAN), Susan Grange: 0/4/44.83

4 MIKA: 2000 Selle Francais gelding by Nidor Platiere x Rubis Rouge
REED KESSLER (USA), Reed Kessler: 1/76.65

5 LAPSUS DU LAVOIR: 1999 Selle Francais Gelding by Animo x Vol d'Amour
LJUBOV KOCHETOVA (RUS), Ljubov Kochetova: 1/77.03

6 QUIDAM'S RAMIRO: 1997 Holsteiner Gelding by Quidam De Revel x Ramiro
EMILY GEORGE (CAN), Julie George: 1/77.83

7 UTAN: 2001 KWPN Gelding by Burggraaf x Concorde
ANGELA COVERT-LAWERENCE (CAN), Eastwood Group: 1/78.11

8 URBANUS: 1997 BWP Gelding by Heartbreaker x Ramiro
CHARLIE JAYNE (USA), Alex Jayne: 4/72.27

9 VENT DU NORD: 1998 BWP Gelding by Canadian River x Quidam De Revel
KATE LEVY (USA), Kate Levy LLC: 4/73.07

10 STAR POWER: 2001 Gelding by Quick Star x Unknown
IAN MILLAR (CAN), Team Works: 4/73.08

11 PJOTTER VAN DE ZONNEHOEVE: 2001 NRPS Gelding by Unknown x Emilion
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Louisburg Farm: 4/73.13

12 MADEMOISELLE: 1997 Holsteiner Mare by Libertino I x Silvester
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 4/73.30

Photo Credit: Nick Skelton and Big Star won the $40,000 Equine Couture/Tuff Rider Grand Prix, CSI 2* during the second week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.sportfot.com.