NICK SKELTON CAPTURES
British Open Showjumping Championships
Four days of competitive and thrilling competition at the
Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield climaxed in a closely fought
British Open Show Jumping Championship Final on Sunday afternoon.
Nick Skelton snatched the title on the invincible Arko III
but it wasn't an easy victory for the Warwickshire based rider
who had been in second place coming into the final.
Following the first three legs of the Championships, Skelton
lay in second place behind the determined Robert Smith who
had been in impressive form throughout the Championships.
However the positions reversed after the first round of the
Final itself, when Smith's Mr Springfield ran out of steam
and frustratingly knocked the last two fences down whilst
Skelton and Arko III completed a faultless round.
Skelton, now in the lead and last to go in the jump-off,
had one fence in hand, which was used up early in the round,
but in front of a hushed audience he showed nerves of steel
and cleared the final fence to become the British Open Champion
2004 and claim the £25,000 first prize. Smith held onto
second and the young talent from the Netherlands, Harry Smolders,
was rewarded for a consistent performance throughout the Championships
by taking third place.
Yorkshire didn't manage to retain the British Open Champion
title, following Robert Whitaker's win in 2003, but nonetheless
the region's riders yet again proved themselves to be masters
of their craft. Paul Barker captured the Sheffield Masters
on the opening day, Robert Whitaker gained the Grandstand
Classic and, in one of the highlights of the entire Show,
John Whitaker powered to glory in the Puissance, clearing
the 7ft wall, on the beautiful grey Lactic 2 in front of an
ecstatic, 6,000 strong crowd.
Other highlights of the Show included; France's victory
over England in the Horseball European Challenge Final, Scotland's
win in the Home International Challenge, Mary Ray's "Heel
Work to Music", Jean Francois Pignon living up to his
reputation as one of the best equestrian displays in the world
and the thrilling Metropolitan Police Activity Ride.
The British Open, in its second year, proved a resounding
success and firmly cemented its place as one of the UK's premier
indoor equestrian events. Throughout the four days enthusiastic
crowds flocked to the Sheffield based show where they witnessed
some of the world's best riders in action, soaked up the fantastic
entertainment and browsed around the numerous tradestands.
Grandstand Event Management Ltd (GEML), organisers of the
British Open, are delighted to confirm that the public attendance
over the four days was in excess of 21,000, which is an incredible
50% increase in ticket sales on last year. Mark Wein, a director
of the organisers commented, "Following a huge increase
in demand for tickets in only our second year, there is no
doubt that the British Open is here to stay. The crowds were
absolutely fantastic and their appreciation of the event was
apparent to all."
The British Open will be returning to Sheffield next year
and tickets will go on sale very shortly. Further information
will be available on www.britishopenshowjumping.com
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