Equestrianism: Whitaker's Lactic heads for great outdoors
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John Whitaker will be hoping for better things from Lactic Two when he rides the 11-year-old at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which returns for its five-day run in the Home Park this morning having been cancelled last year because of foot-and-mouth. The grey gelding disappointed at La Baule in France last weekend, incurring the discard score of 16 faults during the first round of the Nations Cup in which Britain finished seventh.
"It was only his second outdoor show with me and he was a bit green," Whitaker said. Lactic should therefore benefit from more outdoor experience, though he would have to improve dramatically to be considered for September's World Equestrian Games. "To be realistic, I have no chance of getting to the World Games," Whitaker said resignedly yesterday.
The Yorkshireman's other two Windsor mounts – the mares Catriona and Nicolette – will be aimed at the smaller classes. Nine-year-old Catriona is new to Whitaker's yard this year, having previously been ridden by Mark McCourt. Nicolette, only seven, again displayed her enormous potential in La Baule when finishing fourth in the Seven-Year-Old Grand Prix.
Two other Whitakers – John's daughter, Louise, and son, Robert – will also be in contention. But his younger brother, Michael, now part of the Paul Schockemohle International Team, will miss Windsor in order to compete at Wiesbaden in Germany instead.
Louise Whitaker will be aiming Livingstone II at tomorrow's Royal Windsor Ladies Championship. This is also one of two main goals for Di Lampard, the best of the British in La Baule, where she rode Abbervail Dream into 10th place in the Grand Prix and to a clear round in the Nation's Cup.
Lampard is competing on only two days of the meeting. After contesting the women's title, Abbervail Dream will therefore have a couple of days rest before jumping in the Mappin and Webb Grand Prix on Sunday. The Irish-bred's next overseas show will be the Lucerne Nations Cup meeting from 30 May to 2 June, when Lampard will be hoping to consolidate her claims for a place in the World Games.
Others with their sights set on September's Games (notably Tim Stockdale and Robert Smith) will also be in action at Windsor.
The main Castle Arena has been given an impressive face-lift this year by courtesy of the theatrical extravaganza, All the Queen's Horses, which will be staged there under floodlights for three consecutive evenings (starting tomorrow) as an equestrian tribute to the Queen during her Golden Jubilee year. The arena now has a premium grade all-weather surface which, remembering many past problems with the going, should be a godsend to the show jumpers.
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