Ben Maher and 20-year-old Tic Tac win on the Winter Equestrian Competition

Virtually a yr to the day since his final worldwide showjumping victory, the excellent veteran stallion Tic Tac returned to the winner’s enclosure in Wellington, Florida, with British showjumper Ben Maher.

On the age of 20, Jane Clark’s Clinton stallion appeared higher than ever and loved a visit over the fences within the grass Derby subject at Equestrian Village throughout week two of the Winter Equestrian Competition (WEF) to prime Thursday’s (19 January) CSI3* 1.45m velocity class with the Olympic champion within the saddle.

“Tic Tac is aware of every thing now, so it’s extra about simply holding him match and having fun with every thing,” mentioned Ben, who retains the stallion in Florida all yr spherical.

“We don’t journey him to Europe. We’re very lucky with the employees and workforce at residence taking care of him. He is aware of his job and he loves this enviornment.”

The pair scorched spherical Oscar Soberon’s monitor to beat their 22 rivals in a time of 67.07sec. Second-placed rider Luiz Francisco De Azevedo of Brazil completed over two seconds slower using Collin, whereas third place went to Max Wachman of Eire with Coolmore Showjumping’s Quintini. All three mixtures completed on the rostrum once more in Saturday’s 1.50m jump-off class, the place Ben and Tic Tac completed third behind the Brazilian and Irish riders.

Ben Maher: ‘We care for him’

Displaying his love for the venue, Tic Tac and Ben Maher had received the three-star grand prix on this identical week at WEF in 2022, in addition to in 2021. Ben has mentioned of his 2016 Olympic trip: “we’re very selective after we present him now due to his age” and Tic Tac was final seen on the CSI5* present in Toronto, Canada, in November.

“I’ve mentioned this earlier than, however I believe this enviornment is among the nicest grass arenas on this planet,” mentioned the Hertfordshire rider, who relies in Florida for the subsequent few months. “It’s actually old-school floor right here and I believe as an older horse, he likes the brighter jumps and loves the bottom.

“We are going to probably convey him out yet one more time on the grass, however we’re very restricted with what we do with him, and we care for him; he’s nonetheless having fun with it. He truthfully nonetheless looks like he needs to do nothing else.”

Ben went on to complete second within the $50,000 Palm Seashore Equine Clinic grand prix using Enjeu De Grisien, having received Thursday’s nationwide qualifier with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s nine-year-old Toulon gelding.

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