‘He displays all of the indicators of a five-star grand prix horse’

King Lepantino franked his title as one to observe with a win within the younger horse grand prix on the 2023 Longines Royal World Horse Display.

This promising eight-year-old, ridden by way of Britain’s Matt Sampson, has now not touched a pole all week and capped his first talk over with to Hickstead with victory in Sunday’s Clipmyhorse.television CSIYH1* grand prix.

Watch Matt discuss why he thinks King Lepantino is so thrilling within the video underneath

Runners up Nicole Lockhead Andereson and the seven-year-old Conthargos PS – who gained within the Longines primary enviornment on Friday – held the lead prior to the fences have been raised for the eight-year-old horses. Matt and the scopey Arezzo VDL son shaved virtually a 2d off the pair’s time, to gather their sash.

“He displays all of the indicators of a five-star grand prix horse,” mentioned Matt.

“He has numerous qualities. He’s extremely cautious – he’s jumped double transparent on a daily basis this week, he all the time jumps transparent. Something for me that actually makes him particular is after I ask him any questions he does the whole thing in his frame to respond to the ones.

“Each and every time he jumps he will get higher and his angle is fantastic. I’m very fortunate to have him.”

This bay, owned by way of Cumberland Acres, joined Matt at first of remaining 12 months, having been effectively campaigned by way of Poland’s Marek Lewicki, and his FEI report is awash with transparent rounds.

“He’s an implausible horse, I’m very fortunate to have him. He’s so cautious, that’s the most important he’s ever performed and he simply takes all of it in his stride,” mentioned Matt.

“It’s so just right to have this elegance for the up-and-coming horses, it method they don’t seem to be going without delay into the five-star categories, which is overwhelming for them every so often. To have this, the place they naturally development over the week, it’s a credit score to Lizzie Bunn and everybody at Hickstead – now not many five-stars placed on a category like that – for us as riders, it’s wonderful.”

On beating two of Lizzie’s personal horses within the elegance, Matt joked: “That was once unhealthy – however I’m going to shop for her a bottle of champagne and with a bit of luck she’s going to fail to remember about it!”

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