Renwick’s in the driving seat
Laura Renwick scores a lucrative double in the Netherlands, where Shane Breen cements a new partnership
YOU dream one day of owning a rather lovely Mercedes and then, rather like buses, two come along at once. Great Britain’s leading lady rider Laura Renwick achieved the remarkable feat of winning two new cars in one afternoon when producing a tremendous winning double on the final day of the show. Her first victory came with the nine-year-
old mare MHS Washington in the 1.45m rankings speed class. Laura then returned to the top of the podium with the 11-year-old Bintang II, securing a dazzling victory in the Grolsch grand prix.
“I’ve never won two cars like this, so it’s a special day,” said Laura, who admitted she wouldn’t be driving either of the left-hand drive Mercedes home.
“It’s been nice this weekend to really have a go. You often take risks and they pay off most times, so I like to try. Today my horses were straight on the button.
“I’m not so fast any more,
I’m getting older! It’s down to my horses more than me. I have competitive horses — I like blood [horses] and I like them to be competitive,” added Laura, who was only one second away from making it a winning treble, finishing runner-up with Nancy Pinchen’s Dominant H in the accumulator earlier that morning.
Hickstead-based Irishman Shane Breen was another lucky recipient of a car, winning Friday night’s 1.50m Rabobank Prize on his new Team Z7 ride, the 10-year-old Lord Z stallion Laith, with whom Shane made his competitive debut at Rotterdam last month.
William Funnell also picked up some good results during the week with Billy Angelo.