Ben Maher’s Point Break comes of age
World number two, Ben Maher is starting to up the ante on Point Break winning the FEI 5* 1.50m in the International Ring at Wellington International to close out the final day of week five of the Winter Equestrian Festival [WEF].
“I think he’s always been my baby,” Ben said of the 10-year old bay Swedish Warmblood stallion that he acquired as a six-year old and owns in partnership with Pamela Wright and Charlotte Rossetter. “I’ve always ridden slow and he’s jumped a lot of clear rounds but I’ve never really asked him to go quick, so it’s not his fault. It just comes down to pushing him a bit more. He certainly felt like today he had developed.”
Fifty-three entries were culled to a jump off of 11 horse and rider combinations. Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam held the lead with Irandole de Flot on a time of 38.26 before Ben and Point Break shaved off increments to finish in 38.12.
Since first showing at WEF as a seven-year old in the young jumpers, Point Break has been nurtured by Ben. “He jumped a couple of five-star Grands Prix at the end of last year,” Ben said. “Then we gave him a break. He just arrived here a few weeks ago and we are just getting him ready for the season.”
Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts and the nine-year old bay Belgian Warmblood mare Pandora Van De Kruishoeve took third place in a time of 39.03.
France’s Gregory Bodo, the course designer for WEF week five, will be playing the same role for the Paris Olympics and Ben gleaned some insight in the Saturday Night Lights class at WEF. The British rider and his Paris hopeful, 11-year old bay Selle Francais mare Dallas Vegas Batilly, missed the jump off in the $385,000 FEI 5* Grand Prix by a rail.
“Let’s hope I have one less down in Paris than I did last night,” he said. “But it’s interesting we can learn from that and remember it. She is definitely my front runner horse [for the Olympics] at the moment and she coped with it very well. She just had one unlucky fault.”
In the meantime, WEF remains the focus and Sunday was Point Break’s day. “He’s done a bit of jumping now, because he was under jumped and he just arrived a few weeks ago,” said Ben. “So he’ll have a little break now, consider maybe the next five-star here and maybe something towards the end of season. It’s a long season and I’m lucky with a team of horses to be able to rotate. We’ll enjoy today.”
It was also fitting that Hermes was the class sponsor, given that Ben is an Hermes sponsored rider as of a year ago. “It’s been an unbelievable experience,” he said. “I need to look good in my older age so if we can’t be good, we’re going to look good. But most importantly the saddles and all the equipment is really coming together and they’ve really helped me to progress over the last year.”