Ben Maher scored his first ever FEI World Cup win this afternoon when he won the qualifier at Olympia.

Tripple is the best of three

Partnering the nine-year-old homebred Tripple X, Ben rode the fastest of the three double clears to net the E33,000 first prize 

“There have been times over the last nine years when I’ve wondered if Tripple X would be any good, and we’ve had our moments. He was quite a nervous horse at the start of the season, but he is much more confident now," said the 28-year-old rider.

"The course suited me because he’s got a big stride, and I made a plan which came off. It’s amazing. Some people breed hundreds of horses a year, and I just breed three for fun and I get one like this.”

Watch our video with Ben below:

Ehning ends in second

The horse certainly looked hugely impressive when overhauling the combination of Marcus Ehning, a former triple World Cup Final winner, and Sabrina, by 0.34sec.

The German rider was gracious in defeat and indicated that the bay mare might be an Olympic prospect.

“I have had a super season, very consistent,” he said, “and I think England suits me! It’s five years since I last came to Olympia and it is still a super show.”

Ireland’s Dermott Lennon, the former World Champion, was back in the big time with third place on Hallmark Elite. The top three produced the only clears in the jump-off.

Other prizewinners

Laura Kraut was fourth for the USA on her Olympic gold medallist Cedric, ahead of the reigning European Champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Ninja la Silla, who incurred four fault when the spring-heeled chestnut caught the wing of a fence with his stifle.

Spanish sensation Manuel Anon, 19, was sixth. Robert Whitaker, seventh on USA Today, Guy Williams, ninth on Titus and Laura Renwick, 11th on Oz de Breve, were the other British rider to make the jump-off.

Course-designer Bob Ellis, who will officiate at the London Olympics next year, said: “This has been as good a World Cup as I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t matter what I build, riders like this will always be able to jump it.”

Ben Maher had already taken over the H & M Leading Rider of the Show armband before the World Cup, courtesy of yet another speed class win in the H & M Speed Stakes on Milena, but he has now extended his lead to 3 points over Marcus Ehning.