CLARE’s David Blake came out on top to win the $30,000 Noble Outfitters Grand Prix at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre earlier this week with Binkie, owned by his employers at Pine Hollow Farm, to earn their first Grand Prix win of 2016.

They took the top honours in Monday’s jump-off, double clear in 40.653 seconds chased by California’s Andrew Ramsay and Winn Winn who collected second place, crossing through the timers just four-hundredths off the winning pace in a time of 40.699. Wellington’s Benjamin Meredith and Anabelle 28 earned third place finishing in 42.273.

The class boasted 44 starters who tested the first round track set by America’s Ken Krome with 16 moving forward to the jump-off round. Only the top three finishing combinations clocked double clears.

Blake and Binkie, a 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Larino x Whisper B) finished a stellar 2015 season, capturing numerous wins at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) throughout their summer and autumn campaign.

A delighted David Blake said: “The big aim for Binkie will be this summer in Tryon again. He was very good there and hopefully we can have a repeat performance,” said Blake. “We’ll be riding there the whole summer and I’m looking forward it. He enjoys it there and always seems to do very well.”

The duo’s set order in the jump-off proved to be a crucial component of their success, as they were the final combination to test the short course. Blake noted that Binkie’s large stride helped to cut time in several areas.

Blake and the Pine Hollow Farm team will head back to TIEC at the conclusion of the autumn circuit and Blake is looking forward competing a string of talented young horses coming up behind Binkie. “We have three really nice horses that are about to move up to the FEI level and a new horse who we’re hoping will be able to back Binkie up nicely with the ranking classes this summer. It’s a great learning experience for them and Binkie will have a great supporting cast behind him looking towards the bigger events,” added Blake.