July 26, 2026 
The Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup.
It’s a whoop of Whitakers.
If you’re wondering how I know this, I consulted The Book of St. Albans, compiled by Dame Juliana Berners in 1486 as a hunting, hawking, and heraldry guide for gentlemen. This book is famous for the long list of collective nouns for animals, but what is less well-known is that the list also contains a few select collective nouns for groups of humans, such as a “blast of hunters,” a “subtlety of sergeants,” and a “superfluity of nuns.”
And listed among these we find a “whoop of Whitakers.”
It makes sense. First, the Whitaker name predates The Book of St. Albans by at least three centuries. Second, there are a lot of them. Third, whenever I’ve been at any show where a whoop is at, that is exactly the sound the crowd makes as each enters the arena!
On Sunday afternoon, it was no different. There were no less than SIX in the whoop that populated the start list of The Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup and it included 70-year-old John Whitaker, the beloved oldest of the four sons of the Yorkshire farmer Donald Whitaker, the man who spawned the legendary dynasty.
Over the decades, John Whitaker has won this Grand Prix three times. And now his son, Robert, has equalled his accomplishment, except he did it with one horse in four years!
First, he and Equine America Vermento (Argento x Skippy II) took the prize in 2023. Then, in 2024, they took a breath and let another Whitaker, Donald, grab the win with the glorious mare Millfield Colette. However, last year, with the Faultless cameras rolling, they came back to win, and now, in 2026, they’re back again!
Whoop!
It was not an easy track. With 49 starters, we got only five clears. There was water, big fences, the built-in double liverpools, the famous Hickstead planks, and a double of gates that forced world-number-one Kent Farrington to retire.
But there was very little slouchy riding happening over there across the pond—no less than 19 four-faulters found themselves cursing their ill luck.
Imagine watching your horse and rider have a brilliant, nearly fault-free round, barely touching the first gate of the double, and finding yourself slotted out of the money into 18th place!
(Not that I know anyone in that position. Ok, fine—it’s me! The owner of Jagger HX ridden by Amy Millar!)
Still, how can one complain when they’re joined by such show jumping luminaries as John Whitaker (whoop!), Ben Maher, Harry Charles, and Kevin Staut?
Who did manage to go clear? The first was the aforementioned Robert Whitaker (whoop!). He was followed by Nikki Walker of Canada, Stephanie Macieira of Brazil, and Jack Whitaker (whoop!) and Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain.
Robert set up the jump off with a great round. It was fast at 43.34 seconds, but careful enough to leave space for even faster, if you chose to take the chance to chase it. The short course ended with a rollback gallop around the water jump to the last oxer and this is where Walker, in a heartbreaking moment of bad luck, felt her horse slip underneath her as a hoof hit the torn-up footing.
The recovery was not fast enough to save the last fence, which went down as she clocked a time of 42.07, more than a second quicker than the eventual winner.
Stephanie Macieira came next and produced the double clear for second place with a time of 44.70.
The last two, Jack Whitaker (whoop!) and Jessica Mendoza sped into multiple rails and slotted themselves into fourth and fifth place, which handed Walker and her horse, 11-year-old Panter JVH, the third spot on the podium after a solid week of stellar rounds.
In the end, we find the winner Robert Whitaker in tears and unable to answer the questions of announcer Steven Wilde, because not only has he won for the third time in the hallowed home of British Show Jumping, and not only has he equalled his father in wins of the King George V Gold Cup, but he has found himself on the heels of ANOTHER Whitaker—four-time winner Michael, his uncle!
Whew! Can someone draw me up a family tree?
