JOE TRUNKFIELD and Grennanstown Sarco Lux Hill kicked off the winter season with a commanding win, leaving the competition battling for second place in the £3,000 winter grand prix.
The door was swinging open for Joe and the 14-year-old gelding when they entered the ring from midfield in this 10-horse decider.
Jonathan Dixon and Jack JL had just produced the single clear so far, stopping the clock five seconds behind a pathfinding eight-fault round from Mark Edwards and Royale Tale.
Joe and "Bart", this year's 1.40m open champions at the nationals, are a formidable combination on their day and they produced a daunting clear to seize a five-second lead.
No other partnership was able to match the pace and leave the fences standing - Guy Williams and Hanne Umonia, who had won Friday's AW Jenkinson Natural Flake 1.40m open, came within a second, but lowered a pole, before Chris Smith and Messarado Blue pipped Jonathan Dixon by 0.27sec to slip into second.
It was John Whitaker in final draw who came closest to target, snatching second on the elegant stallion Z7 Regal Don when he crossed the line four seconds behind.
"He's always there or thereabouts - he won the grand prix qualifier on the middle day at Arena UK last week and he felt very good today," said Joe of Gordon and Su Hall's gelding.
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