Hoekstra plans talks with Whitaker

Whitaker, from Yorkshire, withdrew from the headline event of British showjumping’s season yesterday – the Longines King George V Gold Cup – which carries a £56,500 first prize.

It followed a late-night hotel disturbance involving the 51-year-old, a statement from the Hickstead organisers said.

Whitaker, ranked second in Britain and 27th in the world, did not compete at Hickstead on Saturday either.

He pulled out both his entered horses – Ingliston Twister and Viking V – from the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Sky Sports Speed Classic, respectively.

And he would have been a major contender for the Gold Cup, a class he has won on four previous occasions, aboard his probable London 2012 horse GIG Amai.

Whitaker, winner of 11 major championship medals during a top-flight career that has spanned almost 30 years, was Great Britain’s star performer during the Hickstead FEI Nations Cup leg on Friday.

Britain finished fourth, mainly due to Whitaker’s second round clear and four faults in round one.

But later that night, it’s understood police were called to a hotel around 20 minutes north of Hickstead after a disturbance involving Whitaker and other hotel guests. They were not fellow riders.

He has now returned home to Nottinghamshire, but was unavailable for comment last night.

Whitaker has not been charged with any offence and is currently in the five-rider British squad for this Friday’s Dublin Nations Cup show, where he will be joined by his brother John, Nick Skelton, Robert Smith and Scott Brash.

Hoekstra, who was appointed as British chef d’equipe 20 months ago, introduced a code of conduct for riders shortly after he took up the post.

“It covers general behaviour towards the team and putting the team’s interests first at all times,” said Hoekstra.

“He (Whitaker) missed the whole day yesterday (Saturday), including riding his horse in preparation for the King George V Cup.

“We felt it was best he did his (Dublin) preparation away from the show (Hickstead), because he is really important for us next week in Dublin.

“I’ve got to look at the code of conduct and I need to sit down quietly with Michael, not at this stage, and have a chat to him about it and look at all the details that have come out which I am not fully aware of. If there is a breach of conduct, and there is a fine stipulated for that, then he may have to pay that. And if he does, it will go to a charity of his choice.

“If this has happened, and before I know all the details I don’t really want to comment on it, he put himself in a situation where maybe he should not have been and it affected his preparation for the grand prix.”

Back at Hickstead, American Kent Farrington withstood a fierce onslaught from the remaining British riders to win the King George V Cup.

Farrington repelled five Britons with Robert Smith, a three-time Gold Cup winner, taking runners-up for a second successive year after he and horse Talan were denied by just 0.44 seconds.

Ten combinations from a 47-strong field contested the jump-off, with Farrington and Uceko doing just enough through a time of 54.36secs.

Holland’s Leon Thijssen and Tyson took third, Tim Stockdale was fourth aboard Fresh Direct Kalico Bay and Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher (Magnus Romeo) came in fifth.