16 minute read
Eventing Burghley young event horse final, Wellington and more
A rider stepping in for Nicola Wilson nets the five-year-old final, while Piggy March wins with a home-bred
The Duke Of Hearts son Jack Of Clubs is crowned five-year-old victor with Robyn Gray, for owner and breeder Mary Tweddle
By PIPPA ROOME
A HORSE bred by Nicola Wilson’s mother Mary Tweddle provided the injured rider’s team with a huge boost when he topped the five-year-old Dubarry Burghley young event horse final.
Robyn Gray, 31, rode Jack Of Clubs, who is by the thoroughbred Duke Of Hearts and out of the five-star mare Annie Clover, who is by the Clover Hill stallion Kilderry Clover.
Robyn joined Nicola’s yard in January to gain experience with her four-star horse Gelukkig and is now riding the young horses while Nicola continues rehabilitation following her serious injury at Badminton.
Robyn also piloted Deirdre Johnston and Jane Knight’s Quintus, by Quibery, into fifth, with Tom Rowland taking the reins for the top-10 final.
“Nicola always gets videos sent of the horses and she’s so supportive,” said Robyn. “They are a credit to Nicola.”
Jack Of Clubs led going into the final, scoring 24.3 out of 30 for dressage (judged by Angela Tucker and Judy Harvey), 34.5 out of 40 for jumping (judged by Yogi Breisner and Helen West) and 19 out of 20 for suitability and potential (judged by Andrew Spalding). He was placed fourth by Mark Phillips in the final gallop and won by 0.3 of a penalty.
Max Warburton’s ride Morningstar Van Altrido, by the Dutch warmblood stallion Fibonacci and owned by Conor Bruen, took the top mark of 10 in the final phase and moved up to second.
Deborah Langstaff’s mare Silvesters Finesse, by Dutch warmblood Silvester, stood third, piloted by Ros Canter, with Emma Hobday standing in for the final phase as Ros was preparing for her five-star dressage test.
CUPID LOVES THE SPOTLIGHT
THE March Stud scored with home-bred Cupid March in the four-year-olds. The stallion is by Clarksville – a Holsteiner grandson of the great Olympic showjumper Casall ASK – out of a mare called Valentina II (by Corofino I), whom Richard Jones evented at five-star.
Piloted by Piggy March and owned by Jane March, Susannah Paybody, Susie Wood and March Stud Limited, the 16.2hh bay was pulled in third by Mark Phillips, gaining one more point than Ros Canter’s ride Cooley Cloverland, who had led coming into the final. The top pair were tied on equal scores, but Cupid March took the laurels by virtue of his higher jumping score.
“The stud is my husband Tom’s idea and I just nod and get on at the right time,” said Piggy. “I said I wasn’t doing this one because I have no experience with stallions, but he’s been such a sweet horse to do and beautiful to ride.”
Piggy evented Cupid March’s half-brother, Highdown March, and when Tom was starting breeding, Richard was giving it up so he offered Valentina to Tom. Cupid March is her first offspring for the March Stud.
“He’s a bit different to most of what we breed in that his mother evented herself, although she was jumping-bred, and most of our breeding is targeted to jumping,” said Tom. “It’s nice to have a horse who can transfer between disciplines. You increasingly see event horses at the higher levels who were planned as jumpers, but have the rideability to event.”
The runner-up, Cooley Cloverland, is owned by Kate Walls and by Cavalier Land, who also sired Kate’s Cooley Lands, third at Badminton in 2019 under Chris Burton.
Maximum marks in the final section propelled Susie Wood’s Zingi, ridden by Ireland’s Susie Berry, into third. He is by Take It 2 The Limit, who evented up to current four-star. H&H
“He feels on top of the world,” says Holly Clarke of Nico, whom she pilots to victory in the Pony Club 110 championship
Project horse proves so much more
Junior European Championships rider Holly Clarke lands the Pony Club’s top eventing title, while Alex Bragg scores a one-two in the three-star class
Wellington, Hants
GOOD jumping came to the fore in the Pony Club 110 team championship, with Holly Clarke, fresh from finishing 11th at the junior Europeans, taking the win on eight-year-old Nico for the Meynell (Area 6).
“It’s his first run since, and he feels on top of the world,” said Holly, 18. “We bought him in 2020 as a project and he’s exceeded all expectations.”
Holly failed to start her stopwatch in the startbox, but rode a beautifully judged round on the white-faced 15.2hh to complete one second inside the time on 28.4.
Area 14 took the team title, with their riders Millie ToulsonClarke, Isabella Elwes and Alice Gates finishing second, third and fourth. The team’s Megan Brown led the dressage on 28.1 and was clear cross-country on Metropolitan Clover, but was among many to struggle over the technical showjumping track –
By MARTHA TERRY
only four jumped clear.
Reserve champion Millie, 20, produced a double clear with just 1.6 time-faults on A Sunny Bay for the Wylye Valley branch.
“The showjumping was causing carnage, so I was nervous despite my horse being a really solid performer,” she said. “But he loved the atmosphere and flew round the cross-country with his massive stride.”
Her team-mate Isabella (Royal Artillery) finished on her dressage score, riding Brigid Grant’s 17.3hh Quintus Grandia Z.
“It’s only our fifth event together, but it was great fun!” said Isabella, 20. “It felt like a good stepping stone to intermediate as the course was really tough.”
There was some midway drama on the cross-country when Duncan Morgan’s ride Ballyvogue Olympic View kicked and broke the sizeable jetty in the water, so it was removed for the last few competitors.
OFF TO BLENHEIM
ALEX BRAGG put the finishing touches to Quindiva’s Blenheim preparation with a fast double clear to win the CCI3*-S on their dressage score of 30. They clocked the fastest time of the day, making both influential jumping tracks look straightforward.
“She’s mega,” said Alex. “She has so much going for her: she’s a
GERMANY’S Johanna Marloh is returning to her homeland this month with her first international win in the bag. Crazy Carlotta headed the CCI2*-S after adding nothing to her secondplaced dressage score.
“She’s between angel and devil, but she’s been an angel the whole weekend,” said Johanna, who bought her as a foal 10 years ago. “She has her own mind, and I have to accept that. She used to go down the centre line on her hindlegs, and showjumping was tricky, but she’s now showing what she’s made of.”
Johanna came to England 18 months ago “for six months”
FIRST WIN and was initially based with Andrew Hoy. good jumper, really athletic and adjustable so I can ride her fast.”
Alex explained that the Roe family’s “feisty” 12-year-old mare has sped up with age.
“She used to go so slowly and didn’t like me asking her to go faster, but once she decided crosscountry was fun, I couldn’t slow her down. Now she’s like a finely tuned racing car – I feel I have all the tools.”
Although the continuing firm ground caused some withdrawals, 58 ran across-country, of which 40% ran into trouble.
Dressage leaders Melissa Joannides and the stallion Prometheus II had almost completed a super round to consolidate their showjumping clear when they ran out at the influential skinnies on mounds combination two fences from home.
Another of Alex’s rides, Shannondale Aristo, also jumped double clear to finish runnerup, 1.7 penalties adrift. This was the 11-year-old’s second run this season after picking up a small injury at Hartpury last summer.
“He’s back with a vengeance,” said Alex. “He’s the boldest jumper – you feel you could jump the high part of the shoulder brushes. Like Quindiva, he’s owned by a local family, the Ellicotts, so there was a lot of banter, everyone smiling and drinking champagne.”
Giovanni Ugolotti was another rewarded for a double clear, 0.1 of a penalty behind with Headleys Deluxe.
A CONFIDENCE BOOST
JUMPING was also the key factor in the two advanced sections, with winners Tom Rowland and Quintilius the only pair to finish on their dressage score in section W.
This was the “confidence boost” they needed after Tom broke his wrist in May.
“I probably started competing again too soon, and Quintilius uncharacteristically had a few poles down showjumping,” he said. “So I took the pressure off and he feels back on track, so we’ll go to Blenheim, and possibly Pau if all goes well.”
Tom showjumped clear on all three of his advanced rides, but the buzzy arena proved problematic for some over the whole weekend, with throngs of
spectators enjoying the country fair sitting on straw bales ringside.
“It’s the busiest arena I’ve jumped in all season,” Tom said. “The track is cleverly built; they use the slope well with technical distances.
“Quintilius enjoyed the ground across country – he’s light on his feet so he skips along. It’s a galloping track, with plenty of variety and an interesting bounce into water you don’t see often.”
Lizzie Baugh (B Exclusive) and Tom McEwen (Braveheart B) were second and third, while dressage leader William Fox-Pitt and Yes I Can ran slowly across country to finish eighth.
Fiona Kashel earned her second consecutive Wellington sash, landing the other advanced section, which she won last year. She rode WSF Carthago, who is gearing up for Pau CCI5* having
finished seventh at Luhmühlen in June.
“He’s hot-headed so I can only run him fast three times a year or he gets too strong,” said Fiona, who picked up 3.6 time-faults to complete on 36.3. “He’s a machine, but he just thinks he knows best.”
David Doel (Ferro Point) and Vicky Browne-Cole (Cutting Edge) took second and third.
The two open intermediate (OI) sections were a feast of talent for the Bank Holiday crowd, with several Pratoni-bound horses – London 52 (Laura Collett), Toledo De Kerser (Tom McEwen) and Banzai Du Loir (Yasmin Ingham) – stretching their legs with slow double clears before the World Championships.
London 52 led the dressage in section U on 22.7, but ran slowly cross-country to hand the win to Tom McEwen on Bob Chaplin, who completed on 25. However, Laura took the handbrake off Dacapo in section V to win on their dressage mark of 24.8.
Jemima Stratton and Global Exotic landed the final under-21 OI section – again the only pair to finish on a clean sheet. H&H
Millie Toulson-Clarke and A Sunny Bay enjoy the atmosphere of the Pony Club 110 team championship, making up part of the winning team and finishing second individually Alex Bragg flies to success in the CCI3*-S, taking pole position with Quindiva (pictured), and second place with Shannondale Aristo
ALEX BRAGG ON QUINDIVA
Stevens finds her winning groove
A British Olympian sweeps the board with her four rides, while young riders make their mark
“She has five-star written all over her”: Gemma Stevens finishes on top in the CCI4*-S with Jalapeno III – only the Chilli Morning mare’s third start of the season
By ELLIE HUGHES
Millstreet, Ireland
GEMMA STEVENS (née Tattersall) enjoyed a fruitful trip across the Irish Sea to claim first and third spots in the CCI4*-S with Chris Stone’s “lovely but fragile” mare Jalapeno III and Pru Dawes’ spring-heeled grey, Flash Cooley.
It would have been a one-two for the Blenheim-bound duo but Flash Cooley, who recently won the eventers’ challenge at Hickstead, left an uncharacteristic toe in the showjumping and rolled a coloured pole. This allowed Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI to sneak into second.
“I chose to come here rather than Blair as although I love Blair, neither of my two horses like the mud – and you never quite know what you’re going to get in Scotland,” explained Gemma. “Plus, I thought the course would really suit them.”
Setting off across country on Jalapeno, Gemma knew she had 12 seconds in hand and stopped the clock 10 seconds over the time.
“She’s such a fantastic horse who has five-star written all over her, but unfortunately she’s also very accident-prone, which means that she doesn’t get to run much,” she added of the 14-year-old daughter of Chilli Morning.
In fact, this was only the mare’s third start of the season, following on from open intermediate runs at Burnham Market in April and Aston-le-Walls in July.
Gemma also scored a one-two in the CCI2*-S with Chilli King and Chilli Wednesday – two smart seven-year-olds also by Chris Stone’s Badminton-winning stallion, the late Chilli Morning.
Harry Meade won the CCI3*-L on Mandy Gray’s impressive French-bred eight-year-old, Et Hop Du Matz, while in the CCI4*-L Aaron Millar and KEC Deacon finished second, with Georgia Bartlett and Spano De Nazca third. The class was won by Irish rider Sian Coleman and Hush A Bye Baby.
Also making the trip to Millstreet was a squad of younger riders, supported by The Howden Way sponsorship, who were chosen to represent Great Britain in a friendly team competition. All three teams – pony, junior and young rider – delivered impressive performances to win at their respective levels.
Charlotte Cooke, who finished third individually in the CCIP2*-S on Liscannor Tulira, also won the CCI1*-intro on Midnight Dancer III.
“This was my last event on both ponies, so it was a brilliant
FIRST WIN
way to finish,” she said.
Both Charlotte’s pony European partner, Liscannor Tulira, and Midnight Dancer III will shortly be on the market.
“Fortunately, I have some lovely horses to move on to, including a young home-bred and an exciting six-year-old,” said the 16-year-old. “So although I’ll be sad to see my ponies of a lifetime move on, I’m excited about next year.”
Youth performance manager Darrell Scaife added: “We’ve had a great week of competition at Millstreet. It’s a first-class venue and it has been a valuable experience in the development of our young athletes.”
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE WINS
SKYE PLEYDELL-BOUVERIE and her surprise 12th birthday present, Glenkeeran Dance On Air (George), triumphed in a BE105 at Wellington International in Hampshire, despite tapping out two poles in the showjumping.
“I thought I’d blown my chance,” admitted the now 14-year-old Skye, whose leading dressage score of 23.5, coupled with a speedy clear across country, was enough to keep her ahead.
The Marlborough College student was particularly pleased with her first-phase score, for which she credits help from her trainer, Emily Young-Jamieson.
“At the beginning of this season, we were scoring in the high 30s, but we have worked really hard on the dressage and it’s paying off,” she said.
WHEN Robyn Gray arrived at Nicola Wilson’s North Yorkshire yard last December, with the aim of gaining experience to help her compete at four-star, little did she know she would be entrusted with continuing the careers of Nicola’s string of super-talented young horses following the five-star rider’s serious accident at Badminton.
The 31-year-old has risen to the challenge with aplomb and, much to the team’s delight, brought home two red rosettes from Shelford Manor (2), Nottinghamshire.
Robyn won novice section B with Frankfort Pointllexi (Dot), a six-year-old mare who is owned by Nicola and her husband Alistair’s parents, John and Diana Wilson.
“Dot was bought as a four-year-old from Ireland and Nic rode and produced her until her accident,” explained Robyn. “This was only her second novice, but she is a lovely horse who always tries her best. She has now qualified for the six-year-old championship at Osberton, so that’s the aim.”
Robyn also topped BE100 section G with the five-year-old Jack Of Clubs (pictured), who was bred by Nicola’s mother Mary Tweddle, who still owns him. The smart gelding is out of Nicola’s former five-star mare, Annie Clover. “I didn’t know Annie Clover when she was competing, but the girls on the yard say that Jack’s very similar,” said Robyn. Jack Of Clubs is also heading to Osberton, along with
two other five-year-olds from the Wilson stable – Val and Ann Robson’s Beltane’s Prince Chilli, who is out of Nicola’s feisty, top-performing mare Beltane Queen, by Chilli Morning, plus Deirdre Johnston and Jane Knight’s Quintus. AGAINST THE ODDS “Nic is still very much at the heart of the operation – we analyse videos of the horses’ performances together and spend a lot of time on the phone,” said Robyn. “It brings everyone such a lot of joy to have these lovely young horses go so well.”
Zara Weir and “footperfect” Deloughtane Rockstar clinch Scottish BE90 championship honours
Rockstar owns the stage
Scottish Grassroots Eventing Festival, Blair Castle, Perthshire
ZARA WEIR and the former working hunter Deloughtane Rockstar made it a hat-trick of wins in their first season of affiliated eventing when they captured the Scottish BE90 championships.
The pair, who also won at Frenchfield (1) and Floors Castle earlier in the year, moved up from second place after the dressage, thanks to two impeccable jumping rounds.
Their final score of 26.8 left them exactly a penalty ahead of runners-up Morven Ritchie and Star X.
“I really didn’t expect this, but he was foot perfect throughout,” said Zara, who events the nine-year-old 15.1hh gelding by Harlequin Du Carel alongside showing him. In fact, the pair had contested a Horse of the Year Show working hunter qualifier on arrival at Blair.
Dressage leaders Eilidh Herd and Zuccheros Deff Leppard paid the price for a steadier crosscountry round, which dropped them down to eventual third.
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Thompson claimed the BE100 title with her 15hh pocket rocket Penstrumbly Calon Lan, with whom she had finished 15th in the BE90 grassroots championships at Badminton earlier this year. They jumped one of only two double clears in this class.
“He was originally bought for my mum, but I rather nicked him,” said Ruby. “He’s not built for speed and he got a bit tired at the top of the hill, but he kept jumping.”
Hannah Broadhurst and WSH Sacruz took the runnerup spot, while Jodie Darrie and Woodendfarm Freddy O completed the top three. H&H
Ruby Thompson claims the BE100 title with Penstrumbly Calon Lan
ZARA WEIR
