Super Nova’s star is rising
Spencer Wilton puts himself and Super Nova II firmly in the frame for the Europeans with a grand prix personal best, while an unexpected rap freestyle takes the top spot
SPENCER WILTON and his
Rio team silver medallist, Jen Goodman’s Super Nova II, achieved a personal best of 78.82% to win Friday’s grand prix before going on to top the special.
Their first test was a joy to watch; confident, expressive and secure. There were a couple of small mistakes, including one in the two-time changes, which implies an even better score is possible now the sensitive De Niro gelding’s confidence in the arena has grown.
“I’m fascinated that, at the age of 14, he still seems to be improving and that there is more to come,” said a delighted Spencer.
Richard Davison came closest, though he was 5% adrift.
Spencer’s grand prix special win was a far closer-run affair, with a couple of errors — mostly in the changes — meaning that spectators were genuinely left wondering whether Lara Butler’s dazzlingly harmonious, clean test on Rubin Al Asad might pip them.
Spencer had “tons of great tips” from Carl Hester during his warm-up, but one in particular resonated during the test: “I’d been riding the walk to piaffe aiming for relaxation, but Carl had me bring ‘Neville’ more up in the frame so we could start the piaffe more crisply,” explained Spencer.
Their recent performances must put them firmly in line for a team place for the European Championships in August, selection for which will be announced at the end of July.
Lara’s chunky plus-76% score will also give the selectors plenty to chew on. Rubin Al Asad continues to improve, and his passage is majestic, yet balanced enough to come in and out of piaffe with spring and regularity.
DOWN WITH THE KIDS
IT’S not often you hear scratching and rap in a freestyle; less so when a gentleman of more mature years is in the arena. Still, the four-time Olympian Richard Davison was determined to bust the music mould for his winning grand prix kür on 11-year-old Bubblingh.
The Tom Hunt soundtrack comes with a story.
“I said to Tom, let’s do something different; let’s step over the boundaries a bit,” explained Richard. “We talked about ‘rap’ and ‘urban’ and other young people’s words like that — and I don’t know what I’m talking about with music, but it sounded great.
“When it turned up, I was listening to it in the kitchen and my sons came in and said, ‘You’re kidding — this can’t be for your freestyle — you’re way too old for this’. So I had to tell Tom it was a bit much and we needed to lose some of the scratches and raps.”
The routine starts with a beaty version of Gangsta’s Paradise, with Party Like A Russian by Robbie Williams for the canter, and it suits the big horse.
He is a home-bred by Lingh out of Richard’s former top mare, Ballaseyr Royale, whom he rode at the Athens Olympics.
Bubblingh puts his all into the piaffe, meaning that Richard has to bring him into it slowly to prevent him stopping dead and piaffing so powerfully that he looks like he’s gunning for an 11.
“I have a marker on Tokyo for him,” reasoned Richard, even though on recent form selectors may be looking in his direction for the Euros team this year. “I won’t do the team with him this year; I want to develop him properly and keep him sweet, confident, fresh and ambitious.”
Though Richard is not yet asking for full power, the test flowed and oozed power. After a mistake at the end of the two-time changes, he was able to repeat them clean, and reinforced the
horse’s prowess in the changes by riding a line of ones straight down the centre line. He was light in Richard’s hand and always in an uphill frame.
Gareth Hughes impressed again with Don Carissimo, finishing second by 0.1%. The sweet-natured gelding has, in a short time, become a reliable grand prix partner for Gareth.
‘A LOVELY, WORKABLE TEMPERAMENT’
THE prix st georges (PSG) and inter I classes went to Charlotte Dujardin on Anne Cory and Carl Hester’s Hawtins Delicato — helping her to a staggering 10 wins. Charlotte, who whizzed up to London immediately after one prize-giving to film an episode of the comedy panel show A League Of Their Own, castigated herself for some errors in the changes, but still scored 76.63%.
“I came out really disappointed with myself, but the quality of his work is such that he can still get a great mark,” she said. “He’s Carl’s top horse for next year; this is all experience for him. He’s a real character with a lovely, workable temperament — just at shows at the moment he is a bit insecure.”
He demonstrated this with a fearsome leap in the inter I prizegiving that would have seen most lesser riders splat on the floor.
Kate Cowell was second in the PSG with an elegant test for 71.6% on Samba Dancer and also thanked Carl for his input.
Lara’s sympathetic, effective and quiet riding singled her out in the inter I freestyle. She had nipped at Charlotte Dujardin’s heels in the CDI inter I, coming second by 2%, but edged ahead in the music on the Bechtolsheimer family’s home-bred Kristjan, by Polarion. She describes the 12-year-old as “a devil disguised as an angel”, which he proved with a spectacular leap and buck in the prize-giving.
Judge Stephen Clarke, who awarded the pair a staggering 89% artistic mark, said: “It was absolute harmony and beautiful interpretation of the music. It was classical riding — natural, correct and horse-friendly.
“Lara is becoming more and more effective and, as far as I’m concerned, she is a future star.”
Long referred to as “work rider for the Bechtolsheimers”, it’s fair to say that Lara’s attitude and results stamp her as a prolific international rider of the highest order in her own right.