Camelot ascends in surprise result
There’s a shock turnaround in the show hunter pony championship as two reserves up their game, while a five-year-old first ridden proves a ‘total schoolmaster’
JUDGES Janet Bushell and Rob Buckley threw away the form book as they awarded champion and reserve to the two secondplaced competitors in the strongly contested Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifying show hunter pony classes.
“We heard the silence around the ring as the result was announced,” said Janet. “However, we had told our finalists that we would judge the championship as a separate class, which is at it should be. Two of our class winners didn’t gallop and one switched legs, while our seconds went beautifully.”
Champion was Talia Aristidou, 13, riding Cadlanvalley Camelot, by Russetwood Elation, who had finished second in the
133cm class behind 10-year-old Sophie Stiles on Samantha Jakes’ Bevois Crusader.
Sophie, a Shetland pony Grand National jockey, could be forgiven her championship blip as this was her first time out on the pony, a HOYS ticket being a worthy consolation prize.
Five-year-old Cadlanvalley Camelot, who is in his debut season, was having his first outing with Team Ahern. He has been home-produced up until this point by Talia and her mother Elizabeth, chalking up three wins and four reserves on the bounce.
Reserve was the seasoned combination of Jess Hunt and Carnsdale Sir Lancelot, a former winner at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), produced by Edward Young. Jess, who is in her fifth and final season with Lancelot, stood champion at this show last year.
She and Lancelot had qualified for HOYS at Lincoln County so were happy to stand second in the 153cm class to stablemate Jessica Timperley riding Kate Marfleet’s Valentino, who has been brought out of retirement for Jess to ride as her own horse had to be put to sleep after suffering an accident in the field.
Edward and his team were on a roll, producing the 122cm winner Trefriw Earl, ridden by Cate Mitchell, who also qualified for HOYS.
GOTHIC COMES GOOD
HEADING the intermediates and standing Saturday supreme of show were large HOYS section winners Lizzie Smith and Rathnaleen Gothic, who made the five-hour journey from Sussex worthwhile for producer Adam Winbourne. The duo have been previous winners at RIHS and victorious at HOYS for two consecutive years, standing champion in 2016.
“I wouldn’t normally travel this far but we’ve had a late start this season due to family illness,” said Adam. “It’s been a long journey with this horse in many ways as he can be challenging, but he is so worth it.”
Eight-year-old Harriet Storey won the first ridden class and the mini championship with Barkway Mr McGregor, ahead of the lead-rein winner Chaseford Actor ridden by seven-year-old Milly Gilbert, led by Julie Templeton.
“This pony, although he is only five, is a total schoolmaster and is giving Harriet so much confidence,” said producer Sarah Emmerson. “This will be her first visit to HOYS.”
Team Emmerson also headed a huge HOYS part-bred class with Olivia Maltby and Unlimited II, who then finished second in the 148cm show pony class behind eventual champions Laybalands Fly By Night and Harriet Dennison, who clinched their HOYS ticket on this, their first attempt.
“He is quite rangy so has taken time to mature,” said Fly By Night’s producer Rachel Helliwell of the gelding by Kilvington Scoundrel.
BOUNCE IS ON THE BALL
JODIE SIMMONDS and the evergreen Sannan Valley Bounce, a previous victor at Birmingham
with Alice McCullagh, won the 153cm working hunter pony class and the section championship to book his place at HOYS. This scopey grey gelding posted an effortless clear round over David Norlander’s twisting track.
“Bounce is 15 and he really does bounce,” said Jodie. “This is the first championship I’ve won with him as we missed most of last season through injury.”
Mountain and moorland ponies were out in force on Sunday, with the supreme championship finally taking place at 6.30pm, some 10 hours after kick-off. Isobel Lines and Amy Simcox’s section D stallion Minyffordd Mabinogion got the nod, after standing NPS silver medal champions and
NPS open ridden reserve earlier in the day.
“I fell off a young horse and broke my back so I didn’t ride last year at all,” explained Amy. “I’m back in the saddle but I don’t produce for other people any more, so I have more time for my own now.”
This impressive stallion has qualified for Hickstead with Isobel and Amy.