Flawless Betty bags first national hunter title
The champions triumph with a mesmerising performance, while one rider makes light of bruised ribs to take the home-produced amateur class and an impulse buy reaps dividends with the ridden sport horse title
National Hunter Supreme Championships, Addington Manor, Bucks SUBLIME is the word often used by Jayne Ross to describe Time 2 Reflect (Betty) and, after consulting Collins Thesaurus, that is a fair description of Dianne Stennett’s wonderful winning lightweight mare.
Noble, glorious, grand, elevated — Betty was all these when she took the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) open and ladies’ titles before clinching the coveted Prince’s Grace Trophy as supreme ridden champion.
While Jayne has won this title before, most recently last year with Bloomfield Excelsior, it meant the world to the mare’s owner and rider — plus breeder Sue Rawding — for Betty to claim her first national supreme hunter championship.
On a balmy summer night in Addington’s pristine outdoor arena, Jayne and Betty produced a mesmerising freestyle display of manners and obedience, topped off by their trademark gallops, square halt and reins
dropped on Betty’s neck.
It was another flawless, supreme performance that earned 29 out of a possible 30 marks from judges Sarah York, Jane Thornton and Patrick Martin.
“Betty answers every question and she just gets better and better. She has that lovely swinging walk and it suited us for the supreme to be outdoors as we can show off her gallop better,” said Jayne.
Judge Sarah Chapman, who rode Betty in the national ladies’ hunter of the year class, confessed she didn’t want to get off.
“She was light, forward, comfortable and polite; a proper ladies’ ride who waited for your command and just took you along. When I got off, I wanted to get straight back on,” said Sarah.
Taking the reserve supreme on 25 marks were the working hunter champions Jasean Spraggett and Noble Queen Bee.
In her first season with the Garrison Royale six-year-old, Jasean has qualified “Bee” for the Royal International (RIHS) and HOYS in the intermediate section, and by taking the open working hunter tricolour here they added a second HOYS ticket.
“The champion gave a very mannerly ride,” said ride judge Jenny Banks. “I could imagine standing quietly at the meet and then having a very good day’s hunting on her.”
Kelly Ward originally produced Bee as a four-year-old and did some showjumping with her.
“She has jumped clear every time out and is so easy to ride and fit in around my outside rides.
“It was a tough track, but this has been great preparation for Hickstead,” said Jasean.
DALES DELIVERS
THE grass working hunter ring, where course-designer Lisa Kelly utilised the gradients and bank, attracted a lot of interest and first-season horses fared best in the open divisions as Barbara Beercock’s big-jumping Parkmore Rowan (Russ) produced the only clear for Hettie Dales to win the heavyweight class before standing reserve to Noble Queen Bee.
“We live in such a flat area, Russ thought the hills and banks were great fun,” said Hettie.
Rachel Turner, a coursedesigner herself, also thought the tracks were very educational and the Huddersfield rider gained her third win of the season when Ernie Big topped the novice class and took fourth in the restricted.
Fiona Hirst banked £450 when Dartans Barrack headed the working hunter grand prix.
The cheers rang out long and loud last year for Christian
‘When she wants to play,
she gives her all’
CHRISTIAN KWEK ON ‘TYPICAL CHESTNUT MARE’ KENLIS CARRERA
Kwek when he took the national amateur championship riding Kenlis Carrera (Barbie), but when this popular pair successfully defended their title here, the applause seemed even louder and longer.
“We have a great partnership. She can be a typical chestnut mare
but when she wants to play, she gives her all,” said Christian.
Barbie was bred by Rory Gilsenan’s brother Paul in
Ireland and the Porsch nine-yearold mare will be going for grading soon as she is destined for the paddocks after showing and hunting.
Polly Coles and Redwood Ash gained their third win in recent weeks when they headed the home-produced amateur class.
Polly was nursing bruised ribs after a fall from a young horse.
“I shouldn’t be riding, but I didn’t want to miss the show and ‘Buzz’ never pulls me about,” said Polly, who has previously won the national amateur title two years running at Bury Farm.
Living in a built-up area in Yorkshire, Polly faces a half-hour trek to ride off road, but she and Buzz enjoy a pub visit every Friday night where Polly quenches her thirst and Buzz mows the grass.
After taking the hunter tricolour at the Hickstead Derby meeting, Bella Malim’s impressive Lux Z five-year-old Bloomfield Valhalla again travelled freely to head his heavyweight class before taking the novice championship for Jayne Ross.
“It means such a lot to win a national title — I’ve just had a thrilled owner on the phone,” said Jayne, who also claimed the reserve Blue Chip sport horse title with Carol Bardo and Michael Cook’s four-year-old winner
KBF Crescendo.
Standing reserve to Bloomfield Valhalla was another impressive newcomer, Vanessa Ramm’s
Lucky Jack, who topped the fouryear-old class for Martin Skelton. By the 2016 Trakhener stallion of the year, Grafenstolz, Lucky Jack was bought in Ireland last June.
After being backed at home, Jack has won four out of his five outings.
“He has a lovely outlook to work. I think he has a lot of growing to do, so we will probably turn him out and go cubbing in September,” said Vanessa, who took the championship ride as Martin stayed on board the lightweight winner Ducketts Grove.
IMPULSE BUY
AFTER three well-filled classes,
‘He is a fabulous sport horse as he can jump and move, and
he is a real workman’
OWNER PAULETTE COOPER ON FIRST RATE (BELOW)
the 2017 Blue Chip flat ridden sport horse title went to Paulette Cooper’s First Rate (Ollie), who topped the five-year-old class for Adam Taylor.
Ollie was an impulse buy at Dublin Show last year after Paulette saw him competing in the four-year-old young event horse class with Gwen Scott and the equivalent working hunter class, which he won for Louise Lyons.
“I couldn’t leave him behind,” said Paulette, who was delighted when just a couple of weeks into their partnership, Adam and Ollie took this Blue Chip title last year.
“Ollie had a big growth spurt and we only just got him out in time to qualify for here at Stafford. He is a fabulous sport horse as he can jump and move and he is a real workman,” added Paulette.
On a lovely summer’s evening, the final judging of the national classes attracted a good crowd and it was nice to see several in-form combinations shine in the sun.
Two winners who particularly relished the outdoor arena were Chloe Vaughan’s 2015 small hunter of the year, Carnsdale Dreamcatcher, and Lucinda Martin’s Boss, who topped the ladies’ side-saddle, both horses booking their return tickets to Birmingham for the small and side-saddle finals.
The national hunter championships made a welcome return to Addington Manor. It always helps when the weather is kind, but organisers, owners and exhibitors alike seemed happy with the new date, format and venue.
“It’s a fantastic venue for a championship show, although a personal preference for me would be to have it later in the year,” commented Robert Walker.
Sponsorship director and member of the organising committee Ruth Flack said: “We’re delighted to return to Addington and we have had great positive feedback from sponsors and competitors,” she said.
“Held on the old Royal
Show date, we think this early championship show is a great addition to the calendar and it was great to see everyone enjoying the fun.”
The abiding memory for many spectators will be lots of space-hopping riders bouncing along in some hilarious races, including Jayne Ross in full riding gear.