Rose races to dressage win
Bethany Slinger and Maigold Rose win the prelim championship, with the dressage classes featuring huge entries at the RoR championships
BETHANY SLINGER has been riding the prelim dressage winner Maigold Rose for more than two years, since buying her as a school horse for her mother’s yard.
“She’d been on livery and when she came up for sale we bought her,” said Bethany, who works for and trains with Melissa Chapman. “I liked her so much that I decided I’d have her for myself and we won our first three British Eventing events. I wanted to have a bit of fun, but I never realised how good she’d be.”
Bethany and “Zeva” have won at the riding club championships and been on the second-placed team for 3 Valleys Riding Club, but this was their first trip to Aintree.
“I plan to be here next year, along with doing some more eventing,” added Bethany.
Eventing was certainly the name of the game in the medium 73. Director General has competed up to advanced level, and Amelia Walker was riding the 10-year-old here for owner Albertine Barker.
“It’s been really interesting to see these ex-racehorses doing all these disciplines
and looking so different,” said Amelia. “Director General is hard-fit for eventing so is still basically racing trim, but the others have changed shape completely.
“He’s a great cross-country horse, but the dressage is really coming now and I’ll do some more over the winter. He won £2,500 last year as the RoR elite eventing champion, and we’re going for the dressage award this time.”
Nice Cote D’Azur won both the elementary 57 and the music at the level for rider Rebecca Pembroke. Rebecca bought the horse eight years ago from a jumping yard. He comes from a Group-winning racing family, but failed to trouble the judge himself.
“I was coming off ponies and he’d been used for teaching,” said Rebecca, who trains with Jade Derby. “He was the first horse I tried and we got into dressage through the Pony Club. This was our first ever RoR show and I can’t believe the prize money — it paid for the trip.”