All England Jumping Championships, Bucks County, Edenbridge & Oxted, plus international highlights
Trevor Breen triumphs, a teenager shows scintillating form and a Welshman capitalises on his ‘lucky day’
TREVOR BREEN won it in 2012 on the incomparable Adventure De Kannan and the Irishman was back to win the grand prix again this year. His mount on this occasion was the 10-year-old
Lord Z mare Bombay II, who gained the best win of her career to date — and her first Hickstead triumph.
With 61 names on the start-list
Bob Ellis and Paul Connor built a tough track. It looked simple to start with, though the combination at five claimed a surprising number of victims. The real problems came next. A Liverpool oxer was followed after a turn-back by a fearsome line comprising a rustic oxer with a big bush filler, seven short strides to a light gate and seven or eight strides to the water jump, followed on a dog-leg turn by an oxer another seven or eight strides away.
After thrills galore — and some spills — 11 top combinations reached the jump-off. Double European young rider medallist Amy Inglis had just taken the lead on Wishes when in came Trevor Breen to kill the class stone dead with an amazing round.
The Irishman, who has just moved to a new base close to Hickstead, galloped to the last and, with a huge leap reminiscent of the Cheltenham Festival, he and Bombay took a six-second lead. Their rivals were then fighting for second place. Ben Walker and Roulette H came closest, with Robert Whitaker filling third spot on Cash Sent.
Trevor had his eyes on more than the £2,000 first prize, as the first three all qualified for next year’s Queen’s Cup at the Royal International (RIHS) and he got the handy bonus of the use of a compact loader for six months, courtesy of Avant.
“I was going to buy one, so that’s a great extra prize,” he said. “It was a bit of a fly-or-die round, but I’ve focused on this all show. I’ve lost a few classes recently by pulling to the last, so I forced myself to keep coming. I decided beforehand that whatever happened, I’d set the fastest time.”
Trevor says Bombay is talented but quirky.
“She is temperamental, but so was her dam [Raffia, by Bon Ami], who has definitely passed that on,” he added.
After finding out recently that they had missed out on the international classes at this year’s Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), having been assured that they were qualified, Ben Walker and Emma Ziff ’s eight-year-old Roulette H once again showed great form.
“And that’s the first double clear I’ve managed to jump here,” laughed Ben.
TAME’S ON FIRE
IN the opening two days’ 1.40m classes, Georgia Tame and Holly Smith fought out their own version of the Queen’s Cup and Georgia came out top on both occasions. She won Thursday’s 91-starter jump-off class on her own Bolien, leaving a host of stars that included British number one Scott Brash — giving his horses a spin before they left for Calgary the following day — in her wake.
The following day, Georgia took on 88 rivals in an A4 class, but the result was the same. This time, she captured the £500 first prize on Team Z7’s Cordanos and finished third and sixth for good measure with another Z7 horse, Cash Up, and Bolien.
As a Breen Team rider, Georgia, 19, feels completely at home at Hickstead, where they are based. And she doesn’t mind whether it’s one of the boss’s horses or her own that comes first.
“I just like winning and Bolien belongs to my parents, so I don’t get the prize money anyway!” she joked. Georgia is enjoying the Z7 horses.
“I’m getting more used to them with every show and they’re getting more used to me,” she explained.
At the end of the year, Georgia is due to take to 15 horses to the Z7 stables in Dubai to compete for two months.
“It will give me so much experience and I’m counting the days. I keep looking at the calendar and hoping it will be December soon,” she said.
Second place in both classes went to eight-year-old Elore, whose rider Holly Smith was philosophical.
“It’s better than coming nowhere and I’m so lucky to have brave, forward-going horses who love Hickstead,” she said.
Saturday’s Douglas Bunn Challenge gave riders the chance to tackle some of Hickstead’s iconic natural obstacles in a speed class offering £300 to the winner. Cheered on by the horse’s former owner Elliott Reeves, who works at the showground, Millie Dickinson jumped a the only clear on her 13-year-old Cairo Z II (King). This was a first Hickstead win for Millie and came just three weeks after the pair finished third in the under-18 final at the national championships.
“This horse is a star. He absolutely loves Derby fences,” said Millie. “He’d probably make an eventer because he’d do a good dressage test. Elliott’s been so supportive and I can’t thank him enough for letting me have King.”
The closing 1.30m final produced decisive winners in Simon Crippen and Judy Ross’ Atlanta VIII, who left their eight jump-off rivals trailing by four seconds.
“I think I may have gone a bit faster than I needed,” said Simon, after collecting the £500 prize.
Atlanta is enjoying a good
season, with many wins to her credit.
“She loves her job and is very genuine. She just enjoys competing,” said Simon.
‘THE BEST WE’VE HAD’
THIS show always attracts large numbers and in Saturday’s Addington Manor Talent Seekers qualifier, 72 hopefuls chased four places in the HOYS final. With almost half going against the clock, this was bound to be a fast class.
Matt Sampson looked the likely winner on Rachael Evison’s eight-year-old Clinton mare Ebolensky, who somehow jumped out of the double after landing almost sideways over the first part. Holly Smith and Castell Sport Horses’ Fruselli, a seven-year-old Zambesi stallion who arrived at her yard the previous week, then moved into second place. And when Matt Sampson’s partner Chloe Winchester went close on Jo West’s Sportsfield Our Clare, it looked as though the top three spots were decided.
But Welshman Mark Edwards on his home-bred seven-year-old Montreuxs Tale made full use of the big gelding’s length of stride to take two hundredths of a second off Matt’s time.
Montreuxs Tale, by Tinkers Tale — now a gelding and jumping here with Mark in the major classes — has enjoyed a fabulous season that also includes
HOYS newcomers and Foxhunter qualification.
“I think he could be the best horse we’ve ever had,” assessed Mark, who had another reason to celebrate. “It was exactly 10 years ago that I won the national under-16 title and it’s also my sister’s birthday. In fact, 2 September is a good day.”
The next day started off equally well for Mark, who came out top in the opening novice championship on Eternal Evoloution. This seven-year-old by Escudo I out of a hunter mare is owned by her breeders, Mark’s
JUDITH EDGELL ON ATLANTA VIII
neighbours Terry and Judith Edgell, and arrived at his yard by chance.
“I broke my leg badly in a skiing accident and was in a wheelchair for four months, so we asked Mark to ride her,” explained Judith. “If it wasn’t for that, she’d be a hack and doing riding club activities with me. We can’t believe it. At one point this season, she won 12 classes on the trot and now we’ve got a Hickstead rug!”
Just when Mark thought his show couldn’t get any better, he was back at the top of the line in the following 1.20m championship after a terrific round on Claudia Hegarty’s Harley H.
Claudia, who graduated recently from Hartpury College, bought the nine-year-old former hunter two years ago and delivers him to shows for Mark to ride.
“I produced Harley from British novice to newcomers, but I’m an amateur and Mark’s a professional and I knew this horse was good,” she said. “Harley has exceeded all our expectations, but he’s also an angel. He’s the quietest, nicest boy to ride.”
STARS OF THE FUTURE
AS well as offering riders at every level opportunities to compete in the International Arena, the Hickstead team give producers the chance to introduce young horses to the main ring and huge numbers contested their respective age championships.
‘Without Mark, she’d be a hack and doing riding club activities’
After 14 future stars shared the four-year-old title, 44 five-year-olds set out in their championship. They faced an upto-height course that asked some serious questions, particularly at the penultimate combination, and just seven were clear.
First-drawn Harry Bateman then set an unbeatable target on Ingrid Wood’s Havanna. Essexbased Harry has had a fabulous season with the Wood family’s young horses and this Dutchbred Crespo VDL mare took the five-year-old title at the Chepstow CSI. Although he shared the four-year-old honours here last year, this was also Harry’s first individual championship success at Hickstead.
“She’s phenomenal,” he said. “We got her as a just-broken three-year-old from Jennifer Thompson and she always tries her hardest. She was due this win.”
A six-year-old mare proved quicker than her year-older counterparts in their final, which was run as a handicap. Alex Gill took first place and a £500 prize on Billy Rembrandt and rode Denise Stamp’s seven-year-old Billy Amber into third place.
Billy Rembrandt, by Billy Congo, is out of the same mare as the top performer Billy Angelo. She is usually ridden by William Funnell and because the boss was competing abroad, Alex sat on her for the first time the day before this show.
“William thinks a lot of her,” said Alex, 19. “The more you attack the fences, the better she jumps. She’s a serious horse.”
‘BONKERS’ ESPRESSO’S QUICK OFF THE MARK
WITH entry numbers in both qualifiers approaching the 250 mark, it was a great achievement to reach the 1m final. The 19-horse jump-off was an absolute flyer and the title went to 17-yearold Abbi Jackson on Espresso
II. Bedfordshire-based Abi got Espresso, a 10-year-old Romanov gelding, in 2016.
“He’s such good fun, but he’s also bonkers. I can’t jump him at home and I can’t work him in, so all he does is hacking and spending lots of time in the field,” said Abbi, who has left school to concentrate on horses and also competes in dressage.
As ever, the amateur classes were hotly contested. The £500 first prize in the 1.20m final went to Flossy Bellm and Southbound, whose daring turn inside to a double put pressure on their rivals.
London-based Flossy runs her own events company.
“I’m flying to Norway tomorrow and I’ve spent the time between classes answering emails and organising the trip,” she said.
Flossy has owned Southbound for eight years.
“He’s the ultimate horse and will never be sold,” she said.
“He’s 15 now and going as well as ever. He shocked me recently by finishing second in the restricted 1.25m final at the national championships. I didn’t really think he was still capable of that height.”
Kerstin Deakin and Sunsolde added the 1.10m amateur title to their win in the equivalent class at this year’s Royal International with a fantastic round. Newcastle-based Kerstin doesn’t have much time to ride as she is studying
accountancy and finance at university. The little Swedish-bred Sunsolde, now 18, has been with Kerstin since her children-onhorses days.
“She’s like a pony to ride. I think she actually should have been 128cm, as she has the tiniest feet and wears mini shoes,” said Kirsten.