Diamond finally dazzles
A mum of one year lands a longed-for HOYS ticket after several misses, while the arrival of Hurrican Gert provides challenging conditions for competitors
ALMOST a year to the day after giving birth to her son Freddie, Katy Green finished top of the Cuddy working hunter qualifier, booking another visit to the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) with her heavyweight I’m A Diamond.
Katy has produced the 12-yearold son of Ricardo Z since he was five, competing at HOYS on eight previous occasions.
“I was banned from jumping after I passed the six-month stage of my pregnancy last year,” said Katy. “This is one of our favourite shows, so we always try to come
here, but last year Freddie had arrived the previous day and I was grounded.”
Katy, who has had three second places and 11 thirds in HOYS classes this season, was delighted to finally get her ticket after posting a flowing clear round over David Norlander’s tight and technical track, scoring a perfect 40 out of 40 for jumping.
“Our champion has clean limbs and superb conformation. He gave me a lovely ride and jumped a super round,” said ride judge Danielle Heath. Pauline Miller assessed confirmation.
Reserve was Michael Cooper with Lily Roberts’ Thor, second in the heavyweights, who is already qualified for HOYS.
BERGERAC GOES CLEAR
ADAM TAYLOR headed the lightweights with Sue Tennant’s Bloomfield Bergerac, also a previous HOYS finalist, who jumped the only clear in the class.
“The ground is fantastic considering the recent weather, but the course was tough,” said Adam. “There were three stiles and it was catchy and careful.”
The HOYS hunter championship was a family affair with Sam Walker, 13, giving his father Robert some tips on how best to ride the small division winner Party Time. His advice clearly paid off as Robert lifted the tricolour ahead of the middleweight winner, Bloomfield Valhalla (Jayne Ross).
Sam has been competing the three-times HOYS hunter champion in intermediate ranks, booking his HOYS ticket at the National Pony Society championships at Malvern.
“We retired Party Time from hunter classes after HOYS last year,” explained Robert. “He spent the winter in the field, but looked so good when he came in that his owner, Jill Day, gave him to Sam to compete as an intermediate show hunter. We intended to keep it all low key, but Sam had other ideas and has established a real bond with ‘Diddy’. I only brought him today for an outing as he looks so well, but we will consider taking him for the weight class at HOYS nearer the time.”
Edward Young and his partner Collette McGoldrick
made it a one-two in the small hacks, with Edward standing top on Annie Hor’s homebred multi-garlanded Classic Chauvinist, supreme hack at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) last year, and Collette taking the HOYS ticket aboard Chloe Whittle’s Whalton Dellboy. This six-year-old by Kilvington Scoundrel is in his first season and will make his Birmingham debut in October.
Reserve went to the large section winner Saatchi, owned and ridden by Kimberley Minchin, who is in her third season with the home-produced 12-year-old gelding, a previous intermediate winner at RIHS when produced by Gill Thompson.
Both these horses displayed exemplary manners as their championship coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Gert, which brought strong winds and torrential rain to the showground.
Allister Hood had the reigning HOYS supreme horse champion Our Cashel Blue on form to head a strong cob championship after winning the lightweight division for owner Lady Caroline Tyrrell. Lizzie Oseman stood reserve on her heavyweight winner Ballyell Turbo.