Showjumping
An on-form combination are in the money, while the ladies prove they’re the ones to beat and a mare comes back from a summer break to triumph
Aintree Premier Show, plus international highlights
ON her first visit to Aintree, Georgia Tame proved a major force to be reckoned with and she capitalised on her good form with a brilliant win in the Equi-Trek £1,500-to-the-winner premier grand prix, riding Team Z7’s
Cash Up.
“‘Cash’ is so chilled and easy to ride. We had it all to do, but he goes off any sort of stride whether it’s long or short,” said Georgia, who is based with Shane Breen at Hickstead.
Faced with huge entries and a high standard of jumping from day one, course-designer David Cole faced a daunting task of striking the right balance of clears for the finale and he got it just about right with 14 combinations out of 42 starters coming through to jump off over a tempting course.
Third drawn and eventual fifth, Louise Whitaker posted the first double clear with Ruby VIII (43.01), but she was immediately overtaken by her father John and Comme Il Faut, who produced a spectacular spin back to an imposing double with planks going in, to clip two seconds from the leading time.
Having watched John’s round, Georgia Tame thought the only way she could poach the lead was by turning shorter to the “Jockey Club” oxer at number three and the double.
Racing through the beams, Cash jumped the oxer off barely a stride and dropped and turned to
the double even sharper than John to post the winning time of 40.69.
Georgia and Cash are just a few months into their partnership and came to Aintree on good form, having won the under-23 grand prix at Arena UK.
“We were way off the oxer, but everything felt easy for him,” concluded Georgia, who momentarily held her breath as last-drawn young rider team gold medallists Millie Allen and Udo Oppermann’s Balou Star made a spirited challenge.
“This is our first show since ‘Balou’ had a break for stud duties after the Europeans and he felt really good,” said Millie, who finished second. “We whipped round on the turns and he’s careful enough for me to let him go on the long runs.”
Georgia was one of the busiest riders of the weekend and she fired an early warning shot to rivals when Z7 Cordanos V produced a corner-cutting round to win the winter National 1.35m qualifier on the first day.
“He’s naturally fast and can be quite strong, but he can turn up to anything,” said Georgia.
LADIES FIRST
IT was “ladies first” in the Royal International winter grade
B&C qualifier with Louise
Saywell and Holly Smith claiming their Hickstead tickets riding Gentleman and Hearts Destiny respectively.
With 17 combinations coming through to contest the jumpoff, it was game on when Holly produced the first double clear with the first of her two rides, Grennanstown Sarco Luxhill (39.74). Although several combinations managed double clears, no one matched the leading time until Louise Saywell set sail on Billy Twomey’s Gentleman (38.11).
“We had to do all the turns and inside lines, but nothing bothers him and he’s naturally quick,” said Louise, who has been competing the Vigaro six-year-old since April. “He spun back well to the water tray and then nearly tipped me out of the side door when he turned tighter than me to the next fence.”
It proved bad news and good news for Holly Smith, who pushed ‘Luxhill’ out of the Hickstead qualifying places with her last-drawn ride Hearts Destiny who took second place. The former working hunter (One To Watch, 12 October) was joint winner of the five-fence challenge at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and he again took everything in his stride.
Will Fletcher took the top two places in the Blue Chip Dynamic B&C championship qualifiers. Having set an unbeatable target in the grade C section riding Persimmon, who recently finished third in the HOYS grade C championship and was a former top eventer for Kitty King, Will posted the winning time with Glory Rose (Maggie) in the grade B section.
“Maggie is quick and careful and has moved up to trials this year, so this was a nice step down for her,” said Will. “The course was pretty decent, but she is a real trier and naturally fast.”
After buying Fabiola Fairy V just backed from Carl Edwards
three years ago, Abbie Bevan has found that the Indorado sevenyear-old has proved the perfect horse to take her from ponies into the senior ranks.
After being given time to mature, the scopey grey mare has stepped up to some bigger tracks with ease. Just a week ago, she was a newcomers finalist at
HOYS and here, she flew round a tough course to win the winter grade C qualifier.
“She has really grown up over the last year and I can trust her to anything which was a good job, as I had a real miss and saw a long stride in the jump-off, but she picked up well,” said Abbie.
Also qualifying for the winter championships grade C final were next-placed Rebecca
Marsh, who was having just her third outing with Picador, and Jackson Reed-Stephenson (Exception II) and Mark Turnbull (Ashton Dakota).
RARING TO GO
ALTHOUGH Ashlea Silk-Jones had put Casarella Nobile (Cassi) on the back burner for the summer while she concentrated on her grand prix horses, the Essex rider found her mare raring to go on their first show back and after two second places (Foxhunter and 1.10m), they scurried round to win the Blue Chip Karma qualifier.
“I was going to use this show to ease her back into competing and I wouldn’t have minded if she’d had a pole,” said Ashlea. “Considering the standard and atmosphere here, she has done really well. I threw her into the deep end a bit, but she galloped, landed and turned with no questions asked,” added Ashlea, who finished ahead of last-drawn Jessica Crosby riding Harvey.
Charlie Dawson started the final day as she meant to go on as, after winning the opening newcomers with It’s Kanny, she produced a typically determined round to win the DDS Demolition (Blue Chip) qualifier riding the eight-year-old MB Landini, who finished ahead of Chloe Winchester and Little Luidam.
Paul Barker finished the summer season with a flourish with a string of major wins on the county circuit and after giving his own and Jim Barry’s Happy Boy a break after Scope, they opened their winter account with a brilliant win in a hard-fought 64-starter National 1.40m.
“Every fence was pretty close with some tight turns and we had to take a stride out to the last,” said Paul, who finished ahead of Jonathan Dixon and Vintage Vee.
This popular show centre was bursting at the seams with horses and riders.
Although organisers coped well with huge entries, it did mean some long 15-hour days, so next year this premier show could be extended to five days to give earlier finishes.