Skylight opens up his
Two horses with limited experience snap up Hickstead tickets and a former eventer’s deceptively quick round seals a mammoth novice qualifier
STELLAR SKYLIGHT may have only a year’s jumping experience, but he was the picture of quality and consistency as he collected his second Hickstead ticket for Michaela Webb. Having already snared his place in the SEIB winter novice final with a win at Crofton last year, the nine-yearold gelding added a Champagne Cave winter B&C victory to his card, topping a four-strong jump-off with the quickest of two double clears.
“I can’t wait for Hickstead now,” said Michaela, who runs her own yard of seven horses in Northamptonshire. “He’s never jumped on grass but I ride for
Tim Stockdale who has a big grass arena at home, so I’ll be able to get him used to it.”
The attractive dark bay was sourced by Michaela from Germany for her “loyal” owners Nikki Savage and Adrian Jenks, and has proved a great find. He has already made a successful jump to grand prix, recently securing a fourth place at
Bury Farm.
“He’d not been doing a lot in Germany and was a bit green,” said Michaela. “He’s a cool guy though and has been easy to produce; he has so much scope but he is quite cheeky — he’ll land and buck.
“We are stepping him up to two-star now and we will aim for some area trials in the summer.”
First-to-jump Alfie Bradstock piloted another low-mileage talent — Tracy Priest’s nine-year-old grey mare Fuzeta Beech (Princess) — to the remaining ticket.
The 23-year-old rider added Princess to his string shortly after setting up on his own last year, and she should be one to watch for this year’s Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifiers, with all her first-round double clears secured at newcomers, Foxhunter and Talent Seekers.
“I saw Tracy at a show and she said she had one who wasn’t doing much who I could ride,” said Alfie. “She wasn’t green, just hadn’t done a lot and she was ready to crack on. She’s been very careful and consistent.”
GOLDEN TRANSITION
THE SEIB winter novice qualifier was easily the best-supported class of the show, with 50 contenders vying for their shot at the Royal International. Thirtytwo remained into the second phase, with course-builder Kevin Bull asking just enough questions in his jump-off track to sift the field. A turnback to a plank at the second was the course bogey, eliciting a few duck-outs and rails down, but 16 combinations still produced double clears.
A storming round from Nick Edwards and Rensa in the latter half of the field appeared to set an insurmountable lead, only for victory to be snatched from final draw by the ever-competitive Emma-Jo Slater. Partnering her third and most experienced ride of the jump-off, Milestone Gold, she kept it neat and tight, forging a quicker path from the double to the closing oxer to nip 0.14sec off the lead. Owned by his breeder Lady Charlotte Steel and kept with Kim Barzilay, the nine-yearold gelding by Hamilton Tropics recently made the transition from intermediate eventing to showjumping full-time.
“I thought it would be a good class for him and he didn’t have too many eventing points to be eligible. We’ve had five attempts at qualifying and got it on the last one,” said Kim. “Nick had gone so fast I said that no one in a million years would beat him. I thought we could manage second at best. “He’s a deceivingly quick horse though and Emma is a deceivingly quick rider — she doesn’t lose the odd half-second in the corners.”
Nick was delighted to collect the second ticket and be heading back to the Royal International for the first time in seven years.
“I wouldn’t have wanted anyone but Emma-Jo to beat me, she’s always dangerous in last draw,” said Nick, who bought Rensa as a just-backed five-yearold direct from the Netherlands. “It’s a dream come true to qualify. The last time I was in that hallowed arena was when I was 13 and on ponies.
“It’s been a fantastic day, especially to do that in a jump-off of 32. I just had to phone my mum and dad in Dubai to let them know their horse qualified.”
Mark Edwards wasn’t originally aiming for the spring championships at Addington, but is considering a change in plans after collecting qualifiying victories in the winter six-year-old and winter 1.35m open. His sixyear-old winner NPS Howenna — owned by New Priory Stud and a full sister to their successful mare