Onslow scores sweet success
A hefty journey pays off for one young winner, while a home-bred stallion clocks the fastest time of his section
ROSA ONSLOW made a long journey worthwhile by taking the under-21 open intermediate on RLE Limbo Kaiser. She also took fifth with Diamond Sundance, enjoying confidence-building runs ahead of both horses running in the CIC3* at Barbury.
“We live in the Scottish Borders and two double clears makes the six-and-a-half-hour journey home a bit sweeter,” said Rosa, whose mother Cindy is joint-organiser of Floors Castle Horse Trials.
“This is my first time here and I’d heard really good things about it. The dressage arenas were lovely and quiet and the ground was perfect in the two jumping phases. I thought the cross-country was
quite big, but I really liked it.”
Jeanette Brakewell’s student Lucy Robinson claimed second with intermediate debutant RLE French Clover and fourth on Red Jazz.
DUNBEAU RETURNS
PETER WINDUS’ Dunbeau made an emphatic return to competition, winning the sole open intermediate section. Piloted by Oliver Townend, the 14-year-old son of Jumbo enjoyed his first full run since Blenheim CCI3* 2016 and led throughout, holding Oliver’s former working pupil Angus Smales and A Bit Much at bay.
As in all the intermediate sections, the showjumping proved influential but Angus was on fire in this phase, posting two of only nine clear rounds in the section, his second on eighth-placed Eastern Gold II.
Oliver, meanwhile, enjoyed an easy weekend by his standards, riding a mere eight horses. He also rode Tregilder into third, both he and Dunbeau enjoying comfortable prep runs ahead of Barbury CIC2* next month.
SPEEDY STALLION
THE fastest cross-country time of the section secured Michael Jackson the win in intermediate section M with Gary Power’s PSH Bespoke. The home-bred stallion by Voltaire stands at Gary’s Power Sports Horses stud in Powys.
The pair rolled a pole showjumping but their 3.2 cross-country time-faults, added to a dressage score of 35.9, kept them ahead of nearest rivals Katie Barber and Don Meeco, who posted one of the few showjumping clear rounds. Dressage leaders Izzy Taylor and Newmarket Glider finished third after rolling two poles and adding cross-country time-penalties.
Brier Leahy, who produces young horses for Celtic Dragon Horses, won intermediate section O with Kellen (see box, right). They completed on 32.4, ahead of Lisa Freckingham (The Classic Composer) and Polly Stockton with Drummer.
TIGHT TIME
JONATHAN CLISSOLD’S cross-country track, which
presented competitors with a good mix of well-built fences over a combination of open park and woodland, generally rode well and asked some valid questions of combinations stepping up to this level.
However, the undulations took their toll and only Oliver Townend and Tregilder made the optimum time of 5min 4sec.
As ever, the first water at
12ab, the first log element of which comes up quickly after a right-hand bend, proved to be the most influential fence but rode well if riders approached it on a positive stride and got their line right, thus enabling them to then attack the skinny triple brush b element head-on. Joe Wise (Isle Moor), Izzy Taylor (How Bazaar) and Samantha Hobbs (Tretawn) were among those who picked up faults there.
Sunday’s cross-country finished after 6pm following a packed day of action in which the sections generally ran well to time with just one real hold on course.
Andrew Heffernan’s ride Gloriette TN was sadly put down after being injured in an accident at fence 14.