Horse & Hound

Young boosts her ticket collection

Courtney Young is in scintillat­ing form for a double, while just Emma Baker emerges umblemishe­d from a taxing 148cm contest

- Keysoe Pony Premier, The College, Beds By SARAH RADFORD

COURTNEY YOUNG came one step closer to a full house of Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) tickets as she headed both the newcomers and Foxhunter second rounds.

Throughout the weekend the consensus was that David Cole’s tracks were very technical and, despite meaty startlists, the key qualifiers produced only a smattering of first-round clears. From 71 starters, eight went through to the first jump-off of the Foxhunter second round, but only two retained clean sheets: Courtney riding Jamie Fry’s

Zucan V and Jessica Howard with Tinka’s Gentleman Jim.

As both ponies were set to jump the following day’s newcomers — Zucan V with his usual rider Toby Fry — the girls elected to share the spoils and jumped the first fence of the third round before retiring.

Tahnia Jordan Jones and Kerry Grimster’s Heartbreak­er Express II took the third ticket as the fastest four-faulters.

“The judges told us to start the third round so there were no complicati­ons,” Jessica explained. “We knew the newcomers always goes three rounds so we decided to save the ponies and share it.”

Courtney rode the Fell Zucan last year before he was sold to the Frys and has continued to pursue a Foxhunter ticket on him this year while Toby contests newcomers.

“I only get on him at shows,” said Courtney, who finished third with him in last year’s newcomers final at HOYS and 12th in the Foxhunter. “He’s really scopey and I have a good bond with him.”

Jessica’s 15-year-old Tinka, owned by Adrienne Staunton, was also a temporary partnershi­p that has become a more permanent one for this season.

“He was sent to us for some schooling in December for six weeks and we were going to hand him back to his owners at the New Year Show,” she said. “My goal had been to step him up from 90cm to 1.20m classes and he did those well, so we asked the owners if we could try him at the first pony premier — and we’ve ended up keeping him for the season.”

The newcomers second round played out as a more competitiv­e class, with eight making the third phase — of which four produced treble clears.

Jumping third from last with her second ride of the jump-off, Neil 55, Courtney took all the inside routes to axe 2.48sec from the lead set by Rachel Proudley and Family Affaer II.

Bred by Charlotte Platt by the stallion Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve and owned by Nicole Rogers, Neil 55 has had a precocious season for a sixyear-old, already picking up a Foxhunter ticket at Arena UK.

“He’s had a few weeks off since then as we don’t want to take him out every weekend,” Courtney said. “We got him in November and started small with him as we didn’t want to scare him, but he’ll jump any fence you put up.

“I knew in that jump-off we were going to have to go for it.

The more I dare him, the more he wants to do it — he gets a lot of excitement from it.”

Rachel collected the second ticket with 16-year-old Family Affaer, who is by Primitive Faerie Tale. The mare is a former junior European team gold-medal winning eventer for her owner Bethany Stephenson.

“She’s been a very good pony but Bethany is too big for her and she’d been sat in the field for a while,” Rachel’s father Paul explained. “Rachel got the chance to ride her and she has very few British Showjumpin­g points as she’d mostly evented. She’s a lovely mare and Rachel really enjoys riding her.”

BAKER TAKES A FANCY TO TOUGH TRACK

THE 148cms faced another tough track in the leading pony showjumper where the majority of the field faulted at a combinatio­n at the final fence. There was just one clear from Elizabeth Baker and Adams Fancy, while the remaining two tickets went to four-faulters Harry Wood (Sligo

Furisto) and Claudia Moore (Delflip), bringing her HOYS ticket tally to five.

“It was tough,” said Elizabeth. “We were near the end of the draw and we’d seen some very good ponies go round with the majority getting 12 or 16 faults. When we got near the end of the course and were clear I just thought, ‘Please jump the combinatio­n!’ It was

‘The more I dare him, the more he wants to do it’ COURTNEY YOUNG ON NEIL 55

such a long way round and I think a lot of them were getting tired by that point. He’s an Irish Sport Pony and he’s very fit.”

Elizabeth was given the ride on 13-year-old Adam last August by owners Penny and Piers Hammond. Originally started off by Jess Mendoza, he previously went to HOYS as a six-year-old with Emily Ward.

“He’s done a bit before but not at this height and I am new to the level this year as well,” said Elizabeth, 16, who is trained at home by Katy Ford and by Eleni Murphy and Terri Wilkins at shows. “He’s more confident this year — he thrives on going for it in a jump-off, so we have learnt to go for it in the warm-up class and he seems to love it.”

The 138cm qualifier was won by Claudia Moore (Tullineask­ey Fear Deas), who produced the sole treble clear. Tabitha Kyle also demonstrat­ed her form as she picked up second and third placings with Playboy Van De Zoetewei and Lissduff Royal.

The top ticket went to Luli Loveridge in fourth place with 23-year-old Arrow Head Quiver, who remained focused despite a day of very mixed emotions.

“I woke up on Sunday to birthday cake and candles in the lorry and then my daddy rang to tell me that my grandma [Lady Loveridge] had just died, so I had to go out there and do it for her,” said Luli, who turned 14 at the show. “The track was technical and quite winding but Quiver is the best pony ever.”

The remaining qualifying spots went to eight-faulters Rachel Proudley (Buttons Two) and Kieran Taylor (Ashwey El Britaniko).

‘A PARENT’S DREAM’

THE rules for HOYS qualifiers state that all those collecting a ticket must jump clear in the first round, which meant there were no qualifiers from the 128cms.

Two ponies jumped clear in the first phase and went all the way through to the third round, but both had already netted a ticket. The win went to Izabella Rogers and Whinney Lass, who jumped the sole treble clear ahead of Sophie Wicks and Camizion.

“They’ve been really consistent and qualified for Hickstead and HOYS two years in a row,” said Izabella’s mother, Nicola. “Whinney is a really simple pony and every parent’s dream.”

 ??  ?? Courtney Young steers six-year-old Neil 55 to a newcomers secondroun­d victory by 2.48sec
Courtney Young steers six-year-old Neil 55 to a newcomers secondroun­d victory by 2.48sec
 ??  ?? Elizabeth Baker and Adams Fancy land the leading pony showjumper
Elizabeth Baker and Adams Fancy land the leading pony showjumper

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