Burghley young event horse final
Amateur rider scores in prestigious class
IT’S not often that an amateur rider, competing in the final for the first time, tops the line here, but Ellie Ormrod, 23, defied the odds to win the five-year-old final. While the scores at the top were tight and the final places decided by the jumping scores, Ellie and Keyland William scored consistently well throughout, particularly in jumping and the final deciding section of suitability and potential.
There were emotional family scenes after her win, made even more special as Ellie returned to the saddle only a few months ago after surgery in December to plate a broken pelvis.
“I am in shock — we only came to enjoy the day,” said Ellie, who is training to be a chartered surveyor and recently started her first job.
Keyland William, whose looks
come from his Derg Cruise x Ballinvella maternal side rather than his British-based sire Wolkenderry, was acquired from his breeders at the Keyland Stud.
“They had produced him beautifully and, although he was the first horse we saw, we bought him,” said Ellie, who came to the final after just one qualifier. “He is fantastic — he just does it.”
Ros Canter stood second with her own Izilot DHI, a Dutch-bred bay gelding by the Casall son Zavall VDL, acquired from Ian Woodhead.
“Ian said he had a horse with my name written all over it,” said Ros, who will take Izilot to the British Eventing Young Horse Championships at Osberton.
Cheltenham-based Bernie Wharfe and Stonehaven Penhills Cobra (by Cobra) gained the edge with the highest jumping marks of the class to stand third.
SHINING STAR SIRIUS
IT was another tale of youth over experience in the four-year-old final, which was won by 22-yearold Harry Horgan and Sara Brown’s German-bred gelding Sirius. The pair went into the final judging with the highest marks in both jumping and dressage, and their lead proved invincible.
Sirius, a Brightwells purchase last December, is by the Britishbred Hanoverian Scuderia, who now stands in Germany, out of a mare by the current top ranked eventing sire Contendro I.
“He has already exceeded all expectations and today he just
gave me everything,” said Harry.
Helen Watkins’ second-placed home-bred Spye Morning Star received the prize for the best British-bred. Ridden by Hannah Freeman, the lovely chestnut gelding — one of two in the top five by the former Badminton winner Chilli Morning — is out of a mare by Espri, sire of Hugo Simon’s famous jumper ET.
Padraig McCarthy’s stallion Jefferson VDL, by the leading jumping sire Kannan out of a mare by Coriander, stood third. He was acquired by Padraig and his wife Lucy as an addition to their MGH Sport Horse Stud.
“The top three [four-yearolds] were very different types,” said judge and former British team rider Jeanette Brakewell, who rode the top four horses in each class. “The winner was a more powerful and bigger mover while the second horse was in lovely balance and really felt like he wanted to work with you.
The third was a lovely laid-back stallion — I couldn’t quite believe how easy the four-year-olds were.”