Showjumping
Solihull, Arena UK and Thame
HUSBAND and wife team
Jess and Adam Botham cleaned up with five wins between them during the five-day meeting, including two Blue
Chip qualifiers.
Jess convincingly claimed the Blue Chip Dynamic B&C with more than three seconds in hand on Spencer Roe’s Dutch-bred Gusto.
“He’s lovely but he was very fresh in the first round; he hasn’t jumped since Arena UK a week ago,” said Jess, who got the ride less than two months ago.
They were the only pair to attempt the ultra-tight inside turn midway in the jump-off.
“He was brilliant and so good behind, he flicked away then dropped into the turn to get inside a wing. That turn won the class, the rest of the course I could just jump in a rhythm, all I had to do was beat the jumps.” said Jess, who reckons the Baltic VDL x Corland seven- year-old is underrated.
“He just bobs along and doesn’t show you all he’s got — he has loads of scope but is just economical and easy.”
Sarah Hedges slotted Erica Watson’s Arko seven-year-old Aristoteles S Z into second place.
“He’s still green, he jumped up to 1.20m with Erica,” said Sarah, who got the ride three months ago. “This is only his second show ever indoors and the biggest track he’s jumped.”
Adam claimed a double victory in the DDS Demolition 1.25m to qualify for the Blue Chip championships and a 1.30m with new ride Urbino De La Roque.
The French-bred 10-yearold with Kannan x Palestro II bloodlines is owned by Steven Whitaker and was at his second show with Adam.
“Steven said they have way too many horses about and asked me to get stuck in with him,” said Adam, on the gelding who hadn’t been to a show for four months. “So we pulled him out of the field, washed him, clipped him, put a set of shoes on him and went to Arena UK [the week before].”
The 1.25m jump-off didn’t go as exactly as planned.
“He won it, not me. We jumped the first two fences but I lost my reins over number three and he jumped the rest of the fences on his own, I just kept squeezing,” explained Adam. “He’s not the quickest horse but he’s ultracareful — his round was beautiful, mine not so much.”
Angie Thompson claimed
second with 12-year-old Cornet Obolensky Junior (Cornet Obolensky x Landfriese I) while Bex Mason was third on her Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) newcomers finalist, Team Crows Nest’s six-year-old Vancurtis.
Adam and Jess claimed another win apiece. Jess headed a Foxhunter with the eight-year-old Flamenco De Semilly daughter Ether Chavannaise and Adam eased another new ride of one week, the Balou Du Rouet x Aran seven-year-old mare Twinkle Toes HK, into victory in a newcomers.
‘QUICK AND CAREFUL’
JOE FERNYHOUGH enjoyed a successful run before contending the HOYS Foxhunter and Talent Seekers finals with Calcourt Quicktime, winning the 1.40m in fine style. The pair claimed almost three seconds in hand over Olivia Poole and Corlando Of Cavallini.
“He’s a trier and naturally quick and careful,” said Joe of the home-bred eight-year-old with Westpoint Quickfire x
Larino bloodlines.
Quicktime is no stranger to the HOYS atmosphere and finished fourth in the grade C final last year.
“He’s better with a bit of atmosphere, it lifts him,” said Joe. “He has a very good temperament and if they were all like him, we’d be alright.”
Mennell Watson jumped into third place with Quality Old Joker, the normal ride of Holly Smith. Mennell has borrowed the big Irish-bred OBOS Quality 004 10-year-old for the international classes at HOYS after qualifying in the gold league.
Abi Walters topped a competitive 17-horse jump-off to take the Blue Chip Karma performance qualifier on Harlequin Vivendi.
As the name suggests, the sixyear-old is by Harlequin Du Carel and out of an Ars Vivendi mare.
“We bought him last year, he hadn’t done a thing and he was a bit of a find,” said Abi, who has mainly jumped age classes with the gelding this year.
“He’s very consistent and the easiest horse I’ve ever had, you aim him, and he goes, eyes up the fence and focuses. We went as fast as his legs would take him and he was fast for a big horse, but the more pressure you put on him, the higher he goes — I think he’ll be a good one for the future, he wants to leave the fences up.”
Adam Ellery slotted Ilse Bosch’s Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Indorado stallion Helios B into second place. The six-year-old was purchased in Holland three years ago and has his first offspring due next year.
“He can be buzzy and he’s a comedian in the warm-up arena, but once he’s in the ring he’s quite sweet,” said Adam.
Derek Morton was another to achieve his aim with a successful
run before HOYS and claimed two of the top three places in the concluding 1.30m. He won on new ride of six weeks Mayo II, an Armitage x Acord II nine-yearold, and finished third with his seven-year-old HOYS grade C and Foxhunter finalist KBS High Quality (OBOS Quality 004 x High Roller).
“We’ve bought Mayo to do working hunters, but he’s obviously not going to be ready for this year so we’re just doing a bit of jumping with him and getting him to working hunter condition,” said Derek, who had qualified both Mayo and High Quality for the Blue Chip Dynamic B&C final the day before.
Angie Thompson again had to settle for second — for the third time this week — with Cornet Obolensky Junior. Second to Adam Botham in the DDS Demolition 1.25m, the pair also finished runner-up in two other 1.30m classes.
Suzanne Posnett enjoyed a successful show, with four wins. The evergreen Irish-bred 26-year-old mare, Karmijn, doubled up with 1.15m and a Foxhunter/1.20m victory, the Swedish-bred 13-year-old Queen Of Clubs headed the final 1.25m single phase and the five-yearold Irish-bred mare, Carrickview Under Cover, proved unbeatable in a newcomers.
Suzanne almost made it five but had to settle for second in a 1.30m class on the eight-yearold mare Foesuela (Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve x Ultimo), beaten by Georgina Ellis and the Dutch-bred eight-year-old Fireball X.