Didntitellya we’d win
Major Harry Wallace lands his second Yeomanry Ride on the trot, thanks to a ‘perfect start’
THE King’s Troop’s Commanding Officer, Major Harry Wallace, flew round the two-and-a-half miles of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry Ride on the point-to-pointer Didntitellya to win the race and the Somerville LivingstoneLearmonth Trophy for the second consecutive year.
This race has a particularly fast start — downhill over a brush hurdle and a chase fence, before meeting the upright rails and the drop wall at the road crossing — and nine-year-old Didntitellya took the lead early on in proceedings.
“He pulled like a train — it’s no use trying to tuck in; you have
to let him go,” explained Harry. “I got the perfect start and had a largely clear run with a few horses around him to keep him going. He jumped and travelled well, and I didn’t want people to pass us in case he threw the towel in.”
The Presenting gelding is likely to run in a point-to-point in the next couple of weeks, but will target the Melton Hunt Club Ride at the beginning of February.
Clare King, who gave birth to her daughter Georgie four months ago and who was riding with cracked ribs, pressed the winners hard for second place.
Capt Doug White, of The
Royal Wessex Yeomanry and formerly The Queen’s Royal Hussars, was just behind this pair, finishing in third place on Handsome. Doug is a regular rider in this race and a previous winner.
Clare was riding the grey Vaxalco, whom her husband, National Hunt trainer Neil
King, bought from Doncaster Bloodstock Sales in August.
“This is the first thing we’ve done together and he was great — really brave,” said Clare.
“I just wish I had been a bit fitter and we might have got to the winning post first.”
Clare will aim the nine-yearold, formerly in training with
Jim Culloty, at the Melton Hunt Club Ride.
Team chaser Larry Brown was fourth on Royale Knight, while Rose Grissell was fifth.
MEDIC TAKES TITLE
THERE were 25 finishers from the 31 starters. The Johnny Hills Memorial Plate for the first novice yeoman went to Private Emma Powne, who works for trainer Harry Fry and is a medic in A (Dorset Yeomanry) Squadron of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry. Emma was riding Minstrel, one of seven horses hired from Leicestershire Hunter Hirelings.
Capt Jack Mann won the Patrick Beresford Trophy for the first (and only, this year) member of the Household Cavalry.
Bdr Josh Cooksley won the Blakiston Bowl, awarded to the first member of the King’s Troop home on a working military horse. He was one of five King’s Troop soldiers, as was LBdr Kate Thomas, who took home the Bobby Faulkner Memorial Bottle as first faller.
Other riders who completed the race included Italian eventer Vittoria Panizzon, on her former CCI3* ride Merlot’s Magic, and former Cotswold joint-master Rosie Vestey (Noah).
Major Harry Wallace said: “A great deal of time and effort on the part of the Yeomanry Ride Committee goes into staging this race, and we are grateful. There have been so many improvements to the fences and the course in recent years.”
‘It’s no use trying to tuck in; you have to let him go’
MAJOR HARRY WALLACE ON HIS WINNER, DIDNTITELLYA