Lucy and Titi unbeatable as Young Masters champions

Forthe secondyear in succession, Angus rider Lucy Guild and her “superstar” Titi D’Oase were crowned Young Masters Champions at the Royal Highland Show.

“He’s such a class horse,” explained Lucy of the Grade A Burgraaf-sired 15-year-old – bred out of the Elmshorn mare Oase Van De Hefinck – which has won in excess of £44,000 to date in his showjumping career. “He just wants to win.” They bagged their ticket to the final at the Highland at Fife Show, but also later won the 1m30 qualifier at Tillyoch, before heading to Bramham as a preHighland warm-up.

“I had drawn a plan in my mind before the jump off, so I knew what I was going to do regardless of the time that anyone set in front of me,” said Lucy, drawn third to go in the arena.

Indeed, setting the bar as the first to go in the jump-off – and ultimately running out the second prize winner – was Lucy’s younger sister Aimee Bell and her powerful gelding Cameron Poe.

“It was a long gallopy course, with just a handful of turn-backs, so it really was just a case of putting your foot to the throttle and going for it in the hope the clock stopped fast enough,” said Lucy.

But fast enough she certainly was when Titi pulled out all the stops to clinch an unassailable lead. “I went back into the arena later in the jump-off with my younger mare (Hugana Vant Heike ) with the aim of bettering my own time again but she had an unlucky pole.

“She’s certainly proved herself one for the future, though.”

Lucy co-owns eight-year-old Hugana, which is the reinging Winter Grade C Champion, with Fiona Good.

Lucy – who rides from a base at Drumcarrow, outside St Andrews, but who works full time at her father’s building company in Forfar to fund her

Undefeated Young Masters champions, the St Andrews-based partnership of Lucy Guild and Titi D’Oase.