Algebra looks on as Andrew Hoy takes the honours at Montelibretti Photo courtesy Hoy Eventing
It was a good start to the season for Australia’s Andrew Hoy who won the CCI3* at Montelibretti in Italy on the weekend. Andrew and Cheeky Calimbo led after the dressage phase on Friday then added only 4.4 time penalties during Saturday’s cross country phase before clinching the win with a score of 44.60 on Sunday with a clear round in the show jumping.
His stable mate Rutherglen went slightly faster on the cross country to have only 2.4 time penalties and he added four faults in the show jumping to finish in second spot on a score of 53.30.
Andrew had been in first, second and third places after the dressage but the elderly statesman of the Hoy stable, the evergreen Algebra still going strong at 18 years of age, took it a little slower on the cross country to pick up 10 time penalties and an additional four jumping faults left him in sixth place overall.
Switzerland’s Johner Melody riding Frimeur du Record CH finished in fourth place on a total of 59.30 while Spain’s Albert Hermosa Farras put in a great jumping performance – double clear on cross country and in the show jumping – to move from 20th after the dressage into fourth place. They were the only combination to achieve the time on cross country but sixth placed Roman Pietro of Italy came close with just 0.4 time penalties riding Barraduff
Johner Melody also had a good weekend with a win in the CIC1* riding Viril Peccau CH
Andrew is now headed to the first British event of the year at Oasby in Lincolnshire where he will compete the very colourful Right to Play Jack Sparrow, The Blue Frontier and Composer
Other UK based combinations opted to head to Portugal for their first event of the season at Barocca d’Alva – a very popular spot in the sun. It was a truly international affair with Germany’s Andreas Dibowski winning the CIC2* on FRH Butts Avedon, adding only 1.6 time penalties on cross country to his dressage score to finish on 46.8.
Brazil’s Ruy Fonseca was very consistent, finishing in second place where he started after the dressage phase on 40.6. Ruy and Tom Bombadill Too picked up eight time penalties on cross country but jumped a lovely clear round in the showjumping – one of only a few clear rounds in this phase to finish on 48.6.
Belgium’s Vincent Martens and Ardenco were the only combination to post a double clear cross country round but two rails in the show jumping moved them down to third while Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy riding Mr Chunky, leaders after the cross country phase, finished in fourth with an unfortunate 11 time penalties in the show jumping
Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet were the best of the Brits in fifth place and Japan’s Ryuzo Kitajima riding Just Chocolate, a horse that used to be ridden by New Zealand’s Donna Smith, finished in sixth place
