Early morning drizzle on Saturday at Barbury gave way to lovely warm sunshine in the afternoon, and a bumper crowd came to enjoy the varied entertainment – eventing, inter-hunt relays, show jumping and even a sheep show.
The popular local combination of Andrew Nicholson and Avebury didn’t disappoint the crowd and are on track for a third successive victory in CIC3* at the St James’s Place Wealth Management Barbury International Horse Trials.
The leading New Zealand rider and world number two in eventing, who lives just down the road at Lockeridge, leads 3* Section A after adding a faultless show jumping round to his impressive dressage score of 34.8 on Rosemary and Mark Barlow’s lovely grey gelding.
Avebury, who was home-bred by Andrew and is named after the local Roman earthworks, is quite a character and has a particular fondness for the amphitheatre of Barbury where he produced the best dressage test of his career.
“He’s in great form and he usually loves it here at Barbury, so I’ve just got my fingers crossed that he’ll enjoy himself like he usually does on tomorrow’s cross-country,” said Rosemary of her dual Burghley-winning horse.
Andrew has 4.8 penalties in hand over American rider Clark Montgomery (above), who is also based locally with Swiss rider and judge Christian Landolt near Malmesbury. Clark also jumped clear on the Irish-bred Loughan Glen.
Andrew’s longstanding team mate Sir Mark Todd, who also lives near Barbury, at Bishopstone, is lying in third place on the German-bred Leonidas ll (above), his ride at next month’s World Equestrian Games (WEG) in France.
Kristina Cook and her home-bred bay gelding De Novo News, who will be representing Great Britain at the WEG, are in fourth place. “I’m really excited to have produced another horse to this level,” said Tina, who won world team gold on her senior team debut 20 years ago.
“I never take team selection for granted – it’s very special every time and I’m privileged to be part of it. I didn’t start eventing this horse until he was six and he’s done a lot in a short space of time. He isn’t the finished article yet but I think he’s ready for this step up.”
The CIC*** cross-country starts at 1.30pm tomorrow (Sunday) and the highest-placed riders will be going in reverse order of merit to create the thrilling climax for which Barbury is famed.
Sam Griffiths and Favorit Z have dropped down to 38th (above) while Paul Tapner and Yogi Bear VIII jumped clear to move up to 13th place (below)
Warren Lamperd and Silvia are in 52nd place (above); seen with his brother Murray who is over from Australia (below) near the Outside Chance bar!
Section B: Rising star David Doel joins the big time
David Doel, one of Britain’s brightest young prospects, scored his first “grown-up” two star victory at the St James’s Place Wealth Management Barbury International Horse Trials, on Jane James’s Miss Caruso.
The 21-year-old led from the start in CCI** Section B, narrowly beating two veteran New Zealanders, Andrew Nicholson on Libby Sellar’s stunning prospect Jet Set lV and former Olympic champion Blyth Tait riding Ronnie Bartlett’s Bear Necessity V.
David, a farmer’s son from Laycock, Wiltshire, has successfully represented Britain in Junior and Young Rider teams but he is facing a race against time to get Miss Caruso qualified for this year’s Young Rider European Championships in Portugal in September. His preparation was thwarted by a broken collarbone at Houghton Hall last month.
“Miss Caruso is really my stable star because I’m in the process of getting some new young horses and trying to upgrade to seniors,” explained David, who has set his sights on the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
He gained the ride on the 14-year-old mare earlier this year from Chris King. “I’m lucky to ride her. She’s an honest horse, smart on the flat and consistent. She’s definitely got a personality; she’s known as the princess on the yard.”
Lucinda Fredericks finished 55th on Step Along Style (above) in the CIC2* Section B
Section C: William Fox-Pitt is Top again
World number one event rider William Fox-Pitt showed he has yet another promising horse in the making in Top Biats (above), winner of CIC** Section C. William led from the start on his longstanding owners Judy and Jeremy Skinner and David and Margie Hall’s Top Biats, a French-bred seven-year-old by Corofino.
Top Biats came to William as a four-year-old, thanks to the enthusiasm of his breeder, Philippe Brivois. William explained: “He came from the same stud as [four-star horse] Oslo and after we won Pau [in 2011], Philippe kept saying ‘you must see my four-year-olds’. I was resisting, but he sent the horse anyway!
“He’s a very, very smart horse and level-headed as well. He’s a lovely horse. I don’t what the future will hold with him, but I’m just enjoying him at every level.”
Section D - Aussie rules
British-based Australian rider Christopher Burton was second on Wild Duchess (above) ahead of Kiwi Caroline Powell on Spice Sensation.
Sophie How, who was second after dressage on Pebbly Aga Khan, opted for a steady cross-country round and finished 12th with 21.2 time penalties.
The optimum cross-country time, of 5 minutes 44 seconds this time, is always notoriously hard to achieve on Barbury’s rolling hills, but Mary Edmundson managed it on Sonny Early, rising 29 places to sixth as a result.
Christopher Burton finished only one second over the time to emerge the clear winner of CCI** Section D on Sue Lawson and Carolyn and Anthony Townsend’s Nobilis 18.
The nine-year-old Hannoverian by Nobrexx, who was competing in his first two-star competition, was bred in Germany and formerly competed by Dirk Schrade and Olympic champion Michael Jung.
Christopher’s owners bought him for him to ride on the recommendation of Rachel Wakefield of Uptown Eventing. “He’s not the simplest horse to ride but we’re being patient with him because we think he’s four-star material,” he explained.
“He was quite green around the cross-country here but he really showed his talent, because it’s no pushover here. But the [Mark Philips’s] course rode great. I love Barbury – it’s a super track. It’s always great fun here and gets you going.”
Britain’s Sarah Bullimore finished second, 8.6 penalties in arrears, on Lilly Corinne and Alex Liddle was third on Romeo Z.
Sweden’s European team silver medallist Ludwig Svennerstal, who is based in Britain, lay second after showjumping on Alexander lV, but went steadily across country to drop to 36th. Coral Keen, third at that stage, had a run-out on Aphrodisiac.
Only one of the 72 cross-country starters achieved the optimum time: Charlie Clover riding Chataigne Filice.
JCB Champions Challenge
Over to you - Richard Johnson (left) hands Sam Twiston-Davies the relay whip along with team mate John Francome
A quartet of Britain’s finest current and former jump jockeys were also present and victorious in the JCB Champions Challenge held at Barbury on Saturday in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF).
Displaying a take-no-prisoners will to win attitude, the jockeys included John Francome, a former seven times champion jockey and now president of the IJF and Sam Twiston-Davies, 21, one of the brightest of the new generation of young jumps jockeys. Completing the teams were Richard Johnson, who is after AP McCoy, the second-most successful jockey in jumps history and leading jockey Noel Fehily, who was taking over team captain duties from the injured AP McCoy OBE.
In a nail biting contest consisting of four teams of event riders, jockeys, show jumpers and the VWH Bathurst Hunt team, winners of the inter-hunt relay held earlier, went head to head in the race over a secifically designed course of fences including a water jump.
Making a splash - John Francome (left) and Zara Phillips battle it out
Both teams of finalists, with Tintin Belsham, Ella McEwen, Scarlett Crew representing the VWH Bathurst Hunt set a blistering pace along with the jump jockeys. The latter team looked very at home in the speed stakes and eventually edged out VWH Bathurst in a nail biting finish to snatch victory.
John Francome of the jump jockeys team said;
“The hunt gave us a real run for our money, the boys certainly need to watch out for their day jobs, but where were the eventers, did they show up we barely broke a sweat against them?! It was a real buzz to ride in front of such a great crowd here at Barbury and all in aid of the fantastic work of the IJF”.
Finishing in third place was the eventer’s team consisting of Zara Phillips, William Fox-Pitt, Sir Mark Todd and Laura Collett.
Also competing in the competition were the eventual runners up - the show jumpers, consisting of Angie Thompson, Michael Duffy, Tim Wilks. The fourth member Rowan Willis, had earlier won the ReadySupp Grand Prix showjumping on board Premier E'toile.
The JCB Champions Challenge was held in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund, who AP McCoy is Vice Patron of and Zara Phillip's mother HRH The Princess Royal is Patron. AP McCoy who had given up his race rides earlier this week due to injury was also present cheering on his weighing room colleagues.
Sam Twiston-Davies leads the way in the speed stakes to eventually win the JCB Champions Challenge
