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The Dobson and Horrell Pony Club Eventer Challenge
Apart from the dressage action in the Marlborough (CCI3*) and Churchill (CIC3*) arenas at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials there was plenty to do around and about the rest of the venue today.
In the Bladon arena the Dodson and Horrell Pony Club Eventer Challenge was being contested. Teams compete over a combined course of 1.05m show jumps and cross country fences with an optimum time for completion. All of the fences are in the same arena and penalties are incurred for knock downs, refusals and falls as well as time faults. Each Pony Club team consists of four riders who enter the arena consecutively and the competition requires each member to complete the course within an optimum time. The best three scores in each time are counted and the team with the lowest cumulative score nearest to the optimum time wins the competition. Each competitor is also marked on their riding style and skill and there is a prize for the most stylish rider
Francis Whittington and Easy Target
However the most stylish rider here today must have been Francis Whittington who became the pin up boy for Aston Martin Works after he had finished his second dressage test. Seated in the super sleek Aston Martin cars parked outside the Members Marquee, Francis just oozed James Bond charm for the publicity shots. It’s Whittington, Francis Whittington.
The shoot even required a quick change of clothes from dressage dress to cross country colours (moving up a gear, as it were); most importantly however Francis remembered to remove his spurs before leaping into the cars sold and restored by Aston Martin Works that are worth hundreds of thousands. This company, one of the best performing Aston Martin dealerships in the world, certainly know how to look after their VIP clients – they even have a ‘flying spanners’ service when it is not practicable to return a car to their base.
Like James Bond, Francis is prepared for all eventualities - the only outfit he didn't have available was a tuxedo
We had a quick chat with Francis afterwards
HRH The Princess Royal is greeted by the Duke of Marlborough and Event Director Mandy Hervieu
Talking of VIPs and continuing the James Bond theme although the Queen didn’t drop in her daughter did. HRH The Princess Royal joined Britain’s largest horse rescue and rehoming charity, World Horse Welfare, the event’s chosen charity for 2014, to attend a drinks reception and buffet lunch and meet World Horse Welfare’s guests. The President of the World Horse Welfare, the Princess believes in practising what she preaches, having rehomed her very own horse from World Horse Welfare in 2013.
But back to the real reason we are here. Sam Griffiths remains on top of the CIC3* 8/9YO class on Favorit Z after both days of dressage but the Antipodean stronghold (with seven Australian and New Zealand riders still in the top ten) was broken today by the Netherlands’ Tim Lips, France’s Thomas Carlile and Britain’s Nicola Wilson.
Tim Lips and Bayro in the CIC3*
The recent WEG team bronze medal winner Tim riding Bayro scored 39.3 to be in second place while Thomas riding Sirocco du Gers, the winner of the seven year old class at the World Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers last year, is in third place on a score of 41.4 and Nicola Wilson riding Ngong Hills takes fourth place behind Brook Staples (full results below)
Andrew Hoy and Cheeky Calimbo lead the CCI3*
In the CCI3* Andrew Hoy leads on Cheeky Calimbo (listen to what Andrew has to say about his dressage tests on both horses and why he retired Rutherglen on the cross country at Burghley in our earlier interview here) while yesterday’s leader, 18 year old Emily King is in second place on Brookleigh. Three of the previously mentioned Catherine Witt’s horses are in the top ten; Fernhill Pimms (3rd) and Seacookie (7th) ridden by William Fox-Pitt and Easy Target (4th) ridden by Francis. William is also in fifth place riding Freddie Mac and Kitty King on the young talent Persimmon is in sixth. Laura Collett is currently lying seventh on her new ride Grand Manoeuvre, however she has decided to withdraw due to the discomfort she is experiencing from a broken foot incurred earlier in the week courtesy of a young horse.
William Fox-Pitt and Fernhill Pimms
With the competition dressage over it was time for the inaugural Brightwell’s Elite Blenheim Event Horse Sale but we’ll bring you details of that another day. In the meantime, with the CCI3* cross country coming up tomorrow and the CIC3* on Sunday, listen to what the course designer Eric Winter thinks will challenge the riders of this year’s course
Rupert Bell talks to Eric Winter
