Laura Collett and London 52 lead the Lycetts Grantham Cup CCI4*-S
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Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby Park 2023 - order or view videos here
Last year’s Badminton winner and the current World Champion showed that when the going gets tough, the tough get going on Friday at the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby Park
Laura Collett and London 52, who finished second in this class in 2022 before going on to win at Badminton, top the Lycetts Grantham Cup CCI4*-S leader board with a score of 24.3 while Yasmin Ingham riding Banzai Du Loir is in second place (25.4) and Tom McEwen riding the Kentucky-bound JL Dublin is in third (25.7)
“I’m really pleased with him, he’s just come out and really knuckled on with the job which is really nice” said Laura after their test in the Walled Garden at Thoresby “The conditions aren’t for superstar marks but really pleased with him. It’s more about the long run and he’s in a really good place so that’s the main thing.”
It’s been an ‘eventful’ few days for Laura whose groom Tilly Hughes was kicked by a horse and broke her arm but, in the general theme of British eventing life at the moment, Tilly has had her arm plated up and is back on site like a true professional.
“I’ve had to plait and do quarter markers, but I think all the tack is on in the right place and we haven’t got eliminated yet!” laughs Laura, who is carrying on successfully with the two 4* horses (Dacapo currently in fifth place), with a bit of help from her friends (including British team manager Dickie Waygood)
Dickie Waygood, World Class Performance Manager and World Class helper
While Laura is Badminton-bound, Yasmin Ingham is heading to Kentucky and is really hoping that the horses will get a run on cross country this weekend
“Banzai has had both of his pre-season runs cancelled so far at Oasby and Cirencester so hopefully we can get a run. Sadly, it’s how it is in England we’ve got to battle through interesting weather scenarios” says Yasmin
Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir
The last time we saw them in the competition dressage arena was on the all-weather surface at Pratoni 2022, which was quite a different experience to today’s grass, but Banzai still had the magical ‘above ground’ quality that these classy horses are capable of
“Considering how bogey the warm-up area he is he does just seem to pull himself out of it really easily which is very that he’s able to do that. Obviously, there are massive advantages to riding on a surface, but he still manages to produce as good on a surface as he does on bogey ground. He’s a very agile type I think, which is lucky!" says Yasmin
"He did a brilliant test today, very mistake free, and quite consistent. I think he could have been a little more expressive without the mud, but we had to deal with that today. He’s very light on his feet and he’s super athletic and agile which helps him in these sort of conditions. He still just floats around and I’m very lucky to have a horse who’s just able to do that.”
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin
Tom McEwen had a busy day and was one of the few to get a taste of the cross country, riding Falaise De Riverland for third place in the CCI2*-S (more to come on that soon).
After completing the CCI2* cross country and walking the CCI4* course, Tom was enthusiastic about the all-important cross country ground at Thoresby, which bodes well for the action in the next two days
“The course looks amazing, and the ground is superb, a few bits holding but it’s really, really great” says Tom, who admitted that his preparation for the 4* at Thoresby has been somewhat distracted by preparations for Kentucky.
“I was delighted with Dubs today - a few small mistakes but realistically at home I hadn’t even thought about this test until we came up here yesterday, so it’s all been about preparing for Kentucky really.”
Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise
Another top British rider, Piggy March riding Brookfield Cavalier Cruise, leads the CCI4*-S Section P on a score of 25.4 and Piggy is ‘chuffed’ with her new ride
“It’s my first time with him at this level, obviously none of us have done much this spring so it’s just a case of getting them out and doing something. He coped with the ground conditions really well and trotted round there as if there wasn’t any mud, so fair play to him
“He’s a lovely balanced horse who copes with it really well. My only mistake was my second change which we put down to rider error, but there you go it’s just about getting in the ring and learning, and I learnt a lot from that today. Delighted with his performance and lots to work on for the rest of the year.”
Flora Harris riding Monbeg Alcatraz is in second place (29.7) and eventing’s supermodel, Edie Campbell is in third (30.2) on Fireball
Bill Levett and Huberthus AC
Australia’s Bill Levett had two horses in this section today, with Huberthus AC and RNH Tom Tom currently in seventh and 14th places. Bill is another one who was recently kicked by a horse, this time in the leg, but is battling on – more to come from Bill soon on his Badminton preparations
Jonelle and Tim Price both made it into the top 10 of each section with Tim in a soggy 10th place riding Coup De Coeur Dudevin of the Grantham Cup and Jonelle in ninth place of the Section P on her new ride LEB Lias Jewel
The other Australian entry, South Australia’s Sarah Clark has sadly withdrawn LV Balou Jeanz due to a foot abscess (and maybe these conditions are not best suited to an Aussie horse, although Balou Jeanz has been based in the UK for several months, while Sarah has been going back and forth)
Tim Price and Coup De Coeur Dudevin
The CCI4* dressage continues tomorrow with show jumping and cross country on Sunday, as the organisers do everything within their power to create a pathway to the Spring CCI5* events for competitors desperate for a run.
Saturday's Intermediate and OI Under-21 have been abandoned but the Open Intermediate sections G and H will continue as planned, alongside the CCI3*S.
"We know this decision will come as a disappointment to many who are still desperately trying to get their eventing season started, however the wet weather is persistent. By removing the additional Intermediate sections, we can mitigate the impact on the ground with a view of keeping all other classes running as planned” says Event Director Stuart Buntine
“Extensive work is being carried out around the site to further mitigate the effects of the weather. I can only thank our hardworking grounds team for their continued efforts and the understanding of the owners and competitors as we do everything in our power to keep the show running."
Jonelle Price and LEB Lias Jewel
Some changes have been made to the event layout to combat the effects of the weather, with the show jumping relocated from the Main Arena to the outside show jumping arena.
The Main Arena will now be turned into the Country Show Arena featuring Gun Dog Displays, Shire Horses, Dog Agility and Ferrets, who will no doubt enjoy the conditions much more!
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