Robert Loomes and Robina Hill present Austin O'Connor with his watch in 2014 (above - Photo:Tim Wilkinson) and again in 2019 (below)
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The Loomes Championship has run at the Rockingham International Horse Trials each year since 2014, with the winner taking home a hand produced British watch made by Robert Loomes & Co. in Stamford. The Championship is run across the Advanced Intermediate and Open Intermediate classes and the watch, worth £8,800 is awarded to the competitor who completes the course closest to the optimum time
The first winner in 2014 was Ireland’s Austin O’Connor riding GFG Rambo Man and in 2019 Austin repeated the feat on board Colorado Blue, giving him a watch for both wrists
In 2015 Sir Mark Todd won the watch on board NZB Campino, despite not being out to win it! it went to the wire with both Sarah Cohen and Mark Todd both finishing two seconds inside the time, on 6:06. The final result therefore was decided by the dressage collectives marks coming in to play
Australia’s Bill Levett won in 2016 with a carefully timed win on board Improvise. They were bang on the optimum time but so was Nicholas Lucey so the deciding factor was once again the dressage collectives
Finally, in 2017, the British made watch went to a British rider with Oliver Townend winning on Cold Play III, a horse that was actually owned by Ludwig Svennerstal, but Oliver assured us that Ludwig would not be getting to wear the watch!
Another Irish rider was in the limelight in 2018 with Jonty Evans taking the watch after a great ride on everyone’s favourite horse Cooley Rorke’s Drift (Art)
“I was very aware of the prize” Jonty laughed “I came here for a good run after Badminton didn't work out (Jonty and 'Art' were eliminated) so let 'Art' run on across country. He floated round and after jumping the last fence I had to put the brakes on a bit so as not to be too fast.”
