Job done! Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around
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Izzy Taylor, who lives just 10 minutes away from the SsangYong Blenheim Palace Horse Trials on the outskirts of Bicester, holds the lead in the principal CCI4*-L class after two days of high-class dressage.
Riding her own and Mark Sartori’s eight-year-old Monkeying Around, Izzy scored a superb mark of 22.7.
“I’m very happy with him,” said Izzy. “I’ve had him since he was a four-year-old – it makes a massive difference when you can have them from the word go. He’s young to be here, but we hope to be competitive and hope still to be on the same score tomorrow.”
“Because I live so close, it means my children can come and watch and it makes the event very special – it is the most beautiful setting.”
Izzy Taylor
Izzy has 2.7 penalties in hand over second-placed Piggy French, who scored 25.4 aboard Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry’s 10-year-old Brookfield Inocent. Young British rider Will Rawlin, who was on top after the first day of dressage with a mark of 24.2 with VIP Vinnie, has withdrawn as he didn’t feel the horse was 100%.
Eventing is a truly international sport, and top Japanese rider Kazuma Tomoto, who is based in England with William Fox-Pitt, is in third with 25.7 on Brookpark Vikenti, while Australia’s Kevin McNab is a fraction of a penalty behind in fourth with 25.7 on Scuderia 1981 A Best Friend.
Willa Newton and Moonlight Dance S
A past winner at Blenheim, Willa Newton is on a bit of a roll at the moment, winning three classes last weekend at Burnham Market (2) and she moved into fifth place today riding Moonlight Dance S with a score of 26.1, ahead of Pippa Funnell and Billy The Biz (26.3)
Two other young ladies, Emily King and France’s Constance Copestake share equal ninth place while the USA’s Buck Davidson, who took quite a tumble at Burghley, is currently in 10th (27.2) and keeping life in perspective in view of family circumstances
Piggy, the 2019 Badminton winner and part of Britain’s silver medal-winning team at the recent European Championships, is in the form of her life and is also in the lead in the highly competitive CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses at Blenheim on Jayne McGivern’s nine-year-old Calling Card. The podium placings in this class remain unaltered from the first day of dressage.
Piggy said: “He’s a really beautiful horse – he’s stunning. Bar his changes, which he’s still a bit green at, he’s very impressive on the flat. He was beautiful to ride in there. He is green – this will be his first Advanced competition – and so I’ve come into it just really interested to see how he goes, and not really thinking that running flat out and getting the time will be what he’ll do this weekend. It’s more about the stepping-stone.”
Piggy was almost more delighted with her equal 19th place riding Castletown Clover in the CCI4*-L, a horse that certainly puts a smile on her face and today put champagne glasses into the owners’ hands by cracking a sub-30 score
Chris Burton and Clever Louis
British-based Australian Sam Griffiths remains in second place with Viscount and Lady Rothermere’s Freestyler on a mark of 28.8. Mary King is in third with her own and The Kings Group’s King Robert II on 29.6 while William Fox-Pitt (Georgisaurous) and Australia’s Chris Burton on his brand new ride Clever Louis have joined Oliver Townend and Dreamliner in fourth place with a score of 29.7.
SsangYong Blenheim Palace Horse Trials continues tomorrow (Saturday, 21 September) with cross-country for the CCI4*-L class and showjumping for the CCI4*-S.
David Evans’ cross-country course has been well-received by riders, with Izzy Taylor commenting that there was “plenty to do out there, but it’s very fair”.
View our full cross country course gallery and listen to the interview with David Evans here
