Ibby Macpherson receives her prize from Caroline Brocklehurst representing St John's Ambulance
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After heavy local rainfall in the past few days the tractors were busy with competitors’ lorries being towed in and out of Rockingham Castle today but the cross country course is still in fantastic shape
Five classes of BE100 completed today along with three of the Novice classes but, even after several hundred horses had been around the cross country course designed and built by Philip and Guy Herbert, the tracks were looking good. That bodes well for the coming international competition however it has to be said that the parking and driving areas were looking a bit the worse for wear by the end of the day
JP Sheffield, Ibby Macpherson, Piggy French, Giovanni Ugolotti and Sophia Icke were the five BE100 winners but it was Ibby who took the Section E win on a fabulously low score of 18.4. Ibby and the ex-racehorse Bountiful Bess started with a dressage score of 16 and added just 2.4 time penalties on cross country to take the win
“A 16 dressage – that’s more like a show jumping score!"
Ibby Macpherson
Luckily the rain held off for most of the day although the sky darkened ominously in the mid-afternoon and some rain came down during the Novice classes
Izzy Taylor and Redbridge Glider jump clear in the Novice Section K
Angus Smales took the Novice Section I on Eastern Dreamer while Clare Chamberlayne riding Alvescot Magic Jewel did a good job to hold off Piggy French and Willa Newton for a win in the Section J; Izzy Taylor finished fifth in this class but took the win Section K on Redbridge Glider
Lucinda Green and Riddick VEH
The famous primrose colours of Lucinda Green flew around the course on a horse that definitely rang a bell. We believe that Lucinda’s ride, Riddick VEH, is the 11 year old thoroughbred ridden previously in Australia by Emily McQueen and Amanda Ross; today Lucinda and Riddick finished in fourth place of the Novice Section I on a score of 36.4 and they looked to be having a ball on course
Willa Newton and Freestyler finish third in the Novice Section J
Tomorrow the CIC1* and CIC2* riders move into the jumping phases. New Zealand’s rising star James Avery is currently leading the CIC1*Section A on Vitalia (40.1) and is second in the CIC2* Section C, led by David Doel on Shannondale Quest (40.2), on Zazu.
Kitty King and Vendredi Biats, who won the 2* here last year, lead the CIC2* Section B (36.8) ahead of Christian Landolt on Toblerone NZPH (36.8) and Kevin McNab on Brookfield Quality (40.8)
The distinctive colours of Wendy Schaeffer-Macdonald, one of the riders to get an afternoon soaking on cross country
