Gemma Tattersall and QuickLook V
Gemma Tattersall and ‘Pebbles’ (QuickLook V) were serious challengers at the Chatsworth leg of the Eventing Rider Masters where they finished third, but at Barbury the Olympic squad member and one of her choices for Rio are competing in the normal CIC3* class. Not only are they competing but they are currently in the lead with a score of 38.2 while the British team’s travelling reserve Pippa Funnell and Billy The Biz are in second on 40.9 and Oliver Townend, who looked very happy with his test on Armada, is currently third on 41.5. Yesterday we tipped keeping an eye out for Chris Burton in this class on Polystar 1 and indeed they produced a lovely test for a score of 42.2 to be equal fourth with the leader from Thursday, Stella Benatti on Zaron
Actually you needed a few eyes to keep up with Burto as he also finished the day in the lead of the CIC2* Section C on Santano II, not a huge surprise there as the horse is real star in the dressage arena (and elsewhere). The nine year old black gelding that won his first CCI3* start at Saumur in May is just ahead of William Fox-Pitt’s Secret Night, on 40.5 and 41.1 while the USA’s Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp is third on Fernhill By Night (42.3).
Chris Burton and Santano II
This is an interesting class to keep an eye on with an mix of experienced campaigners heading to the Olympics having a run (Kitty King riding Ceylor LAN and William Fox-Pitt riding Chilli Morning for example), young up and coming stars such as Emily King riding Dargun and Tom Jackson on Courvoisier, young riders on old campaigners (Thomas Hawke on Andrew Nicholson’s past ride Mr Cruise Control) and David Britnell, the rider no-one had heard of before he won the CIC2* at Rockingham, all in the top 20. Not to mention the Australian off the track thoroughbred Under the Clocks, owned by Murray Lamperd and ridden here by Tiana Coudray in seventh place in some classy company
Chris Burton also leads the CIC2* Section D on his other Rio listed horses Nobilis 18 and just to top of the day he won the Novice Section F with Fire Fly. This is what being on form is all about - you need a stable of horses that are prepped and ready to go at big Championship time but the lower level horses also have to keep coming through with an eye on the future. Amazing to think that Santano II is still just nine years old and may be heading to his first Olympic Games very soon and maybe Fire Fly, who Chris just started competing this year, will be one we see in Bromont?
The CIC2* Section E is led by another star of the dressage arena, William Fox-Pitt and Top Biats with a score of 40, Germany’s Franca Luedeke has moved into second place riding Cero Song (41.9) and Pippa Funnell with her ‘special’ Billy Walk On who won the CCI2* at Houghton recently is in third place (42)
Pippa Funnell and Billy The Biz - second in the CIC3*
Billy Champagne is another horse from the Billy Stud and also by the same sire as Billy Walk On, Billy Mexico (you can’t always assume that the Billy prefix is a horse from the Billy Stud; Billy Red for example, ridden by Tina Cook is not a Billy Stud horse ‘But Pippa loves it when people think he is!” says Tina). Ridden by France’s Arthur Pottier, the seven year old Billy Champagne won the Novice Section G, adding nothing to their dressage score of 27.5, ahead of David Doel riding Rainstown Star (29.5)
The Novice Section F may have been won by Burto but our winner was 27th placed farmer James Hussey on Kildare Kid. James rode in bright pink and also decorated the showground with pink bales of haylage from the farm to highlight the appeal to equip a radiotherapy unit at the nearby Great Western Hospital. The 58-year-old lost his wife Gill, a keen hunter and rider at Barbury, to cancer and since her death James has raised thousands of pounds for the Brighter Futures appeal including an intricately mown crop circle.
Barbury is renowned for its ‘painstakingly’ mown stripes; on the hill, where a lot of the cross-country can viewed there are 84 mown stripes, which have been created in thirteen cuts, at seven hours per cut with a 3x8 spearhead cutter but James’ crop circle on his farm almost next door to the course has taken mowing to another level and raised money!
Local rider Tim Price was also 6th in the Novice Section K on Smooth Emperor
We digress – back to the competition. Two Kiwis topped the Novice Section H with Tim Price riding Falco IV winning on 24.8 aboard Falco IV and Jesse Campbell in second place on May Ryloa (29.7).
New Zealand’s Rio team member Clarke Johnstone is also at Barbury but just riding Deo Volente III in the CIC2* Section D; the plans for Clarke and Balmoral Sensation have changed slightly with Clarke posting on his Facebook page that “As often happens, we have had a slight change of competition plan for the build up to Rio. We are now running at Aston le Walls Advanced rather than Aachen CCIO***. After missing a quiet run at Farley Hall, when it was cancelled due to flooding, Erik and I decided that Aachen wasn't a sensible option as it would be Ritchie's only run between Badminton and Rio and being an important team’s competition we would be expected to run for time XC”
He also posted this lovely video that not only shows Ritchie in fine form but also gives a good view of the open Barbury terrain which makes for perfect spectator viewing of the cross country (and thanks to the specially mown strips). There were a few concerns regarding the landing into the water jump today for the Novice classes which resulted in the flags being moved to avoid holes on landing and it seems that minor changes may be made here for tomorrow’s classes too
No-one told me I'm a pony! Saffron Creswell riding Cuffesgrange Little Ric win the Pony section
The smaller horses (who rarely seem to accept they are any smaller) also had their day on cross country with Saffron Creswell riding Cuffesgrange Little Ric taking Barbury’s Pony section. They finished on their dressage score of 26.4 ahead of Connie Warde-Adalm and Craig Mor Tom who had two down in the show jumping to finish on 34.1 and Eloise Bartlett and Killacoran Blue (35.7) in third. This class was a final run before selectors pick their team to represent Great Britain at this year’s FEI Pony European Championships, which takes place in Vilhelmsborg, Denmark from 17th - 21st August.
In the Retraining of Racehorses Championship only a couple of fences separate the top five with the winner Ginny Howe (Creeslough) finishing on 31.0, Harry Meade (Sparky’s Reflection) second on 35 and Zoe Wilkinson (Craignure) on 35.5. The top 10 combinations go through to complete a final round of show jumping on Sunday to decide the Championship
And if that’s not enough, Saturday at Barbury sees the kick off of the third leg of the inaugural Event Rider Masters (ERM) with forty horse and rider combinations featured across eleven nations. Between them they boast a medal haul of over 120 from the European, World and Olympic Games - including thirty-six gold medals!
If you can’t be there in person, you can follow all the action on the Event Rider Masters livestream on both days
