Henrietta Andersen and her Voltaire stallion Astonish, odds-on to win the Cliff Barnsby Medium Open title at The College EC’s eastern winter semi-finals, did not disappoint.
Second to go, they maintained their early lead in this competitive class.
The Dutch-bred stallion Brouwers Lambrusco, an eight-year-old grandson of Voltaire, bought last August from Holland by owner and rider Sara Callaby, took second by a narrow margin from Judy Harvey and Richard Healey’s El Caro gelding, Lucaro.
The medium restricted had to wait until the last horse for its winner. And it was no surprise when Torrent, ridden by the cool-headed Pippa Childerhouse, won.
Now trained by Paul Fielder, they added yet another regional title to their present tallyof five, leaving intact their impressive record of never having been beaten in a regional championship class.
Spencer Wilton took two titles, the Blue Chip Pro Open Elementary and Open Novice.
He rode Dolendo, a former winner of the young dressage horse of the future competition held at Badminton.
The seven-year-old by Donnerhall is owned by Carl Hester and Helen Owen and was bought from Herbert Rehbein’s yard after his death, when the young horses were dispersed.
The elementary open provided a close finish, with less than 1% separating the first three.Judy Harvey rode judge Judy Firmston-William’s chesnut mare Mandeet B into second and Spencer Wilton took third on Roly Luard¨s Escapado, earning his third qualifying ride for the winter finals.
Mandeet B, bred in Scotland at the Birkland Stud and by the Dutch stallion Bandiet, is described by Judy as “the easiest horse I’ve ever had to train”.
The restricted elementary went to Pauline Rich on Sue Muirhead’s Latent, a Danish-bred gelding by Landau. Bought at the Equilibra Auction, he has returned twice to claim the prize for the highest-placed amateur-ridden horse in the Equilibra Challenge.
Jane Jarvis and Cutlers Bug, owned by Nicole and Michele Geary, earned theirticket to the finals with a second place.
Taking second to Dolendo in the novice open, Jackie Beaven rode her own Donner Dancer, a talented full-sister to Donnersong.
Event rider Gill Mason took both the novice restricted and Horsesense Saddlers Preliminary regional titles with Holy Smoke III. The eye-catching grey six-year-old is bred to jump, being by William Curtis out of a show jumping mare.
The novice restricted runners-up were Claudia Steele and her elegant bay gelding Soul Rebel, aseven-year-old by Va Tout.
For full report see Horse & Hound issue dated 24 May
