There were two “firsts” on the opening night of the Horse of the Year Show. After trying for four years, Ellen Whitaker at last won the Young Riders Championship of Great Britain.
Britain’s leading lady, 19, produced a fantastic early jump-off round on the athletic Henri De Here. They held off all their rivals, although South African rider Oliver Lazarus had a great try on the impressive Cassaino Z, who finished just 0.5sec in arrears.
Then one of the most prestigious young horse titles, the Royston Products Seven-Year-Old, went to Luxembourg when London-based Christian Weier sped round on Carisco to leave some of Britain’s best in his wake.
Christian was very pleased with his win, saying: “I had never been to the show before and it’s fantastic. And I think Carisco likes it here, too.”
