Tim Price added a first Blenheim title to his already incredible tally of international victories when topping the leaderboard in the 2024 Blenheim Horse Trials results aboard Happy Boy in the CCI4*-L.
The British-based New Zealander had competed at six previous Blenheims prior to this one since he moved to the UK 19 years ago, but until today (22 September), the Blenheim winner’s trophy had eluded him.
Happy Boy, a 12-year-old gelding owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, hadn’t been seen competing internationally since retiring across country at Saumur in May and his 2023 season was plagued with bad luck.
“He’s had a bit of an unlucky last 12 months with bits and bobs like he tied up at one point and then suffered from travel sickness at Luhmühlen,” explained Tim after his dressage, which left him equal fourth on 25.4, a score he added just 1.6 cross-country time-faults to, to seal victory by 5.7 penalties, maintaining his overnight lead in the process.
“I do not take these days for granted. He was cool, wasn’t he?,” said Tim after the showjumping, which was a victim of the weather, with the final 10 horses jumping in deluge of approximately 8mm of rain. “He tried really hard in the ground – the going, especially the treble, had taken a turn for the worse, but he’s a fighter.”
Tim made no secret of the fact Happy Boy was eliminated for three run-outs at a corner in an open intermediate at Cornbury House Horse Trials last week, but said that this horse’s character can sometimes display itself in this way when preparing for a big run.
“That’s often been the way when he’s been on form, where he can get a little tricky and then he’s gone on to do something fun and special,” smiled Tim. “Don’t get me wrong, I was a little bit worried – it wasn’t just one run out – so we went cross-country schooling at Rosamund Green Farm on Monday and had to go through a few things with him, with some repetition, but I was still a bit dubious.”
Following this blip, Tim opted to take one long route during yesterday’s cross-country.
“Thankfully the long route I took at the second water didn’t cost me the win, but that decision was based on our result at Cornbury and our schooling session on Monday.”
Happy Boy is a horse that has shown oodles of promise throughout his career and Tim drew on past experience with him to help net a clear round in today’s showjumping; a course that provided 15 clear rounds inside the time from 58 starters.
“He won the world seven-year-old championships at Le Lion – he was seventh or eighth going into the showjumping that year where the final phase was held on grass [before the event added an all-weather arena] and it was very, very wet and I had that in the back of my head today. Based on that, I had to ride him positively and a bit quicker than I normally would, just to give him confidence that he could jump out of the ground.”
Blenheim Horse Trials results: “I’m over the moon”
Daisy Berkeley secured her best CCI4*-L result since winning this class on Springbok IV in 2006, finishing runner-up with Diese Du Figuier.
“He’s a very good little horse,” said Daisy of this 11-year-old gelding who rose from sixth after the cross-country. “I knew I had to keep motoring with him because the distance was long at the first part of the treble and I’d seen some horses struggle with it, so I just turned the corner and trusted his carefulness as I was very forward to it.
“He jumped beautifully but I did nearly get jumped off at the first fence as I couldn’t grip the saddle in the rain and I thought ‘if I get jumped off after everything we’ve done this week, that would be a disaster!’”
Daisy explained that the decision to compete Diese Du Figuier, who she co-owns with her mother Caroline Dick, Camilla Case and Martha Ivory, came as a result of being unable to complete at Blair Castle last month.
“Coming to Blenheim hadn’t been my original plan – we went to Blair and he was third after cross-country, where he gave me a beautiful round and then he had a bruise, which meant he was too sore to showjump. We re-routed here and I would have been chuffed to bits with a top 10 placing and now I’m over the moon.”
On being the highest placed British rider in this class, Daisy, who is 52, joked: “Probably the oldest too!”
“When I was walking the cross-country, I was thinking ‘I might add a stride here’, but then I thought, actually, just grow a pair and ride him for the distances and trust him to be a good horse and he really was a good horse. It’s lovely to come back here and have a podium finish.”
When asked about the possibility of taking this horse five-star, Daisy said: “I think he would cope but this old lady [referring to herself] might not. I was so nervous before the cross-country – although as soon as I was on him, I was fine, but it’s the build up and I don’t know if my nerves could take it.
“I like watching other people jump round five-stars, but who knows? If he keeps doing what he’s doing, then maybe – my husband might have something to say about it though!”
Germany’s Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice, who led the dressage on 22.8, dropped from second after the cross-country to third after lowering the middle part of the treble – they also picked up .4 of a time-fault to complete on 33.2.
“The whole competition here has been amazing, but the ending was not so good,” said a dejected Jérôme, who, with this 14-year-old gelding, has enjoyed great international success, including finishing seventh individually at last year’s European Eventing Championships. “He got a bit careful warming up because there was water everywhere and then he was not quite sure. He slipped a lot yesterday and he remembered that. He wants to be careful and the ground was slippy again today. In the end I have to be happy though and he kept trying for me.”
The USA’s Jenny Caras capitalised on a fast double jumping clear with Jerry Hollis’ Sommersby to rise from equal 23rd after the first phase into eventual fourth, adding 2.4 cross-country time-penalties to a 32.2 dressage, with the time-faults costing her second place.
“I was hoping to be top 10 – I wanted to do the most competitive test I could and I knew he was capable of finishing close to whatever score he started on,” explained Jenny. “I wasn’t sure where that would leave me, but he’s done what he needed to do and I’m just a little bit annoyed about my time penalties now.”
German rider Calvin Böckmann and the incredibly consistent The Phantom Of The Opera further cemented themselves as a combination that should never be overlooked when finishing fifth.
The 23-year-old, who co-owns this striking chestnut gelding alongside Jason, Liam, Roger and Simone Böckmann, endured something of an up and down week. They entered cross-country day in sixth after a 25.8 dressage, and were it not for activating a frangible device for 11 penalties during their cross-country, could have been challenging for at least second place today. As it was, they came into the showjumping in 13th and an immaculate clear round meant they leapt up the leaderboard.
“In general, I’m very happy with my placing – of course, I’m still gutted thinking about the 11 penalties, but my horse has done so much for me this year and had brilliant results and it wouldn’t be fair if I wasn’t more than grateful and proud and happy about this result,” explained Calvin, who was the alternate for his national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics with this 13-year-old. “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I’m very happy and looking forward to maybe coming back here next year.”
The next two places in the Blenheim Horse Trials showjumping results were filled by Alex Bragg, who dropped from fourth to sixth after picking up 8.8 penalties in the showjumping with Ardeo Premier, and Tom McEwen, who finished seventh with James and Jo Lambert’s promising 10-year-old mare Isa, a relatively new ride, who is one to be noted for the future.
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