The new water complex on the Blenheim Horse Trials (15 to 18 September) is proving a talking point ahead of the CCI4*-L cross-country.
The first combination is set to leave the Blenheim Horse Trials start box to tackle course-designer David Evans’ track at 11am today (Saturday), with six hours of cross-country action planned.
“I think we can expect all sorts of things. [The riders] all seem happy at the moment,” said David, speaking on Friday.
“There’s lots of different questions and types of questions from last year. We’ve moved it around a little bit – gone a little bit further on the south lawn and hopefully made it more interesting for them.”
David hinted at a new water complex after last year’s event and has kept true to his word, with The Jockey Club Log and Splash at fence 16 making its debut on both the long- and short-format courses this year. In the CCI4*-L, competitors jump in over a hanging log (pictured, top), followed by a corner brush in the water (pictured, below) and turn right-handed onto dry land to jump a skinny fence on a mound.
“It’s so exciting having this new water complex here. I tried it out last year on dry ground, bringing both [classes] different ways in,” he said.
The going, officially recorded as “good”, has been the result of careful management in the month building up to the event. Overnight watering during has continued this week, to ensure it stays “good” and doesn’t reach “good to firm” with the drying wind.
“Because of the dryness this year, we’ve been watering the main arena, the practice area and the track,” he said.
“Hopefully everyone will be able to see when they walk round that the track is a lot greener than the outside. We’ve been working the ground for just over four weeks. A lot of work has gone in to get it from good to firm, to good.”
Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country: ‘it’s a four-star – and it has to be a four-star course’
Part b of the new water complex, a brush corner in the water, which is followed by a skinny arrowhead on dry land.
Izzy Taylor, who rides Trevor Dickens’ mare Graf Cavalier in the CCI4*-L this year, thought the new water complex looks “very good”.
“It’s exciting, I love a change. It’s very exciting to have a big new feature. It will be interesting how it rides, I think we will see lots of variations through it,” said Izzy, who will come forward to cross-country at 2.08pm on a first-phase score of 34.4.
“I think that will be an influential fence, then the mounds at the top two fences later [the AW Jenkinson Lumber Yard] – there’s plenty to do all round the course, it’s a good track.
“The course looks beautiful, it walks very well and is plenty tough enough. The ground is fabulous and the overall impression here is top notch, which is very good and exciting for us all and what we want for riders and owners bringing top class horses here.”
The final skinny part of the water complex at fence 16.
French rider Arthur Duffort, on a score of 32.3 with Sarah Proctor’s Arko’s Lad, said the new water complex walks “really strong”.
“It’s always decent here. When I was at Burghley a couple of weeks ago, I thought I’ll come here and it will look small, but it doesn’t!” he said. “I’m not sitting on the same horse, though.
“The new water at the back is pretty decent after you come through the lake then up the hill. The water is really strong. But at the end of the day, it’s four-star. It has to be four-star, they can’t make it easier to make everybody happy.
“We are doing all this to go cross-country, otherwise we would do dressage or showjumping so we cannot complain that it’s a bit bigger, a bit harder, otherwise we should change jobs.”
Tom Jackson, who scored the biggest result of his career when finishing runner up at Burghley a fortnight ago with Capels Hollow Drift, is in touching distance of the leaders with his CCI4*-L ride at Blenheim Horse Trials this week, Farndon. Tom and the 12-year-old gelding, owned by Anne and Iain Slater, are in provisional 13th after dressage and will start on the cross-country on a score of 30.9.
“It’s what we’ve come to expect from David now, it’s a beautifully built, well-designed course. There’s a few tricky skinnies here and there that might catch a few people out. If Farndon is listening and on his A-game, we will crack on round and have a go!” he said, adding he has also been having a look at the new water.
“I think it will jump fine, it’s a slightly peculiar line to the one we are used to, but I think it will jump ok.”
Bella Innes Ker, winner of the 2018 event with Carolyn, partners Rosie Grimston’s Coolrock Cooley at the 2022 event.
“The course looks great. I feel like it’s a bit beefier than it’s been in the past few years, which probably suits me and my jumping horse,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a big, attacking course and it’s a case of committing to the lines.”
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