Piggy French, the winner of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials at the start of this month, had a bonza weekend at the Fairfax & Favor Rockingham Horse Trials (17-19 May). From 10 rides, she scored five wins, had two second places, a third and a fourth.
Because we just can’t get enough of Piggy at the moment, we’re celebrating her success with pictures of her Rockingham stars below — plus don’t miss our full report from Rockingham in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 23 May) or our exclusive interview with Piggy in next week’s issue (dated 30 May).
Highdown March (above) finished fourth in CCI3*-S section C, which Piggy won on Brookfield Quality (picture at the top of the page). The eight-year-old Highdown March, by Jaguar Mail, belongs to Piggy’s partner Tom March, the March Stud and John and Judith Addicott.
The British rider made it a CCI3*-S double by taking section D on Calling Card, by Caretino. The nine-year-old belongs to Jayne McGivern — who also owns Piggy’s gold medal-winning partner at last year’s World Equestrian Games, Quarrycrest Echo — and joined Piggy this season. This was the pair’s third win in seven runs.
Piggy’s third international win of the weekend came in CCI2*-S (previously CIC*) section A, riding The Lancer Stud’s nine-year-old First Lancer, who capitalised on a dressage score of 20.6 to win. He is by Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve.
Piggy and The Lancer Stud made it a one-two in this section, when six-year-old Cooley Lancer (by Coeur De Nobless M) finished second behind his stable-mate.
Cooley Monsoon scored in the advanced intermediate — the 11-year-old by Ramiro B belongs to Jennifer Saunders (yes, the famous one) and this was his 12th win with Piggy since joining her in 2017.
Piggy also piloted Carnival March into third place in the advanced intermediate. This eight-year-old, who belongs to James Midgley, Susie Wood and Susan Wrighton, was ninth in the young horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers last autumn.
Piggy triumphed in the open intermediate on Graf Cavalier, by Grafenstolz. This mare is bred and owned by Trevor Dickens, who also owns Badminton winner Vanir Kamira.
Susannah Paybody’s 14-year-old Castletown Clover, by Captain Clover, chased Graf Cavalier home in the open intermediate, finishing second. Both horses finished on their dressage score.
Pictures by Peter Nixon
Read all about the weekend’s eventing action in Horse & Hound magazine every Thursday, with reports on every section in Britain at intermediate level and upwards, highlights from the grassroots classes and reports on selected events abroad.
