The Billy Stud rider Lucy Townley described finally lifting the prestigious Walwyn Novice Jumping Championship at Royal Windsor Horse Show as a “very special” moment.
She laid claim to the silverware for this six-year-old final in tremendous style, winning with the Billy Stud’s super young mare Billy At Last (by Cevin Z, out of Lux mare Tiamo) but also finishing third on her aunt Lizzie Bunn’s auction purchase Billy Mojito (by Billy Tudor, out of Dutch Capitol mare Damora Z).
“I’ve wanted to win this class for a very long time and it’s always been very lucky for me and I’ve been well placed many times, but I don’t think I’ve always had the belief to try to win it,” said Lucy, who credited the Billy Stud’s Roger McCrea and William Funnell for honing her jump-off tactics.
“What they’ve been doing in a jump-off is making me really have a plan before I go into the ring, instead of thinking ‘I want to go quicker, I want to do this’. Actually the faster riders are the ones who go in with a plan and try to ride to that plan. Be tighter – but you need to have a thought behind it. So they’ve been really helpful with that.
“So I’m so pleased it all came together today – yesterday I was trying really hard not to think about it too much because I really wanted to go well today and I was worried I’d overdo it. Roger gave me a jump yesterday and the horses were in great form, so I just thought ‘Stick with the plan, don’t overdo it in the Foxhunter [the first class of the day which qualifies for the Walwyn], get your first rounds jumped, then if you’re in the jump-off try your best.”
“Pocket rocket” proves an exciting winner
Lucy Townley (née Bunn) describes the six-year-olds Billy At Last and Billy Mojito as “complete stars” but “very different to ride”. Riding two of the five horses through to the Walwyn Novice Championship jump-off, she had a very quick turnaround, too, making her competitive performances in the ring with the two mares even more impressive.
“They are similarly related, Billy At Last is out of a Lux Z mare by Cevin Z – she won the British section of the five-year-old young horse championship and she is naturally quick, she has a great turn of foot,” said Lucy. “This jump-off really suited her because it was so flowing, it was forward and allowed them, once they were into their rhythm, to know where they were going – if it’s a bit tight on turnbacks they can get a bit lost – so it really suited.
“Then Billy Mojito, owned by my Auntie Lizzie Bunn, was bought in the Billy Stud auction as a four-year-old and Lizzie has had so much success with her purchases from the auctions, which reflects well on the whole Billy Stud and the auctions. The horses coming through from Donal Barnwell are phenomenal.
“We adore Billy Mojito, she’s such a special horse, she’s a really good jumper, she’s very careful but she wouldn’t have quite the same turn of foot and actually my jump-off with her was smoother and I was surprised with the time difference.
“But ‘Last’ is just such a little pocket rocket.
“I absolutely loved it out there but I was nervous to enjoy it because Nicole Lockhead Anderson and she’s always fast, so I really thought she was going to get me.”
Following on from her success with Mecoblue PS in the LeMieux 1.40m, Nicole Lockhead Anderson made a bold bid from last draw with the exciting Diagolda PS (Diaron x Kannan) but had to settle for second place, just 0.3sec off Lucy’s winning time.
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