It’s a “dream come true” said showjumper Emma McGlynn after Scott Brash’s owners Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham bought her very exciting home-bred six-year-old Jalisco for the former world number one to ride.
“Kenny”, as he is known at home, will take on the “Hello” prefix afforded to all Scott’s horses and will compete under his new name of Hello Franklin. Emma and her mother Amanda bred the bay gelding by Billy Mexico out of a Goodtimes mare, Lydonna, one of two mares they breed from.
“I jokingly said the only person I’d like to ride Jalisco is Scott Brash, so it literally is a dream come true — I never thought it would actually happen!” Emma told H&H.
Emma and the six-year-old have been doing well on the national circuit and in the past six months she says the “penny dropped” for the gelding and people were starting to show an interest in buying him.
“My mum always thought a lot of him, but I wasn’t so sure as he’s so sharp and I wasn’t convinced his brain could cope with it all,” said Emma. “But in the past six months I realised just how good he is — something just clicked, he grew up suddenly and he’s come on in leaps and bounds this summer.”
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With some encouragement from her trainer John Ledingham, Emma put the wheels in motion in finding her “dream” rider for her beloved home-bred.
“I sent Scott a video of him jumping via Whatsapp,” explained Emma. “I didn’t hear back, but then Jalisco jumped an absolutely cracking round in the accumulator at Quainton when the joker stood at 1.52m.
“I had thought we were totally out of our depth, but my old friend Jamie Wingrove said just do it and he cleared it all, he was unreal over everything. So I sent that second video to Scott and he said I’d persuaded him to try him just by being so persistent!”
The pair hit it off and Hello Franklin will soon be seen in the ring under his new rider, with their competitive career likely to start in earnest at the start of next year.
“Scott and I agreed it would be best to save him — he doesn’t need to be overjumped this year,” Emma said.
“He will be hugely missed, but I’m chuffed to bits that he’s staying in this country and that Scott will be riding him. And it’s great for the Billy Stud [where Emma used to work] too, with Scott riding a horse by Billy Mexico. We’re looking forward to following their progress.”
The British number one, Scott, recently bought another young recruit from the Townhead Stud — the eight-year-old now known as Hello Shelby (Stolzenberg x For Pleasure), who had been produced in Great Britain by Emma Stoker.
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