Joe Clayton Storms to Victory in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Senior Newcomers Second Round at Arena UK
Monday 25 July 2016
Joe Clayton stormed to victory in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Senior Newcomers Second Round at Arena UK on Saturday. Riding Michael Whitaker’s Lexie III, the pair took on the huge 118 strong field to secure the win and a place in the Championship Final which will be held at this year’s Horse of the Year Show.
Every competitor had their sights firmly set on claiming one of the two direct qualification spots on offer which made for a gripping competition. Just twenty five combinations made it around the challenging course with a first round clear to move one step closer to the ultimate goal of a qualification spot. The numbers dropped further as just nineteen were left to do battle in the final jump off.
Joe from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire kept the pressure on throughout the competition posting three consistently fast rounds to earn his qualification place in fine style. Riding the 7 year-old bay mare, Lexie III, this pair produced their treble clear in 42.48 seconds.
Second place went to Holly Smith from Loughborough, Leicestershire riding the 8 year-old bay mare PLS Halo Diamond owned by Michael Elvin. From a late draw, Holly kept Joe on the edge of his seat right up until closing stages of her round as she posted a treble clear in 43.86 seconds.
With the top two taking the direct qualifying tickets for the Connolly’s RED MILLS Senior Newcomers Championship Final at the Horse of the Year Show, the riders and horses that finished in third to fifth with a triple clear missed out on Championship qualification this time around. They did however take home the chance to compete in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Senior Newcomers Masters at the British Showjumping National Championships.
Arena UK – Saturday 23rd July 2016
Connolly’s RED MILLS Senior Newcomers Second Round
1st Joe Clayton & Lexie III - 0/0/0 – 42.82 seconds
2nd Holly Smith & PLS Halo Diamond - 0/0/0 – 43.86 seconds
3rd Alex Thompson & Cathalina V - 0/0/0 – 48.52 seconds
4th Holly Brougham & Untouchable VI - 0/0/0 – 49.12 seconds
5th Scarlett Worrow & Cartoon Van Het Meekdaahaf - 0/0/2 – 55.38 seconds
NB: Qualifications will be updated pending grading of results.
The Horse of the Year Show 2016 will take place from the 5th – 9th October at Birmingham’s NEC. The British Showjumping National Championships 2016 will take place during the 9th – 14th August at the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre (NAEC), Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
Connolly’s RED MILLS:
Connolly's RED MILLS is an Irish family owned company, providing precision nutrition for a wide range of equine needs. The company was established in 1908 in Co. Kilkenny, and today, exports to over 50 countries worldwide. For people who value their horses as high performers, Connolly's RED MILLS has been the automatic choice for over 100 years. We know just what it takes to get you the best results in terms of equine nutrition, health, well-being and performance. Some of the most successful high-performance sport horses in the world have been fed on Connolly’s RED MILLS and we are delighted to launch our new dedicated Sport Horse range of feeds. The quality products that produce these results are supported by nutritional research along with some of the most technologically advanced innovation and manufacturing processes in the world. For further information, please visit www.redmills.co.uk/Horses/Home.
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