Michael Potter on Haya Loma N wins the Big Star National 6 year old Championship Final
Sunday 12 August 2018
.JPG "Michael Potter on Haya Loma N wins the Big Star National 6 year old Championship Final")
The Big Star Championship was the ultimate test for the country’s best six year old horses who had to face two rounds at 1.30m in order to qualify for the jump off; a feat that eight combinations managed to achieve. After a beautiful round, it was Michael Potter on Haya Loma N who lifted the trophy. Laura Mantel and Muna vd Bisschop took second place, followed by Lucy Struthers and History in third.
“My parents were looking for a well-bred mare to become a broodmare and spotted Haya Loma N on HorseQuest. She was very good on video and after seeing her loose jumping, I told them she was too good not to ride!” explained a delighted Michael. “Haya was second in the National 5 year old Championship here last year and the Big Star Championship was her main goal for this year; winning something as prestigious as this is just incredible!”
Michael’s wife, Zoe Potter, was fourth with the bay mare Wings Z after having had the fastest time in the jump off but with a pole down on the last fence: “My wife is a very fast rider; in fact I thought she was going to beat me today! We’ve only had Wings Z for eight months after buying her in Holland. Both horses are fantastic and have a very big future ahead of them. We decided to up the quality of our horses and it has really paid off. Esto de Viscourt was sixth yesterday in the Horse First Supplements National 4 year old Championship so it has been a good year. Steven Smith has been a massive part of this success; he is a good friend and has helped improve the way we ride by coming to help us with the horses several times during the year,” Michael concluded.
The husband and wife duo are based in Nottingham and have been driving down to Stoneleigh each day to compete here at BSNC: “We first properly came to the Nationals last year and we really love it; it’s a fantastic show with quality organisation and well-built courses and excellent arenas; it is everything you want of a Championship show,” Michael concludes.
The last of the young horse classes at the British Showjumping National Championships was the recently renamed Big Star Championship for six year olds. The class has been renamed to honour Nick Skelton’s Olympic Champion ‘Big Star’ who won the Championship in 2009. The rename was an effort to keep the stallion’s legacy alive after making history at Rio in 2016. With the class being spread over three rounds, the horses had to demonstrate a high level of consistency, as well as demonstrate good style and technique.
Image Credit: 1st Class Images
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