Bolesworth Classic, Thursday 29th - Sunday 2nd June, 2013

Wednesday 05 June 2013

After a challenging start, and the cancellation of day one due to heavy rainfall, the team at Bolesworth battled on to succeed in delivering three days of top class competition.  Competitors were very understanding after the decision to cancel all of the jumping on Thursday, with very few going home.  Ground conditions responded exceptionally well to the wind and sunshine that arrived on Friday resulting in a great win in the IFX 1.40m by Joe Clayton & Aiyetoro.

 

  This was followed by a new £3,000 prize fund 5 & 6 year old handicap, sponsored by Ronan Rothwell and the Irish Breeders Classic, which was won by Gemma Plumley and Hamira.  The Irish Breeders Classic is due to run from 5th - 8th September at Barnadown with the richest prize fund in the world for young horses of 50,000 Euros.  Any Irish born horse is eligible for the competition.

 

The sun shone through out with near perfect ground all weekend.  Visitor numbers reached an all time high with 22,000 onsite over the 4 days, and plenty of new attractions including a popular fashion, food and lifestyle marquee with over 45 stallholders, and spectacular 'Lamb National' sheep racing displays.  Saturday night saw the 'Superhero themed' Mini Major kindly sponsored by Didy Morgan, with Superman (aka Geoff Billington), He Man (aka Paul Barker) and friends.  A fast and furious competition ended up with victory for Tim Page and Iwan Carpenter (Team Spiderman).

 

The final day saw a field of over 110 combinations starting the H.J.Lea Oakes Small Grand Prix, with 33 through to a fast jump off, Keith Shore sealed an impressive win with Tony and Anne Scholes' on form mare, Zegreanne Z.  The Bolesworth Classic Grand Prix saw only 3 clears come through from 62 starters, with Anthony Condon winning the £6,000 first prize with Paul and Deb Strafford's Value T.  It was Anthony's first Grand Prix win at Bolesworth having been the runner up last year with Special Lux.  Anthony also won the Charles Britton Leading Rider Award.  Runner up was local rider Rob Bevis with Courtney 6, and Laura Kraut third on Woodstock O.

 

Having had some great feedback both from competitors but also from members of the public, many of whom stated that they had now been 'converted' to the sport of showjumping, we would really like to build on promoting the sport to the public audience next year.  We have plans in place to improve the infrastructure of the show so that we can be more resilient to wet weather, and exciting new additions for next year include an elite sport horse auction, to be organised through Nina Barbour and Oliver Townend' Harthill Stud.  Provisional dates for next year's show have been confirmed as Thurday 19th - Sunday 22nd June, 2014.

 Photo: Anthony Condon courtesy of Emerald Fotos

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