Day 4 HOYS – TAGG PUISSANCE RAISES THE ROOF
Sunday 12 October 2014
As one of the only sports where men and women compete on equal terms it was great to see Charlotte Flack, the only women in the competition, come out as a joint winner alongside Donald Whitaker, Joe Clayton and David Simpson.
It was a field of nine that came forward in the first round, but as the wall got higher and above 2.0m it started to claim its victims. The fifth and final round saw five riders re-enter the arena and it must have been a heart-in-your-mouth moment for them when approaching the big red wall which was by now standing at 2.19m.
First to go Joe Clayton with Beatrice Mertens bay gelding Rockim looked set to clear it, but a moments hesitation at the last minute saw them lower the wall and incur 4 penalties. Donald Whitaker, the youngest rider in the class and tackling this class at HOYS for the first time, was incredibly unlucky when they brought the top brick down with them to match Joe’s score with the bay mare Quick Laura.
Charlotte Flack and Ratina Kan, a chestnut mare owned by George Harding, were also newcomers to this incredibly popular class at Horse of the Year Show which saw grandstands packed to the gunnels. As the sole female rider in the class, she drew lots of support from the crowds and rightly so with Ratina Kan jumping the wall in tremendous style through the earlier rounds. However, the final round also took its toll with the top bricks falling and them also finishing on 4 penalties.
Jay Halim made the sensible decision to retire Goodman Accobado, a bay gelding owned by Goodman Equine, in the final round when he appeared unsettled approaching the wall and having jumped with confidence through the initial four rounds Jay looked happy enough as he left the arena punching the air in delight at the way his horse had performed.
With all eyes on David Simpson and Guy Wiliams former Puissance ride Richi Rich III, spectators almost rode the round with him knowing that if he jumped clear they would have an outright winner. However, yet again the Wall claimed another victim with them not quite making the height and sustaining 4 faults along with the others.
It was an absolutely delighted quartet of riders that made their way back into the arena for the presentation and with most of the crowd rising to their feet in honour of the riding they had witnessed the noise was almost deafening when they rode their lap of honour before galloping down the centre line.
Horse of the Year Show continues through to tomorrow evening when the Leading Rider will be identified. For those not able to attend, you are able to watch the competition live on Sky Sports. If you are not a subscriber, you can still watch the action by purchasing a Day Pass for just £6.99 via www.nowtv.com
