Mark Edwards Lifts the Feature CSI3* Grand Prix at Chard Equestrian with Dillinger NE
Monday 21 July 2025
Mark Edwards set a sizzling target which could not be caught to land Chard Equestrian’s top-billed 3* Big tour Grand Prix with Dillinger NE.
“He’s been on good form but a little bit unlucky. This is our first 3* Grand Prix win,” said Mark, who jointly owns Dillinger NE with breeders Ros and Dennis Palmer of Northcliff Equine.
Thirty-five competitors faced course-designer Ben Townley’s 13-fence, 16-effort 1.55m track but the technicalities and turn backs coupled with a restrictive time allowed caught out several just over the time allowed while others made just one error for four faults to keep them out of the jump-off.
“It was quite a technical course and a few got time faults. You had to be careful over the first half, then the last half tested scope, especially the combination and a couple of big oxers,” said Mark.
An eventual seven mastered the course to contend the jump-off, Mark setting a fearsome target from the front with the Diarado x Carsimo 10-year-old and remained ahead despite a couple of serious challenges. Robert Whitaker beat the time on Vermento but dislodged a rail to drop to sixth with last to go, France’s British-based Gaspard Maksud coming the closest with a clear round on Ballypatrick Tiberius 0.29 seconds off the pace for second.
“He’s a 10-year-old and still green but getting more consistent at this level,” added Mark, on Dillinger NE.
Jodie Hall-McAteer’s talented nine-year-old mare La Gupardie slipped into third ahead of Jay Buxton’s Strides Josie in fourth. Leo Lamb supplied the last of the double clears in an emotional round with ride of one month Las Palmas VG, a nine-year-old produced by his close friend, the late Chris Moyce.
“This was for Chris; he did an incredible job producing ‘Don’ whose biggest class until today was 1.40m, but I knew he was ready to step up and he took it all in his stride and jumped his heart out today – double clear in his first Grand Prix,” said Leo, on Las Palmas. “I can’t thank Mark Bellinger and Samantha Geddes enough for trusting me with this incredible horse and giving me the chance to show what he can do on a stage like this.”
James Whitaker landed the first of the Longines World Ranking classes with Just Call Me Henry. Only 10 of the 66 starters accessed the jump-off over the 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m course with British riders filling the top three places. James proved the quickest, coupling the big stride of the Argento 10-year-old with nifty turns to win by 2.16 seconds. Sandy McLean guided Johnnie Walker into second spot with James’s cousin Jack Whitaker taking third on Valmy De La Lande.
“He jumped fantastic, we were absolutely flat out,” said James, on Henry. “The course actually rode a lot harder than it walked but he was really jumping and the jump-off was very fast. He’s been knocking on the door for a while and just had an unlucky fence, but this win has been coming for a while.”
Laura Renwick maintained her form following her 4* Bolesworth International Grand Prix win to take the penultimate Longines World Ranking 3* speed on If Evers Girl. Fifty-five competitors came forward to take on the 13-fence, 16-effort track with double and combination to negotiate at speed. With confidence flowing down the reins to the If Ever 111 x Arko III nine-year-old, Laura recorded a 2.24 second win over Sammie-Jo Coffin and Cornet of Follyfoot. France’s Gaspard Maksud finished third on Ballypatrick Tiberius.
Laura also snaffled two Six-year-old wins on the consistent home-bred NFS Taluga (Taloubet Z x Heartbreaker), the first beating 35 challengers in a two-phase by 0.14 seconds and the other claiming a speed win with 2.56 seconds in hand. It appears Taluga has taken on the fleet-footed traits of his dam, Laura’s former top speed mare Beluga II.
Sammie-Jo topped the opening 58-entry 3* Big tour 1.45m two-phase with Cornet of Follyfoot, the Cornet Obolensky x Quidam De Revel eight-year-old edging ahead of some strong opposition by 0.18 seconds. Ireland’s Shane Breen rode Fanfan De Beaufour into second ahead of Chris Franks in third aboard Kannabalou.
Sammie-Jo doubled up in Friday’s Seven-year-old with the beautifully bred Big Star of Follyfoot Z (Big Star x Diamant De Semilly), beating their 34 rivals by 0.24 seconds and pushing George Whitaker’s Carrasco Z into second.
Joe Trunkfield scored four wins over the four days. Srikumar Balasubramaniyam’s nine-year-old Cashallco (Casallco x Kannan) claimed a double for Joe, marking his first win in the 3* Small tour two-phase, seizing the win by 1.28 seconds from the challenges of 67 rivals.
Joe and new ride of one month Cashallco also proved a winning partnership in the concluding 3* Small tour 1.40m single-phase, where the three of Britain’s speediest battled it out for the top three places in the 30-strong class. Joe emerged triumphant by 0.21 seconds over Laura Renwick’s Cottee and Mark Edwards slipped Tinker’s Touch into third spot.
“He’s a new one for me, very competitive and a very exciting addition to the string,” said Joe on Cashallco.
Joe also secured the 38-strong Seven-year-old two-phase on Serena Kullich’s Nomthago M (Comthago VDL x Indoctro) with 1.81 seconds to spare over George Whitaker’s Christina (Christian 25 x Carolus H).
“Serena’s away at the moment so she suggested I ride him in the meantime,” explained Joe.
Joe’s other win came in the Seven-year-old Final. Thirty-four horses faced a 13-fence 1.35m track with 12 returning for a hotly-contended jump-off. Joe and the talented Caroly x Erco Van’t Roosakker stallion Claud Van Dam – who will contend four HOYS Championship Finals in October – winning by the tiny margin of 0.01 second. Carmen Edwards had to settle for second on his Saturday winner Malou L Z and George Whitaker slotted Carrasco Z into third.
“Claud is so very special, he won two HOYS qualifiers last weekend and I considered not bringing him here, but he has so much blood and finds it all so easy. He was last to go and flew it,” said Joe.
Sandy McLean was a three-time winner, taking the 3* Small tour two-phase, initial Six-year-old and Six-year-old Final. Chanaga PS, an eight-year-old Chacco-Blue x Conthargos mare ably stepped in to claim the 3* 1.40m, beating 67 adversaries by 0.92 seconds for Sandy. The Messenger daughter Miss Contoulonia PS fired a warning shot in the initial 35-horse 1.20m two-phase, claiming the win by just 0.01 seconds over Sammie-Jo Coffin’s Renkum Del Rey.
Only seven from the original 26 starters in the Seven-year-old Final sourced the key to the 11-fence 1.30m course to qualify for the jump-off, Sandy riding on a mission to set the winning target from the opening draw with Tom Williams’ Miss Contoulonia PS. Nicole Pavitt came close for second 0.30 seconds in arrears on Domination Z And Jocasta Simons guided Omaha Beach into third.
Carron Nicol is enjoying success with a string of young horses and notched up a double of wins. She topped the initial 1* Silver tour two-phase in a 51-strong contenst with the Goldeneye seven-year-old Gold Survivor with 0.80 seconds in hand. Casanova SIH Z (Colorit x Diamant De Semilly) stepped up for Carron to win the Five-year-old Final over course-designer Nigel Jess’s 11-fence 1.20m track with 1.09 seconds to spare in the eight-horse jump-off.
Nicole Pavitt was also a double winner riding Amber Bundock’s Arezzo VDL x Carthano I Z stallion Umberto II Van Het Geninsteinde in the Five-year-old two-phase classes, posting a 1.59 second win over 20 rivals and a 2.59 second victory in another.
Olivia James made it three in the Amateur classes with Hamberlins Vistocar, the 11-year-old Mr Visto x Lupicor mare winning on day one with more than two seconds to spare, but two seconds on day two and with 1.62 seconds in hand over Michaela Whitaker’s Jewelino in the final day’s speed.
Second on day two and second in Bolesworth International’s Amateur Final, Isabelle James Wright, 14, went one better on day three to deservedly win the much-coveted rug with the evergreen 25-year-old Calle, a former top ride for Tracy Priest.
Image: ESP Photographic
