Chepstow International round-up
Tuesday 03 May 2022
The feature 1.45m Grand Prix at Chepstow International at the David Broome Event Centre fell to Ireland as British-based Anthony Condon negotiated tight turns and risked a gallop to the final oxer but it was also a triumph for British breeding as he won on Pat Hales' home-bred SFS Vincomte.
A super four days of jumping was highlighted in the main two-star Grand Prix as fifty-seven riders came forward to face Irish course-designer Colm Quinn’s track testing scope and rideability in the vast Superflex Arena.
"It was a brilliant course, tough enough, big enough and quite technical – exactly what and two-star grand prix should be and this was a great warm-up as our next show is the Global Champions tour in Madrid in a couple of weeks,” said Anthony.
An elite twelve found all the right answers to return for the jump-off and it was all about the clock as eight again posted clear rounds with the times progressively faster as riders risked all.
Anthony was the quickest of all, trusting the Veni Vidi Vici x Magic Darco 12-year-old SFS Vincomte with a tight turn into the double and angling verticals before taking out a stride to the final oxer to win by only 0.07 sec.
Fellow Irishman Richard Howley chased hard on Consulent Du Prelet Z to take second with Adrian Speight’s early efforts earning third place on Millfield Baloney.
“He [Vincomte] is a character with plenty of attitude and quite feisty. His granddam is Florida, the former top ride of Nick Skelton, also had a feisty attitude and I think he gets a bit of it from her,” said Anthony.
Adam Botham notched up a hat-trick of wins during the four days. He secured the Medium Tour Grand Prix with a fast-paced round on Barbara Hester’s handsome stallion Ebanking. The original forty-seven starters were reduced to seventeen clears over the 1.40m track to qualify for the jump-off but Adam claimed the win from second draw with a series of spectacular turns and a gallop to the final oxer to claim a 0.29 second advantage.
The Etoulon VDL x Sheraton 8-year-old has quickly moved up a level while gaining experience on the Andalucia sunshine tour in Spain with several two-star and four-star 1.40m wins to their credit.
“He won it through the air, he’s so quick off the floor and this class was his target,” said Adam. “He’s cocky, he knows he’s good and thinks he’s King Kong, but he does know when he goes in the ring when to concentrate and gets his game face on.”
Adam headed day one’s 1.40m with Barbara Hester’s Quaprice Bois Margot x Carthago Z 10-year-old Harvey. Sixty-seven came forward in this class with fourteen reaching the jump-off, Adam easing into the top spot by 0.76 seconds.
“He’s brilliant, does everything I ask of him. He has the heart of a lion and gives you his all,” said Adam.
Millfield Counterfeit – also owned by Barbara Hester – stepped up to the plate to mark Adam’s third win in the 1* Gold Tour 1.25m two-phase, the Cooper Van De Heffinck x Contender 9-year-old also owned by Barbara Hester outpacing their 47 rivals to win by just 0.14 seconds.
Alice Watson claimed victory in the Small Grand Prix over a 1.35m track on Cintrix Du Ruisseau, an 8-year-old Cinsey x Prince D’Incoville mare she has steadily produced after spotting her as a 4-year-old on Facebook. Winner of the 5-year-old title here three years ago, this mare appears to like the Wales and West Showground as she also won the 1* grand prix here last year.
Twelve of the fifty starters returned to contend the jump-off with Alice flying ahead to win by 1.14 seconds.
“She owes me nothing, she’s a banker and so consistent,” said Alice, who was at her first show back since jumping in Spain in March. “She’s not very big – 155cm with shoes on – but she has loads of stride and loves her job in the ring; as soon as you point her towards a fence, she’s interested and focused.”
Robert Whitaker impressed with victory in Saturday’s 1.40m on the big-jumping, scopey 13-year-old Evert (Amadeus x Indoctro), heading the 15-strong jump-off, yielded from 85 starters, with 1.43 seconds to spare.
Angie Thompson sped to the top in Sunday’s 40-strong 1.40m speed with Fremont VDL, the Bacardi VDL x VDL Silverstone 12-year-old claiming a 0.77 second advantage over Adrian Speight’s Millfield Baloney.
Jessica Hewitt claimed a double victory. She beat her 72 rivals by 1.05 sec to take day one’s 2* Medium Tour 1.35m two-phase on the Plot Blue x Heartbreaker 10-year-old mare Hot Bluebird. Jessica left her other win until the final moments, topping the 1* gold tour 1.30m grand prix on the seven-year-old mare Kayloma H&H (Ever Blue x Glennridge) with 2.73 seconds in hand in a seven-horse decider.
Jude Burgess claimed a 2.39 second advantage to win Saturday’s 75-entry Medium Tour 1.35m speed on the Ugano Sitte 14-year-old Comeback De Fremis to relegate Jessica Botham and Manzanita.
Mark Edwards lifted the 1.35m Accumulator from the front with Marlene Edwards’ aptly-named Flying Tinker II, the Tinkers Tale 11-year-old gelding holding on to the top spot by 0.11 seconds despite the challenges from their 16 rivals.
Nicole Pavitt jumped to the top of the initial 77-strong 2* Small 1.30m two-phase with the home-bred Unbelievable Darco x Equador 13-year-old Gemmarco 16 to push Jessica Botham and Manzanita into second place by 0.59 seconds.
Jessica Botham went one better to take Saturday’s 47-entry 1* Gold Tour 1.25m accumulator with 3.10 seconds to spare on Georgina Round’s 10-year-old mare Euphoria HST, also picking up third with Isabelle Mirah.
James Whitaker scored a win in Saturday’s Small Tour 1.30m Accumulator on his brother William’s Harthill Magician, the Arkol x Saluut 8-year-old outpacing their forty rivals by 1.12 seconds.
Ireland’s David Simpson netted the final 1.30m speed, beating his 32 rivals by 0.55 seconds on the Balloon x Cruising nine-year-old mare Balloon Cruise.
Trevor Breen jumped to the top in the Silver Grand Prix with Old Lodge’s Chankar Mail. Twenty of the fifty-eight starters battled it out in the jump-off with Trevor and the Quidam De Revel x Kannan 10-year-old stallion emerging triumphant with just 0.21 seconds to spare over Leo Lamb in second on Qian Van Heiste.
Kathryn Fanshaw notched up a victory double in the 1* Bronze tour classes. She fired a warning shot in the 40-horse accumulator on the 14-year-old Bow House Red, taking the win with 2.10 seconds in hand and landed the Bronze 1.10m Grand Prix on Dia Centa PS. Twenty of the original forty-eight starters accessed the jump-off with Kathryn and the seven-year-old German-bred mare Dia Centa easing ahead by 0.63 seconds.
Leo Lamb landed the both age class grand prix titles in style with two impressive horses, Chrysler Key SR Z coming to the fore in the 5-year-old Grand Prix with Gmail – winner of the 6-year-old accumulator two days earlier – taking the 6-year-old title.
Eighteen of the original forty-one starters reached the jump-off with Leo, who only started competing the Cornet Obolensky x Diamant De Semilly gelding three weeks earlier, taking advantage of his big stride and careful attitude to win by 2.49 seconds.
“He was quite a handful as a stallion so we gelded him last summer and Thomas Dovkants produced him while we were competing in Portugal and Spain,” said Leo, who has built an immediate rapport with the handsome grey.
Leo claimed the 5-year-old Grand Prix with the talented Chrysler Key SR. This class was run over three rounds with nineteen of the original thirty starters jumping first round clears and an eventual fifteen claiming a place in the final jump-off. Leo found the shortest route with the tightest of turns to the double and a gallop to the last on the Comme Il Faut x Calido I stallion to command victory by 4.20 seconds.
“We bought him as a foal and have always thought a lot of him. He’s not done many shows but I think he’ll be world class,” said Leo.
Chrysler certainly has the bloodlines; his dam Renaissance is the granddam of Verdi TN, The Netherlands’ Maikel van de Vleuten’s London 2012 Olympic ride
Arianna Kuligowski doubled up in the 1* silver classes on the Baltic VDL x Lincoln nine-year-old Ivascalle, taking day one’s 74-entry 1.15m two-phase by 2.43 seconds and heading the final day’s 30-strong 1.15m accumulator with 4.49 seconds in hand.
Find photos and information from Chepstow International here.
14kvaj7pl3106.jpg "Jonathan Egmore and Mollie Rose Smith are winners in the Equissage Pulse British Novice Second Rounds.")
1g50u2k8dpost.JPG "Lacey-Mae Russel seizes Victory in the STX-UK Pony British Novice Second Round at Felbridge Showground")
11dtw0hmsttk0.jpg "NAF Five Star Bronze and Silver League Qualifiers get underway at Speetley Equestrian Centre")
