Thomas Pritchard Secures Victory in the UNIBED Winter Grades B&C Qualifier at South View Winter Classic Show
Thursday 19 February 2026
The final UNIBED – High Performance Equine Bedding Winter Grades B&C Qualifier at South View Equestrian Centre delivered a competitive contest, with riders vying for the last two qualifying tickets on offer for the Royal International Horse Show.
Thirty-one combinations came forward to tackle the first-round track, with eight progressing to the jump-off. From those, six produced faultless double clears to put themselves firmly in contention for qualification.
It was Thomas Pritchard who proved unbeatable, securing victory aboard Joanne Pritchard’s 11-year-old gelding Calcourt Hero. Third to go in the jump-off, Thomas set a strong target of 36.60 seconds that ultimately could not be caught. The partnership, together since 2021, has steadily progressed up the ranks and were crowned winners of the Winter Grade C Final at last year’s Winter Championships (formerly the Spring Championships), making this another significant milestone in their journey.
Jack Bowling briefly slotted into second place with Quick Fix, before being pushed down the order by Rhys Jones, who guided Hop into second place with a time of 36.83 seconds to secure the remaining qualifying ticket. Jack ultimately finished third.
Commenting after his victory, Thomas said: “I thought it went quite well. We were using it more as a warmup for the Grand Prix. He’s not the fastest horse, but we jumped clear in the first round so thought we would give it a go in the jump-off. I was able to keep him quite tight and smooth, and it paid off.
“I’m really looking forward to taking him back to Hickstead. We jumped the 1.25m open there last year at the Al Shira’aa Derby Meeting, but this is a bit bigger. He’s quite a funny character and seems to thrive more in the bigger arenas compared to some of the smaller ones.
“We’ve had him for six years now; he’s quite dopey and laid back on the ground but when you get on him, he’s got a big presence about him, he is really such a lovely ride. We’ll head to Arena UK for the Winter Championships next month and then probably target the Blue Chip Championships and as he is still a Grade B also the Talent Seeker qualifiers too,” added Thomas.
UNIBED - High Performance Equine Bedding Winter Grades B&C Qualifier
South View Equestrian Centre
1st – Thomas Pritchard & Calcourt Hero - 0/0 36.60
2nd – Rhys Jones & Hop - 0/0 36.83
3rd – Jack Bowling & Quick Fix - 0/0 337.67
NB Results pending final grading
Image: Phil Hillier / Landscape and Horses Photography
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