Ella Kay blazes to the top on Red Alert to claim her biggest win in the Horse of the Year Show 128cm Championship
Saturday 07 October 2023
.jpg "Ella Kay blazes to the top on Red Alert to claim her biggest win in the Horse of the Year Show 128cm Championship")
Ella Kay secured her biggest win with the Equine Rescues Services 128cm Championship at Horse of the Year Show with the superstar Red Alert III.
The pair had already been crowned National 128cm champion at the British Showjumping National Championships but this was their crowning glory.
Twenty-one competitors came through the famous curtain into the hallowed arena to face course-designer Ben Townley’s 1.15m track with four jumping clear rounds to deservedly claim their place in the jump-off. Lucia Caroline got the ball rolling as first out and made just one mistake to come home on four faults with Desdemone Du Marquais.
Next in Ella rode with confidence and flair, cutting every conceivable corner on the eager 20-year-old mare Red Alert to gallop through the finish in an incredible time, more than three sec quicker than Lucia.
“I didn’t realise I was going that tight until I did it,” said Ella, who has great confidence in her pony. “She knows her job so well, really wants to do it and really wants to win as well.”
Diminutive Annabel Widdowson, aged only 8, gave a fabulous account with poise and style to guide the legendary 22-year-old Bunbury Conquest into second 2.87 sec behind Ella. And when a fence fell for last to go Agnes Kerr, dropping Dunbarover IV into fourth, Ella knew she had clinched the much-coveted title to take a glorious – and fast – lap of honour.
“I obviously didn’t see myself or how tight I went so I couldn’t compare my round to the others,” said Ella. “I rode here last year, it didn’t go so well but it was good to have the confidence [of competing here] because I’d already done it.”
HOYS, NEC, Birmingham – 7 October, 2023
Equine Rescue Services 128cm Championship
1st Ella Kay & Red Alert III – 0/0 23.28 seconds
2nd Annabel Widdowson & Bunbury Conquest – 0/0 - 26.15 seconds
3rd Lucia Caroline & Desdemone Du Marquais – 0/4 - 26.64 seconds
4th Agnes Kerr & Dunarover IV – 0/8 - 28.07 seconds
Image: 1st Class Images
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