AL SHIRA’AA BOLESWORTH BRITISH YOUNG HORSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday 23 August 2020
The Al Shira’aa Bolesworth British Young Horse Championships was hailed a great success by riders – and they certainly voted in favour as the Cheshire venue received huge entries and young horses benefited from invaluable education competing in the moat enclosed main arena.
Danielle Farnsworth scored a triple whammy in the 7-year-old championship, lifting the title with a smooth yet deceptively fast round in a strong 14-horse decider on the eye-catching Ivory in addition to the Best British-bred award and a share of the jumping ‘clear every day’ bonus.
“She’s pretty amazing, she won the 6-year-old title last year with Matt Sampson and was second in the 5-year-old with Joe Trunkfield the year before,” said Danielle. “She’s not very big but she makes up for it, she’s not short on stride and has plenty of character.”
Danielle only got the ride on Sean Conway and Helen Ray’s Don VHP Z x Cartogran mare – bred by Castell Sporthorses – seven weeks ago.
“She had a long holiday after Lanaken World Breeding Championships last year and it was made even longer because of lockdown. She’s cheeky and almost decided halfway round the first round she didn’t like jumping in the rain but she does love her job. When she first cam back into work she found it a bit humdrum but at her first stay away show, she came alive,” added Danielle.
A rare result was realised in the 6-year-old championship when Laura Mantel’s early round on Aurora was equalled by William Funnell aboard Chacco Bay to share the honours as twenty from fifty-four starters contended the jump-off.
Laura also claimed the best British-bred award and a share of the clear round bonus on John and Laura Renwick’s home-bred Typhoon S x For Pleasure mare.
“She won the 6-year-old final at Chard the week before and tried her heart out for me here – she just wants to win,” said Laura.
It was William’s first show on Al Shira’aa Farms’ German-bred Chaccato x Heops stallion Chacco Bay, who was another to claim the bonus.
“He’s an easy laidback stallion who improved every day. He was second in the 5-year-old at Lanaken last year and is a future grand prix horse. We’ve used him on several mares at the Billy Stud this time,” said William.
Ronnie Jones claimed the 5-year-old championship by 0.43 seconds on Ruth and Ian Dowie’s Kaleche in a competitive 34-horse jump-off.
“I took a stride out from one to two and stayed tight back to the double to save time. It was her first time under pressure against the clock and she took it in her stride,” said Ronnie, who also jumped clear every day on the consistent mare to share the £4,000 clear round bonus with 10 others. “She jumped in the four-year-old here last year and was clear every day.”
The F One USA x Nassau mare was purchased from showjumper Roelof Bril as an unbroken three-year-old.
“We saw her loose-jump and had to have her. She’s sassy but always wants to jump clear,” added Ronnie, who also has an ET colt by Invictus out of this mare.
Early leader Chris Smith had to settle for third on Jim and Nicola Barry of Sovereign Equestrian’s home-bred Messarado Blue (Messenger x Indorado) and picked up the Best British-bred award.
Danielle Ryder rode Lapromesse to perfection to take the Ashdale Sporthorses 4-year-old championship with a 1.5 point advantage. Forty of the original 66 starters came forward to the style and performance round judged by dressage star Richard Davison and top showjumper William Whitaker.
“Danielle’s mare jumped well and didn’t put a foot wrong – she looked beyond her young years,” said William.
Lapromesse was bred by Dutch breeder Willem van Hoof – with whom Danielle has produced horses for the past 14 years – and this mare is no exception. She is by the Kashmir Van Scuttershof son Fly and out of the Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve mare Promesse – mother of Escape Z, Danielle’s high-profile stallion and a former winner of the four-year-old title now jumping at 1.50m level with The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders.
“Lapromesse came over on the last boat before lockdown. We did one training show in Bonheiden, Belgium, and a training show here at Bolesworth before finishing second in the 4-year-old final at the National Championships but like all her family, she is good in the ring, only looking at the fences and poles and not fazed by a big arena like this. She has everything in a 4-year-old needed to go on to big sport in the future,” said Danielle.
The best British-bred 4-year-old title was awarded to fourth-placed Mohamed Al Owais and the Balout Du Rouet x Voltaire stallion SS Pegasus.
Jay Halim took every risk on Aragon Z to land the Al Shira’aa 1.40m grand prix in a tough 19-horse decider to beat Holly Smith’s seemingly unbeatable target on Fruselli by 0.27 sec.
“You can point a gun to his head and he responds and tries harder every time; he can run and jump and give you his heart,” said Jay, on the Asca Z 9-year-old he has produced for the past three and a half years. “The course was big enough for a 2* world ranking class and it’s disappointing it wasn’t FEI but I think Nina Barbour has done an amazing job with this show considering the current climate [with Covid].”
Jay doubled up in the 74-horse 1m championship on new ride Billy Cointreau, the Billy Congo 10-year-old claiming 0.36 seconds over long-time leader Ruby Light at her first show with Brendon Stud’s home-bred Don VHP Z x Hamilton 9-year-old Lord Don.
Faye Adams topped a 17-horse jump-off to take the 1.35m final on the consistent Quasimodo 12-year-old Demograaf with 0.60 sec in hand.
Jo McGlory commanded victory in the 1.30m final on the Kannan x Darco 13-year-old, outpacing her 15 jump-off rivals to win with 2.89 sec to spare.
Adam Botham scored a 100% record with catch ride Dewpoint Diamond. Adam took over the reins on the Je T’Aime Flamenco 9-year-old from owner Barbara Hester at the show, winning the 1.20m speed before claiming a 0.60 seconds victory in the mammoth 119-strong 1.20m championship.
Joss Williams fired a warning shot with a win earlier in the week and duly headed the 88-entry 1.10m championship on Jan Coomer’s evergreen Zandor Z x Furioso 18-year-old Zandokan by a commanding 2.77 seconds.
Three riders cleared the big red wall at 2m (6ft 10in) in round four of the Puissance but the rain became heavier and they decided to share the honours. They were Joss Williams – who finished his final round after going through the finish with a spectacular somersault and almost landed in the moat – on the Don VHP Z x No Limit seven-year-old Hl Donaclano, Phillip Miller with Brendon Stud’s home-bred Warrior x Casantos 11-year-old stallion Noble Warrior and Derek Morton aboard Zoe Snedker’s Obos Quality x High Roller nine-year-old Science Supplements KBS High Quality.
Tabitha Kyle, 12, scored a well-deserved victory double with wins at either end of the day with the 138cm and 148cm grand prix titles.
The 148cm pony riders jumped a similar track to the feature grand prix at 1.25m and although twenty-three came forward, just two managed to post initial clears – Tabitha going head-to-head with Jennifer Billington. First out Jennifer set a competitive standard on the 10-year-old mare Faith X but Tabitha coolly swept into the lead with smooth, tight lines to win by 2.05 sec on the 14-year-old mare Orchids Vienna.
Tabitha was not at all fazed by a 7.15am start and claimed three of the rides in the competitive nine-pony decider, winning on the 17-year-old Lissduff Royal with just 0.07 sec to spare over Evie McCoy and Misty Bay.
Emily Irvine secured the 128cm grand prix title with 2.63 sec in hand in a seven-pony decider on the 19-year-old Bunbury Conquest.
For full results visit www.bolesworthyounghorse.com
1svujitxhxur8.jpg "Great Britain command victory in the Pony Nations Cup of Compiegne")
.jpg "Thrilling Weekend Kickstarts the STX-UK Pony British Novice Championship Second Round")
