Horse of the Year Show ‘under the spotlight’ on day two

Eventing superstar Pippa Funnell, a former Horse of the Year Show rosette girl, celebrated her first ever victory at the show by taking the EquestrianClearance.com SeniorNewcomersChampionship on the Billy Stud and Carol Toliver’s Billy Balou.

 

“All those years I worked here handing out rosettes, I never thought I’d be receiving a winner’s one,” said twice European Eventing Champion and Rolex Eventing Grand Slam winner Pippa, who celebrates her birthday at the show on Friday. “And I almost got William to ride Billy Balou here because I’ve been so busy eventing I haven’t had a chance to get him indoors.”
 

The first of the young horse classes at the show, the Seven-Year-Old Championship, was won by Ireland’s Trevor Breen riding Martin and Pascal Coffey’s homebred stallion Oldtown KC. Trevor, who recently relocated from Co Tipperary to Buckinghamshire, was the fastest of three double clears in his jump-off. However, despite it being run over the same course, which had been raised, the Addington Manor Eight-Year-Old final produced no double clears from the three through to the jump-off. After the first two to go both had a stop at the second fence and further fences down, Cornwall’s Sammie Jo Coffin was able to win the class with an eight-fault score on her own Willem de Lux.

 

Ayrshire’s Aileen Craig recorded her first HOYS win by heading the British Showjumping Amateur Classic with Billy McKenchie’s Quiberon D. Her win came courtesy of a change of route after Ami Measor had taken the earlier lead on Belle Fleur using the same tactic. “It wasn’t in my original plan,” said Aileen. “But a friend told me I had to do it to win the class.”

On her last visit to HOYS as a pony rider, Charlotte Jose, 16, won the Squibb Demolition Pony FoxhunterChampionship with her mother Maxine’s Edenside Blue Eyes. “It’s the best way to go out of ponies,” said Charlotte, who is jumping Cappagh Supreme in the Leading Pony Show Jumper of the Year final on Sunday. “It’s still not quite sunk in yet, I am struggling stop myself from crying!”

 

The second day of the show also saw the start of the hugely popular EquimaxPony Club Mounted Games. The current titleholders of the Equimax Cup, Oakley Hunt West, made a strong start to defending their title by winning both the afternoon and evening rounds of the competition. They came through rounds such as ‘stepping stones dash’ and ‘team relay bending’ to head Devon & Somerset, who have an equally impressive recent record at HOYS, by four points going into the final round of the competition tomorrow afternoon. The Scottish teams of Strathearn and Orkney currently sit in third and fourth respectively. In the other high speed class in the Andrews Bowen International Arena, Kent-based Su Ridley and Prancer & Dancer took round one of the Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry contest.

 

The final round of the TopSpec Show Hunter of the Year brought the house down in the Andrews Bowen International Arena with five-year-old Oathills Take The Biscuit taking the title. Owned by Beverley Racecourse Clerk of the Course, Sally Iggulden, he qualified from the Middleweight section of the competition under Danielle Heath and remarkably landed this prestigious title in his novice season.

 

The ever popular Mountain & Moorland got the show under way in the Caldene Arena. The dedicated crowds flocking to the catch a glimpse of the eight sections leading up to the NPS/Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain & Moorland Ridden Pony of the Year Championship in the spectacular evening performance in the Andrew Bowens International Arena. The overall championship went the way of Sydenham King George ridden by Laura Rowe coming forward from the Welsh D Section. Laura qualified in one of the final qualifiers of the season at the Ponies Association (UK) Summer Championships. Welsh Section A Brynodyn Savannah and Lucy Morris secured the reserve spot.
 

Welsh-based Brenda Thompson had a memorable time of things in another of the showing highlights of day two. She secured the first two placings in the prestigious Miniature Horse of the Year Champions with both the horses that she had qualified for the entire show.  Seven-year-old mare Scott Creek My Key To Fashion, who qualified at Royal Bath & West, won the title with Scott Creek Monarch Red Graffitti taking the reserve position.

 

Horse of the Year Show: Under The Spotlight by Gillian Newsum also launched today on the official HOYS trade stand in the Retail Village. The tribute book brings together all the memorable moments from the last sixty-plus shows and all profits from those sold will be donated to Cancer Research UK. It will be available to purchase from the official HOYS shop online after HOYS.

 

Another packed schedule of entertainment and competition awaits visitors to the LG Arena on Thursday, if you have not yet got your tickets, head to www.hoys.co.uk or call 0844 581 82 82.