Ultimate Playboy takes fourth Hickstead victory
Monday 31 July 2023
Glaswegian teenager Lucy Capper might have driven 500 miles to be at Hickstead – but no doubt she’d have driven 500 more if she’d known her first appearance at the iconic showground was to be a winning one.
Riding Playboy van de Zoetewei, Lucy took the win in the Pony Of The Year British Showjumping Winter 138cm Championship after delivering a blazingly fast clear jump-off round with more than three seconds to spare.
“It’s my first time at Hickstead, and he was such a star,” said the 14-year-old, who is currently Scotland’s indoor 138cm titleholder with her other pony, Rathcoona James. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more from him.”
Despite the relative newness of their partnership, Lucy and Playboy van de Zoetewei have built a strong rapport over the course of the season.
“I only got him in November from Tilly Bamford, who won this class on him last year. Tabitha Kyle, who had him before and won it twice, told me everything to do, and her mum’s been training me and helping me, too, along with Douglas Duffin,” she explained. “He’s been really good to me, and we’ve won some qualifiers along the way – but winning the final is the best part! I definitely didn’t expect that for my first time; I just wanted to try my best and hopefully get a placing.”
Tickets for the Longines Royal International Horse Show (25-30 July) are available at the gate or can be bought online from www.hickstead.co.uk. The action will be livestreamed throughout on ClipMyHorse.TV and Hickstead.TV, with additional coverage on Sky Sports and FEI.TV on Friday and Sunday.
Image: Elli Birch/Boots and Hooves Photography
