Three Worthy Bramham Champions Crowned
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
After two days of Dressage it was Berkshire rider Daisy Dick who held the advantage in the CCI*** with her 2006 Blenheim winner Springbok IV on a score of 4 1.6, 3.2 penalties ahead of Northallerton’s Nicola Wilson with Master Banks. Pippa Funnell was a further two points adrift on Ensign while Andrew Nicholson occupied fourth and fifth with The Light Fandango and Nereo respectively.
Saturday’s Cross Country morning dawned with the news that Daisy had been forced to withdraw her dressage leader with a twisted fetlock (ankle), handing the lead to Nicola. The exten sive ground works, watering, mowing and early event rain ensured the going on Sue Benson’s final Bramham cross country track was superb and the new route of the course gave superb galloping conditions for the riders and horses while opening up the viewing for spectators. Problems for the riders were spread around the 26 fences with the Carter Jonas Castle Combination at six being the most influential followed by the final water, the Dickinson Dees Lower Pond at 23 which put play to Andrew Nicholson’s chance of victory with The Light Fandango with a run out at the final element. Nicola Wilson coped with the pressure and had a "fabulous" ride. She did complete three quarters of the course with just three shoes when she noticed Master Banks' front shoe overtake her on exiting the first water. "I saw it out of the corner of my eye and it made me ride with caution on the trickier turns but he was brilliant," Nicola said. Clear inside the time gave her a faultless ride to remain on 44.8 as was Pippa Funnell and, Ensign who remained just two penalties behind on 46.8. Andrew Nicholson moved into the top three with a fault-free performance from with Nereo who is owned by Deborah Sellar.
Show Jumping Course Designer Di Boddy has a reputation of producing a course to give the competition an exciting climax and this year was certainly no exception. The morning session provided just two clear rounds from 15 horses and an eventual seven overall. Two down for last year's winner William Fox-Pitt with Cool
Mountain, who lay fifth, put pay to any chance he had of retaining his title while a rail lowered for Emily Gilruth and Ashdale Cruise Master was enough to promote them from eighth to fifth. A clear from Piggy French and Some Day Soon ensured they finished on their Dressage score and promoted them up the order. A cruel rail down at the last fence from Ensign meant that Pippa Funnell lost their advantage a nd dropped them below Piggy while Andrew Nicholson produced a masterful clear from Nereo to pile the pressure on Nicola.
She cantered in looking composed with Master Banks and jumped each of the fences cleanly and cantered through the finish. The crowd erupted, delighted with a Yorkshire win, only for the commentator to announce she had incu rred three time penalties and elation quickly turned to despair for Nicola and her connections but it handed victory to the Kiwi, his second Bramham title in three years and second three day event victory this spring having won Saumur CCI*** in France.
"This horse is the best jumper I've ever sat on," said a jubilant Andrew. He continued; "I had to ride him tactically but he is careful and will jump from whatever stride I put him on."
Clear rounds were also influential in the final phase of the Bishop Burton Under 25 Championship. In the Dressage, Jennifer Brannigan made her trip across the Atlantic count as she lead on a score of 42.8 and France's Maxime Livio was one penalty point behind with Jaipur II while 20Gemma Tattersall kept British hopes alive in third with her second ride, Nyali Beach. However cross country day was not a happy one for the top three. A stop at fence six, Jennifer Brannigan relegated her to 15th while Maxime Livio and Gemma Tattersall were both eliminated. A fantastic round by up and coming Portuguese star Duarte Seabra and Braveheart just two seconds over the optimum time promoted them from tenth to first. Georgie Spence and her 2008 European Young Rider Team Gold medal horse Skylight moved to second after adding 4.8 time penalties while reigning Young Rider European Champions Emily Llewellyn and Pardon Me II were one of the fastest of the day for just 1.2 penalties to move from 11th to third. Sarah Stretton had personally had a week to forget but a great ride across the country to post the only clear inside the time to elevate her and her ride Lazy Acres Skip On from 16th after dressage to fourth on Saturday which was further bolstered by a valuable clear in the show jumping arena. Third placed Emily Llewellyn and her Individual European Gold Medal partner Pardon Me II, who is owned by her mother, Cindy, then added further pressure with a perfectly judged clear. It was then the turn of Georgie Spence and Skylight and they were unlucky to have three down, dropping them three places to fifth. Then it was the lea der's turn and in came Duarte Seabra with Brave Heart and he was unable to produce a clear. One down handed victory to Emily and she has now won the British titles at Pony, Under 18, Under 21 and Under 25 levels - quite an achievement for someone just 20 years old.
Bramham’s new addition, the CIC*** section was a great treat for the spectators and also provided a tense competition right down to the wire with the Show Jumping deciding the fate of the top combinations. After the dressage, Andrew Nicholson headed a New Zealand one-two-three with Epic with Neil Spratt just off the pace with Upleadon and Joe Meyer with Ariki, completing the Kiwi hat trick in third. After Cross Country, there was little change when leader Andrew Nicholson and Epic added 0.8 to his dressage of 44 as did runner up Neil Spratt on Upleadon. British rider Harry Meade disrupted the Kiwi stronghold on the top three with a clear inside the time on Tracy Garside's Dunauger and 2008 Olympic Bronze medallists Sharon Hunt and Tankers Town were also faultless to move up the order to fourth. In the show jumping, it was seven time penalties for Harry Meade and local horse Dunauger which lowered them to fourth while just one pole dislodged was good enough to promote Olympic Team Bronze combination Sharon Hunt and Tankers Town into the top three. The penultimate rider in was Neil Spratt with the striking grey Upleadon, who is owned by Neil, Mrs Roggins and Mrs Engel, who handled the atmospheric arena with no trouble for an immaculate clear. This put the pressure on the leaders since the dressage, Andrew Nicholson riding Epic who cantered into the arena knowing he had just 3.4 penalties, less than a fence, in hand. It wasn't to be - the nine year old lowered two rails - the lead was lost but he did hold on to second.
Bramham’s numerous showing, young h orse and show jumping classes kept the crowds around the East Arena, which were often four or five deep, enthralled, especially the Mix and Match on Sunday. This gave Piggy French and show jumper Paul Barker victory for a fourth time! The showing classes were well subscribed with wins for Robert Walker (Lightweight& Middleweight), Loraine Homer (Heavyweight), Ginny Rose (Novice Working Hunter) and T Fairburn (Open Working Hunter). The Trot2.com Eventing Breeding and Young Stock Classes also proved popular with the winning owners being Joanne & William Moran (Brood Mare), Sue Browne & Nicola Baguley (Foal), Dr J Crossley 20(Yearling), Mrs K Barley (Two Year Old) and Joanne & William Moran (Three Year Old). The largest classes were in the Burghley Dubarry Young Event Horse classes which were won by Katherine Heslop and Bee Victorious (Four Year Olds) and Willa Newton with San Remo II (Five Year Olds). Both will now go to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in September for the prestigious Championship with five others who qualified here at Bramham.
Robert Whitaker was the big winner of the final event of the show, the Wetherby Skip Hire Grand Prix, taking home £1000 with a great performance against the clock from Udodv. Other Show Jumping winners included; N Smith riding Keol Kaiser in the Thorpe Park B & C Competition, Julie Andrews and Conora in the HOYS Grade C Championship, William Whitaker in The Bramham Classic riding Clark 12, William Funnell wowed the crowds to take the Bramham Six Bar with Beowulf, M Ken and Sonora in the Quantum Saddles Accumulator and Tracy Newman riding Handles Cosmos in The Suregrow UK 1.3m Open.
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Eventing
