Defender Bramham day one: a new champion crowned and dressage underway
It’s billed as Thrilling Thursday and today duly lived up to the name here at the at the Defender Bramham International Horse Trials. The sun shone bright, but a keen northerly wind kept the temperatures down to provide perfect conditions for horses and spectators alike.
NAF Five Star BE80 Championships
After two days in between the white boards, we crowned our new NAF Five Star BE80 champions after a day of change on the leaderboard that saw well-judged rounds rewarded.
A faultless day of jumping for Leicestershire-based rider Rachel Littlewood and her bay mare Fiancee promoted them one step up to the top of the podium and the 2024 championship accolade, adding nothing to their dressage score of 29.9. An emotional Rachel punched the air as she crossed the finish line of Ian Stark’s cross-country course, before giving her steed a big kiss after realising they’d taken the lead.
The original plan for ‘Lottie’ this year was to qualify for the Badminton Grassroots Championships, but a slight injury meant Bramham became the focus in order to give the duo the best chance to get back to full fitness. However, coming to Yorkshire with no expectations of doing well made today’s win even more special.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic, but incredibly nail-biting!” said Rachel after the prize-giving in the Defender Main Arena. “Dressage isn’t our strong point, so when we were second on day one I was overwhelmed with that! I was a little nervous going into today – the showjumps were a little on the small side for us and she’s prone to leaving a leg, but she was absolutely amazing! We had a few hairy moments cross-country, but she was still full of running at the end – I think she could have done it again! To do the lap of honour here has been something out of this world – I was in tears!”
Second place went to 18-year-old Beth Jones riding Fantasy Chilli, who added nothing to their dressage penalty score of 32.3. It was Deborah Burrell and her own Imperial Tangle who completed the top three on a score of 32.6.
Defender CCI4*-L
Reigning European champion Ros Canter heads the leaderboard in the showcase Defender CCI4*-L section, with Lady Milnes Coates and Deirdre Johnston’s MHS Seventeen achieving the only sub-30 score of the day. The athletic bay, known as Vinnie, was previously piloted by Sara Bowe and Nicola Wilson, but Ros has partnered him for two years. After a slow start to their relationship due to inclement weather and an unsuccessful four-star debut here last year, they’re beginning to forge a true partnership.
A delighted Ros said; “I’m delighted with MHS Seventeen today. He did a personal best at Bicton and has come out and performed to that quality again. He’s a lovely horse who’s growing in confidence all of the time.”
In second, it’s last year’s CCI4*-S victors, Selina Miles and the Rucker’s Cooley Snapchat. They were ever-consistent to impress the judges, who all landed on a 67% plus score to give the pair 32.2 penalties. The top three is completed by Olympic-nominated rider Tom Jackson with Plot Twist B, owned by Mary Harris and Ruth McMullen, on 33.5.
Defender CCI4*-S
There’s a truly international feel to the top placings in the 83 runner-strong Defender CCI4*-S, with Japan leading and a pair of Irish flags to follow.
Bramham is being used as a key selection trial for the Japanese team ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – today marks 50 days until the Opening Ceremony – and there are a selection of leading combinations here to fight for their place. New pairing Ryuzo Kitajima from Japan and Be My Daisy, owned by Riding Club Crane, put in a late challenge to take the lead with a stunning display that featured a number of nines from the judges and a score of 24.7. They dislodged Ireland’s Josephy Murphy, riding his own Calmaro, who stole the lead before lunch with a 27.3. Countryman Austin O’Connor is half a penalty behind on 27.8 with Lesley Rose’s Isazsa.
An elated Ryuzo commented: “I’m so pleased, so happy! I’ve just started riding her this year and I still have to know more about her. I was relaxed and she was relaxed, so it was good. To build our partnership, I started early this year and took her to Portugal so we could get qualified for Paris. She’s a mare, which can be good or bad, but today she was a princess!”
Bramham U25 CCI4*-L
The small but quality field in the Under-25 CCI4*-L got their campaign underway and it’s Britain’s Isabel White who paves the way riding her own Icarus. Their solid performance yielded a penalty score of 36.3 from the Ground Jury of Nick Burton, Angela Tucker and Xavier Le Sauce, who’s officiating at Paris this summer. Second spot is taken by Emma Thomas and The Buzz Factor for owners Pippa Williams and Rebecca Velarde, while Cassie Sanger from the USA sits third with her own Redfield Fyre on 42.4.
Join us for Fantastic Friday, when the CCI4* dressage reaches its conclusion and we discover who holds the cards ahead of the decisive jumping phases.
Results and start times on via www.bit.ly/DefenderBIHT2024timesandresults and full details, including info downloading on the Bramham app, from www.bramham-horse.co.uk
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