The great British weather may have thrown everything at the ever-hardy Yorkshire crowd, but it didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for topflight cross-country action, which we had in abundance on Super Saturday at the Defender Bramham International Horse Trials. Reigning World Champion Yasmin Ingham took the Defender CCI4*-S spoils with The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Gypsie du Loir, while Bubby Upton tightens her grip on the Defender CCI4*-L title thanks to a superb performance with Its Cooley Time, who she jointly owns with the Five Time Syndicate.
Defender CCI4*-S
Saturday is the finale for the short format competition, with the winner being crowned after two tightly fought jumping phases. There was the small matter of Jason Abbs’ showjumping track to navigate and, with scores close, clear rounds inside the time would be as decisive as ever. The majority of the leaders made little of the course, provided they kept up the pace because the optimum time was tight.
The main casualty was the second-placed combination, Piggy French and the Maidwell Mavericks-owned MCS Maverick. They gave an up-to-height parallel the lightest of taps to send it down and they also just tripped the timing a second over to add 0.4 – that sadly dropped them to 12th going into the cross-country phase.
While the cross-country test for the short competition might have only had an optimum time of 6:47 minutes, Andy Heffernan’s technical track combined with the undulations of the Bramham park meant that rounds inside the time are at a premium. Plus, just five penalties separate the top 12 as they headed into this decisive phase.
The first of the leading pack to head across the country was the Under-25 National Championship leader after dressage and jumping, Tom Woodward with his own Low Moor Lucky, who lay fifth overall. The duo re-routed to Bramham from Badminton and were looking for a confidence-building round – and, of course, the coveted U25 title. They achieved just that, with ‘Lucky’ listening and jumping in great harmony with his rider – they stopped the clock at 7.03, yielding 6.4 time penalties, which would lower them down the overall order. However, it was enough to secure the Under-25 accolade for the Gloucestershire-based rider, who adds his name to the illustrious roster of names.
It was then all eyes on the leader, Sebastien Cavaillon for France, riding stallion Elipso de la Vigne. The pair have previously won the CCI4*-L at both Kronenberg and Saumur, so the record books were in their favour. They set off in determined mood and flowed well around the course until fence 11, where Sebastien had to work hard to keep to the line to the owl hole fence, but they were clear. As they progressed around, they were dropping behind where they wanted to be on the clock – they’d have to push for the time. As they approached the final combination after a long climb up the hill and the seconds ticked by, it was going to be tight. The clock stopped at 6:51 – four seconds over and 1.6 penalties to add. They held the lead of those who’d already gone, but the door was opened for Yasmin Ingham and Astier Nicolas to steal the win.
The first of those challengers to go was long-term partnership of Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or. They set off in their trademark French style, not wasting a single second anywhere – they chose the tightest lines, took every fence in stride and ate up the ground. They finished fresh and stopped the clock at 6:41, giving them six seconds to spare and the lead over their countryman.
There was just one final combination who could claim the Defender prize, and it was for the home side. World Champion Yasmin Ingham had brought her two young pretenders – both owned by The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn – to Bramham to see if they’re ready for the next level in their education. She had a great first ride on Goliath du Loir to add just 0.4 of a time penalty to their two-phase score, but it was her second partner, Gypsie du Loir, who was challenging for the lead.
The nine-year-old ‘Gigi’ may have been bred in France at the same stud as Yaz’s World Championship partner Banzai du Loir (and Goliath du Loir), but she’s a very different type.
She set off with her ears pricked and her full focus on the task ahead. Yaz rode an exemplary round – they flew through the Defender Trail at 18, one of the new fences for this year, and it was clear they were up on the clock. Yaz just eased the pressure and let the bright mare bowl up the final hill to cruise to the finish, stopping the clock some 14 seconds inside the time for the fastest round of the day – the Isle of Man rider knew that victory was hers.
Tiana Coudray finished fourth for the USA with the French-bred Coeur de L Esprit Z, who she owns with Grant and Sarah Hancox, and they finished on their dressage score of 28.7. Caroline Harris rounded out the top five with D.Day, owned by Fiona Olivier, Lucy Matthews, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle.
“I was on a mission!”, declared a delighted Yaz. “Sebastian very kindly left the door open for me, so I thought ‘I’m not going to let this one slide’ – it’d have been rude not to! So, off we went and meant business from the beginning – she’s super-fast and really brave, so well suited to this track.
“It [the course] was quite intense – you had to make sure that you rode your line correctly and you were positive. But it’s a nice feeling when you’re sat on one that’s always looking for the flags and you can tell by her ears that she’s always concentrating.”
Yaz explained that she’s hoping to take the mare to the eight- and nine-year-old championships at Blenheim in September this year, followed by an attempt at a CCI4*-L at Boekelo in October.
The final placings in the Under-25 Championship gave Tom Woodward two spots on the podium – the win with Low Moor Lucky and Shannondale Varsity, owned by Carole Broad, in third. Anya Strilkowski and K split the two Woodward rides in second.
An elated Tom said afterwards: “Relief is the biggest emotion I’m feeling – I’m just delighted with him. He’s 18-years-old and I just want to enjoy him for what he is now, and try and make the most of him while I’ve still got him.
“The biggest thanks goes obviously to all my team that make it happen and their owners – I can’t do it without them, it’s very special. I feel quite emotional about this whole weekend because we actually came here thinking maybe he’d retire after this weekend, because I’ve always said I wanted him to finish on his terms, but he’s actually looking as happy as I think I’ve ever seen him. He’s a very special horse and he was bred in Yorkshire, so it’s quite fitting.”
Both Yaz and Astier have won the U25 title here at Bramham, in 2019 and 2012 respectively, which is proof that the Yorkshire event is a great proving ground for future stars. No pressure, Tom!
Defender CCI4*-L
British rider Bubby Upton has made no secret that she loves Bramham and it’s been a key part of her planning for a number of the horses that she’s brought through the levels. Today, she learned that the faith she has in Its Cooley Time, who she co-owns with the Five Time Syndicate, is more than justified – the grey gelding was pure class around Andy Heffernan’s cross-country course to retain the lead in the Defender CCI4*-L.
The 10-year-old had moments of exuberance, as is his way, and didn’t make it straightforward for Bubby, but they’ve built quite a partnership and never looked like faulting. With Its Cooley Time’s ground-eating stride, they finished in 09:48 minutes, some 15 seconds under the optimum time. That keeps them on a penalty score of 24.4 heading into the final day of competition tomorrow.
A beaming Bubby said; “He is phenomenal. Will I ever ride a horse as classy as him again, who knows? But he’s got it all. Obviously, in the first phase he was fantastic and he was amazing today, so fingers crossed I can get him the win that he deserves tomorrow.
“He’s finished amazingly and, to be honest, I really think that’s a testament to the team here and the ground – it was incredible. It was like a carpet out there and he galloped across that track with ease. He’s just an absolute weapon!”
Behind the Suffolk-based rider, there were plenty of changes to the top 10, with Andy’s course proving influential alongside a few heavy rain showers.
Irish-based Brit Daniel Alderson and Blarney Monbeg Pepper caught the eye with a good clear after starting the day in 12th on 32.6, and it looked as though they’d be amongst the leaders at the end of play.
Sarah Bullimore and her home bred Corimiro headed into cross-country in second place, but they had problems at fence eight before incurred a flag penalty at fence 16, at which point Sarah decided to call it a day. ‘Milo’ is just nine and has a bright future ahead of him, so it was the right decision.
This opened the door for Izzy Taylor, a winner here in 2022 and 2017, and Jane Timmis’s grey SBH Big Wall. Today would be the gelding’s first attempt at a CCI4*-L cross-country, having had some good form over short courses. Izzy set off in her typical determined fashion and the 10-year-old answered her every ask. At the second water – the Womble Bond Dickison Pond – they boldly jumped in, successfully jumped the skinny in the water and didn’t get a comfortable distance to the sizable third corner element. They jumped it, but there was a query for a flag penalty, which would add 15 to their total. They completed the course and stopped the clock just two penalties over the optimum time of 10:03 to add 0.8 for a two-day total of 26:2, subject to the review of the flag penalty.
Having already had a faultless round with his first ride, Helen Scott’s Hawk Eye, Surrey-based Tom Jackson had the chance to secure a second spot in the top 10 with Micheal Stenning’s super-smart United 36 – a two-time top-eight finisher at the World Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers with previous jockey Max Warburton. At just nine, this was the horse’s first CCI4*-L but, with three clear rounds at CCI4*-S, Tom clearly felt he was ready. A stylish clear was all the proof he needed – they stopped the clock at 10 minutes, three seconds under the optimum time. With nothing to add, it left them on a score of 31.3, which would leave Tom’s two rides well-placed going into the final showjumping. However, with more combinations to come, it would be a wait to find out just where.
Towards the end of the order, there was another great cross-country round by a horse boasting the Cooley Farm prefix – Cooley Mosstown for World Class Podium Potential rider Caroline Harris and owners Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford. A penalty-free round saw them make a strong rise up the leaderboard.
After an action-packed morning of cross-country, the placings behind Bubby and Its Cooley time were settled and it was Izzy Taylor who moved to second with SBH Big Wall, while Caroline Harris rose three places to complete the podium. Tom Jackson ends the day in fourth with United 36 and sixth on Hawk Eye, with Daniel Alderson splitting the two in fifth.
Final day
The final horse inspection gets our last day of action in the Defender CCI4*-L under way at 09:00, before the decisive showjumping phase at 12 noon – we should know who the Defender Bramham 2025 champion is by 14:30. In addition to the thrilling climax of the eventing, there’s a host of action over the two arenas, including jumping competitions, the Kirkbourne Spaniels Display and Pony Club Games, before the traditional Bramham curtain-closer, the Wetherby Skips Grand Prix.
You can buy tickets on the gate, but why not get a head-start by booking online before you arrive.
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