Aaron Millar and KEC Deakon are in pole position in Belsay’s inaugural RBC Brewin Dolphin-sponsored CCI4*-S after the first day of dressage at the Northumberland horse trials.
Cirencester-based Aaron, who is making his first trip north to Belsay, scored 25 on Heidi Bates’ 15-year-old, a son of Chacoa.
Aaron said: “He was really good. He’s an older horse; he’s used to working at these big events, and we are hoping to use this as a final prep for the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in Germany next month. I always think that in their calendar running up to CCI5* they need one significant run, and this is it.
“He’s quite a character. He loves an atmosphere; he’s a real showman. Out of all the horses on the yard, he’s the one that watches the lorry go out and wants to be on it and to go to events. He genuinely lives for it. He’s a real businessman – he comes in and gets the job done.
“This is the first time I have been to Belsay, and I love it. It has got atmosphere, but there’s also a really nice vibe about it – I think it’s amazing. The cross-country is a proper track, a proper test.”
Second in the CCI4*-S on a score of 27.5 are Izzy Taylor and SBS Big Wall, while Hayden Hankey is in third with 28 penalties on Fools In Love.
Suffolk’s Bubby Upton is in the lead after day one in the Forsters LLP CCI2*-S with a dressage mark of 27.5 on her own Auckland 7, an eight-year-old by A La Carte. Australian rider Isabel English is second on 28.6 with Cil Dara Dynamic, while John Westmore is third on Oughterard Quality with a score of 29.1.
Two qualifiers for the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Finals at Defender Burghley Horse Trials took place today at Belsay.
Local rider Jack Mantel, fresh from a successful CCI5* debut at Badminton Horse Trials last week, won the five-year-old class on Krista Brown’s Adonis Couture, a son of Joris Couture.
“I had him last year as a four-year-old and he won the Burghley Young Event Horse class at Bramham and went to the final at Burghley,” said Jack. “He’s been back with his owner over the winter and only came back to me two days ago. But he hasn’t forgotten much and he was brilliant. He’s got such good movement, is a real showman and I think he’s an exciting horse for the future.
“It was a very good track today and it’s a great series. It’s great to get these young horses out and about without putting too much pressure on them.”
North Yorkshire-based Storm Straker won the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier for four-year-olds on her own Temeraire, who is by Timolin.
Storm said: “I’ve had ‘Thor’ since he was a two-year-old, and have produced him myself. I really like bringing young horses to Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers; I think it is a great introduction to their competitive career. This is his first competition, and it has been such a great atmosphere for young horses. I’m delighted to have brought him here. To have such a great result was unexpected, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more from him.”
Dressage for both international classes continues tomorrow (Saturday, 17 May), and the showjumping and cross-country phases of the Forsters LLP CCI2*-S also take place. Showjumping and cross-country for the feature RBC Brewin Dolphin CCI4*-S will take place on Sunday (18 May).
To purchase tickets for Belsay and to find out more information, please visit www.belsayhorsetrials.com.
All the cross-country at Belsay (1, 16-18 May) and Belsay (2, 28 May-1 June) will be shown on Horse & Country TV’s livestreaming platform H&C+.
IMAGE: Aaron Millar and KEC Deakon © ATHALENS