Astier Nicolas winner of the CCI3* @BCIHT #Blair2014 pic.twitter.com/bGQ8cLO3YH
— Blair Horse Trials (@BCIHT) August 24, 2014
The leaderboard changed hands after each phase of the CCI3* at Blair Castle this weekend, making for an exciting finale in the show jumping today. Astier Nicolas and Quickly Du Duguet quietly moved up the leaderboard throughout the weekend, adding nothing to their dressage score to take home the top prize and a £4,500 purse. Astier earned a 50.2 in the dressage to sit in 18th place. After one of the handful of double clear cross country rounds, Astier moved into seventh place going into the final phase today. They went on to be the only pair who finished on their dressage score.
“She is an amazing jumper and really competitive, she is very fast on the cross country and I heard that Blair Castle was like the Tour de France in the mountains,” Astier said in the press conference, according to a Blair Castle press release. “So we thought it would suit her; it had a great atmosphere above the trees. It was also a good idea to come to Blair this year in preparation for the Europeans next year.”
Flora Harris finished in 2nd place in the CCI3* @BCIHT #Blair2014 pic.twitter.com/oewgw7MIaW
— Blair Horse Trials (@BCIHT) August 24, 2014
Great Britain’s Flora Harris and Amazing VIII, third after cross country, had one rail down but were still able to move up to finish second on the weekend. Also riding for Great Britain, Louise Harwood and Whitson also moved up a spot, from fourth to third, after having one down today.
The show jumping proved to be quite influential, with several pairs who were sitting much lower able to move into the top 10 once the dust settled.
Leading after cross country, Gwendolen Fer and Romantic Love picked up nine penalties on show jumping to drop into fourth place overall. Louise Svensson J Hde and Wieloch’s Utah Sun round out the top five, enjoying a clear round to move from 11th to fifth.
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