Oliver Barrett (AUS) and Sandhills Briar. Photo by Libby Law Photography.
Oxfordshire’s premier equestrian event, the Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, kicked off today at the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, as riders began their conquest for the top spot, with Australian and Great Britain riders coming up trumps early on.
Dressage was the name of the game on day one, as riders took to the arenas to showcase their talent and skill. As the gates opened, Tom McEwen was the first to take to the CCI4*-S GFS Saddles 8 & 9 Year Old arena, scoring a strong 27.2 on Brookfield Danny de Muze and permanently securing the prime position.
At lunchtime, Australian Oliver Barratt was at the top of the Agria CCI4*-L leaderboard with his horse Sandhills Briar, and he maintained his lead, having taken first place from Team GB stalwart Gemma Stevens just before the mid-day break.
As the day’s competition ended, he commented, “I was thrilled! Sandhills Briar has been going well this week and I knew that if I did a good enough job, we could put a good test forward with great scores, so I was really happy it paid off.”
Tomorrow (September 18) will see the remaining horse and rider combinations battle it out in the Palace Arena for the CCI4*-L and CCI4*-S first phase honours, ahead of the cross country over the weekend.
Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Danny De Muze. Photo by Libby Law Photography.
In addition to the traditional classes, this year sees the inaugural Blenheim Challenge, an international showdown between a British U25 team and an international Stars and Stripes U25 team. The competition is formatted like the Ryder Cup, with head-to-head competitions at each phase and a fresh draw. The rider achieving the best results in each individual phase will earn a point for their team, whilst a drawn match-up will see a half point awarded to each team.
The first point was officially awarded to the Stars and Stripes team at Wednesday’s trot-up for the Best Turned Out Horse, with Tommy Greengard’s groom Adriana De Peppe taking the honours.
As Thursday’s proceedings came to a close, Oliver Barratt was in prime position to help the Stars and Stripes team take another point, with his first day leading position in the CCI4*-L dressage.
“It’s really cool to be here at Blenheim”, he continued. “It’s been amazing and it’s such a wonderful place to be able to ride. The Blenheim Challenge is a great initiative and I’m really fortunate to be a part of it.”
Also taking to the Blenheim arenas today were the first cohort of riders in the evoke™ Eventer Challenge, participating in the Riding Club 100cm and 90cm competitions. At the end of day one, over 150 horse and rider combinations had taken to the Bladon and Hensington arenas, with North Somerset’s Equestrian Training South West (ETSW) team honoured with the first team place in the RC100cm and High Wycombe securing the RC90cm first place honours. Rebecca Wilman and her horse Soviet Suspect secured the individual RC90cm gold, and Harriet Couplan with her horse Cillbhrid Mermaid took home the RC100cm gold. The competition continues tomorrow with the 100cm and 90cm Pony Club competition.
Catherine Burgress from ETSW said of the team’s RC100cm win, “Three of the team members were winners in the Riding Club National Horse Trials Championships this year, so this is a double whammy for them. They are a very experienced 90cm team, and having started at 10am today, it has been a long wait to see if they were victorious. And what a way to end the day! They have had a wonderful experience and love coming to Blenheim.”
Rebecca Wilman, the individual winner of RC90cm said of her result, “We had a lovely round. Soviet Suspect is an ex-racehorse, so he’s quite small, and this is the best we’ve ever done. Can’t get better than first. I’m chuffed!”
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