In both the Defender CCI4* sections, there are new names sitting at the top of the leaderboards after a fulsome day of dressage. In the Defender CCI4*-L section, it’s a familiar combination who are in pole – reigning champions Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time got their title defence off to a dream start with a superb test that propelled them to the top of the leaderboard. In the CCI4*-S section, it was Jesse Campbell who came out tops in a huge section, riding Speedwell for New Zealand.
Defender CCI4*-L
Bubby Upton and It’s Cooley Time. Photo by 1st Class Images.
Our top three after day one of dressage in the Defender CCI4*-L knew that they had an abundance of talented combinations to come before the cross-country could get underway, so it was a nervous day’s wait today to see if they could hold on to their slot on the leaderboard.
The first hour and a half of action under the ground jury of Christina Klingspor (SWE) at C, Andrew Bennie (NZL) at E and Les Smith (GBR) at M featured some good tests, but nothing that troubled the top 10. However, halfway through the second session, New Zealand’s Caroline Powell trotted down the centreline with the 2024 MARS Badminton champion Greenacres Special Cavalier, owned by Chris and Michelle Mann alongside Caroline. The seasoned mare has competed around the globe, so would be one of the more experienced in the field. That shone through, with an assured performance that ended with a good square halt, which yielded three eights from the judges. That final flourish insured 70%+ scores all round and a final penalty score of 29.0 to go third.
That was the only rattle of the leaderboard for 10 or so combinations, but the final session was littered with names with high-scoring potential. The first of those were last year’s CCI4*-S winners Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie du Loir, owned by The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn. Yaz had a good ride yesterday in the Defender arena with Goliath du Loir – with both rides bred by Pierre Gouye in France – to go sixth, but that was in heavy drizzle. Today brought much more favourable conditions, with sunshine aplenty, and the dainty mare floated around the arena to garner plenty of eights. The judges clearly liked the picture of harmony, with all of them awarding +72% scores to give 26.4 – a new personal best for ‘Gigi’ at the level – and the lead, some 1.6 penalties better than overnight leaders Piggy March with the Maidwell Maverick’s MCS Maverick.
Straight into the arena behind Yas was USA’s Tiana Coudray, here on her fifth trip to Bramham and a second for her ride D’Artagnan, who last competed here in 2024 to finish 10th. The duo certainly looked at home in the arena, with the handsome grey really catching the eye. The judges found their rhythm with the eight button and there was even a nine for the extended walk from Christina. A slight mistake in the final flying change pegged the marks back to fives, but the final halt brought a further nine from the Swede. The final score was posted as 27.4, equating to 72.64%. That nestled the US paring neatly between Piggy March and Selina Milnes in third.
The atmosphere was building to an exciting climax, with the eager expectation of the reigning Defender champions, Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time, owned by Susan de Zulueta, Jane Dear, Susie Holland-Bosworth, The Duchess of Norfolk, Hillary Russell and Bubby herself, cantering into the arena. Could they get their campaign to retain the title underway in style? Of course they could. The warm-up went to plan, with ‘Finn’ – who can have a cheeky side – on point, and the duo looked super as they trotted up the entry chute and into the expansive arena.
They were a picture of athleticism, fluidity and harmony to yield a number of eights as the test went on. There was a stiff breeze all afternoon, which was ideal for drying the ground after yesterday’s heavy rain, but not so for relaxation in the arena. However, the Quality Time TN sired-grey was in complete tune with his rider. There was one little ‘shimmy’ but Bubby held her cool, as did Finn, and they brought the test to an end in style – eight, ten and nine came from the judges for the final halt. It was good, but just how good? The marks seemed on a par with Yaz and Gigi, so the arena fell quiet as all awaited the final score. The large scoreboard revealed 24.2 and the lead was in the hands of the duo from Norfolk by just 0.6 penalties.
An elated Bubby said; “Coming back to Defender Bramham as defending champion with Its Cooley Time of course has an underlying element of added pressure – I’d be lying if I said it didn’t – but what a privilege to be sat on a horse like him and to have won a class like this with him as only an 11-year-old. For me I kind of spin it like that, and to be back here with him is magical and we obviously have very special memories. For me, it’s just trying to do him justice in every single phrase because he really is a freak of nature and it’s my job to make sure that I don’t let him down.
“He did an unbelievable test to take the lead, which is fantastic. I didn’t look at the scoreboard once throughout the test – I was just really trying to focus on the feel and being in the moment with him, preparing each movement. I was absolutely thrilled with him. Something suddenly fell over or something in the middle of our test and there was a huge clatter – he literally kind of flew underneath me and raised up, and I was like “oh no.” I had about three movements left to do and that sadly did disrupt my last half-pass and last change, which was a shame, but we managed to just hold it together. In terms of his performance, though, I just couldn’t fault him. It was the best I’ve ever had with him in terms of feel throughout the test, so I was absolutely thrilled with the progress we have made from this time last year to now,” she concluded.
Bubby is excited by the cross-country challenge ahead; “The course this year has been spun the other way around by Andy [Heffernan, course designer]. He obviously built it last year and did an unbelievable job, but has definitely made it quite a lot tougher this year. We’ve got our work cut out, so fingers crossed that I can just do him justice. He’s an extraordinary horse and we made a couple of mistakes last year, so have really gone back to the drawing board and re-evaluated the system that I had with him. Fingers crossed I can put it into action and do him proud,” she said.
At the end of the day, it’s an all-British female podium, with Bubby in pole position, Yaz a shadow behind and Thursday night leader Piggy March in third. For the USA, after Tiana’s fourth place it’ll be Allie Knowles with Montpelier Scais in 10th on a 30.9. Allie is also in 18th with Leo Santos on a score of 32.4.
Cross-country for the long section gets underway at 9:00 am BST / 4:00 am EST and the riders have been full of praise for Andrew Heffernan’s course, expertly crafted by David Evans and his team. A change of direction and plenty of new head-scratching fences have had the riders thinking, but the general impression is certainly positive. Just six penalty points separate the top 10, so time will be a factor if they can stay clear over the fences.
Defender CCI4*-S
Jesse Campbell and Speedwell. Photo by 1st Class Images.
With over 50 combinations to get through, it was another 8:30am start for the judging panel of Christian Steiner (AUT) and Annabel Scrimgeor (GBR), but the pair were quickly put in their stride when the first combination, Tamra Smith and Lillet 3 for the USA, gave a spritely performance to score 30.0 and go into second. It was going to be an exciting day.
Towards the end of the second morning session, U25 rider Barnie Brotherton, who’s just back from an enforced layoff due to a broken arm, rode a stormer of a test with DHI King Nelson, who was amongst the leaders at last year’s Bramham. It’s a family affair for the Brothertons, with mum Naomi owning the horse and sister Beau taking time out from her dressage career to groom for Barnie and ‘Nelson’. With help from an uncle, they’ve all worked to keep Nelson fit while Barnie healed. Their 30.2 gave them a spot on the podium behind Tamra and overnight leader, Alex Hua Tian for China – it also promoted them to leaders in the British Under 25 National Championship, which is embedded into the CCI4*-S.
Around an hour later, it was the turn of defending U25 champions, Tom Woodward and Low Moor Lucky, who have targeted Bramham with the aim of back-to-back titles. ‘Lucky’ and Tom know each other well, having lived the dream of going through Pony Club up to five-star, despite Lucky being declared unrideable in his early years. Now 19, this looks to be his last season at the elite end of the sport, so could this fairytale have the ultimate happy ending? The test was strong – relaxed, accurate and in good rhythm, with consistent marks between six and seven. Overall, they finished just under the 70% mark for a penalty score of 31.6. It was enough to go second in the U25 division and top 10 overall.
With a short interlude for lunch, the stage was set for an exciting spell of combinations to really shake up the leaderboard. First of those was Wiltshire-based Kiwi Jesse Campbell and the Irish-bred Speedwell, owned by Karen Coumbe and Deborah Stang. The duo headed to Bramham with a CCI4*-L victory under their belt at Strzegom in Poland in April, so their confidence was high. The tall rider cuts an elegant picture in the arena, but has the talent to match and the eights flowed – a communication error in the left half-pass blotted the copybook with two fours, but they were quickly back in their stride. Both judges enjoyed what they saw, giving eights for the final harmony mark, contributing to a final penalty score of 25.5, which catapulted them into the lead.
Barnie Brotherton and DHI King Nelson. Photo by 1st Class Images.
But Jesse knew the next combination into the arena could make his lead a short-lived one. It was none other than Paris Olympic team gold medallists Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, owned by Deirdre Johnston and James and Jo Lambert. Tom has a clear plan for 15-year-old ‘Dubs’, who won European Championship individual gold with Bramham local heroine Nicola Wilson in 2021, to peak for the World Championships at Aachen in Germany this August. It’s the first opportunity for Great Britain to secure qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which is something very much on Tom’s ‘to do’ list.
A bright start which included a nine for the entry showed they meant business. Plenty of sevens and eights followed, with ‘Dubs’ clearly enjoying himself in the Bramham afternoon sun. Clean flying changes and a good final centre line gave a strong finish, but there was a costly error of course along the way, so it would be a two-mark deduction from each judge. That gave a final score of 26.8 – not quite enough to topple Jesse, but they slotted neatly into second.
Just two horses later, it was the turn of Kitty King and 10-year-old Renkum Jitterbug, owned by the late Elizabeth Golby. This duo is relatively new to four-star level, but they can certainly produce a good test in between the white boards and today was no exception. You could see the horse really wanted to try for his rider and listened intently to every aid. The test was well presented and correct to deliver a 27.7, so nearly a person best, putting them onto the podium behind Jesse and Tom.
As the afternoon wore on, many tried to crack the top five, but only one combination succeeded. That came in the form of Samantha Lissington for New Zealand, riding Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ. Their polished performance delivered a 29.2 to go fourth, further relegating Alex to fifth.
So, after a huge section, it’s New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell who holds the ascendancy from Tom McEwen for the home side, with compatriot Kitty King in third. In the U25 British Championship, Barnie Brotherton holds pole, with defending champion Tom Woodward hot on his heels and yesterday’s leader Carys Macauley completing the podium.
Jesse was full of praise for his equine partner, and the Bramham team; “I’m really delighted – he was fantastic. In his training and all his work, he’s just getting better and better and h just delivered everything I wanted. There was one little mistake but, on the whole, I’m really pleased.
“The initial plan right at the start of the year was to maybe take him to Luhmühlen, but after he won in Poland I wanted to bring him to Bramham – the grass arena, the atmosphere and you can always count that it’s going to be a busy and spicy sort of atmosphere here. I have a target maybe later in August that I’d like to get to, in Germany [the FEI World Championships] and I think you do everything you can as part of the preparation.
“Andy [Heffernan] and the team have done a fantastic job [with the cross-country course]. The going is always magical at Bramham and there’s always been something special about the park. I’m really happy with the course itself. It’s very intense, which I think mimics a championship really well – Andy did sort of tell the riders that that was his intention and I think he has delivered a fantastic course.
“Speedwell’s very special in the fact that he was my late wife’s horse. She found him as a three-year-old and produced him all the way to four-star. After her tragic accident, I took on the ride and I’m just trying to do her proud. She always said he was going to be the best horse in the world – I’m just trying to carry that on and he is fantastic, so it’s a huge honour to ride him,” he reflected.
Hear from top-ranked U.S. rider Tamie Smith, who scored a 30.0 for sixth after dressage with Lillet 3:
The CCI4*-S start their final day of competition with the showjumping phase at 8:00 am BST / 3:00 am EST, before heading out into Bramham Park from 12:40 pm BST / 7:40 am EST for cross-country.
Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Qualifiers
First place in the four-year-old class went to MSHI Rockstar Le Tot, ridden by Hayden Hankey and owned with Chris Makin, winning on a score of 90. The combination had already won three previous qualifiers, so are well set for the final at Burghley Horse Trials in September. As such, the qualifying places from today’s competition went second-placed Lucinda Atkinson riding Donanyika, finishing on a score of 88.5, and to Josh Fearnley riding Santessina, who finished only one penalty behind to slot into third.
In the five-year-old class, both the first and second placed combinations had qualified for the final in previous rounds. First was Hayden Hankey, riding his own and Catherine Witt’s Bank Roll, finishing on a score of 89.0. Emma Carmichael and Raman Tren followed in second place. The qualifying places went to third-placed Cokyta Classic A One Z, ridden by Ellie Newbert and fourth-placed Emily Grace, riding SHL Fernando.
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