Classic Eventing Nation

Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo cash in the rider’s 10th international win of the season at Hartpury. Photo by Celeste Wilkins/NAF International Hartpury Horse Trials.

“Are you going to start crying now?” whispered Pippa Funnell, sotto voce and grinning, to Piggy French as the national anthem started playing.

“Of course not,” hissed Piggy, a smile spreading across her face. After all, who’d want to waste time blubbing when there are the spoils of victory to enjoy – and one of your closest friends beside you to enjoy them with?

By all accounts, it’s been a good day for Piggy, who earned her tenth international victory of the season in the NAF International Hartpury Horse Trials today. Riding Jayne McGivern’s Quarrycrest Echo, who will head to Luhmühlen later this month to contest the European Championships, she was the only rider to stop the clock inside the seven-minute optimum time – and she did so by an impressive margin, too, finishing easily in 6:53.

“’Red’ was fantastic – he’s just such a pleasure to ride cross-country,” says Piggy, who finished in runner-up position in this class last year with the gelding. “He’s very easy, to be honest, and so it’s easy to be economical and to be quick.”

Piggy French and Brookfield Inocent – another impressive string to Piggy’s incomparable bow. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Piggy also took second place with Brookfield Inocent, a relatively new ride who joined her string in the middle of the 2018 season. When her husband Tom told me earlier in the day that the horse would be next year’s Burghley winner, I joked that I’d have to quote him on it – and after seeing the ten-year-old make easy work of today’s tough track to add just 1.6 time penalties, I’m sticking to my guns on this one. I expect Tom is, too.

Piggy certainly thinks a lot of the horse: “He may well follow in Red’s footsteps [in being a quick and easy cross-country ride], to be honest. People say I’m so fast, but I’m really not – with some horses, you can get in a gear and change the gear so quickly. When they’re confident, you can ride so much quicker in the rhythm and in the lines, because you leave the adjusting so late. That’s what I can do with those two, and having the quality of gallop that they have helps, too. They’ve been great today, and to finish first and second is really exciting.”

Tina Cook and Billy the Red deliver another incredibly classy clear around the scene of last year’s victory, but a misstep on landing from the final fence sees them add an unfortunate elimination to their record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In eventing, you get by with a little help from your friends, as Piggy well knows – and so even as she was accepted her bounty of prizes, her mind was on Tina Cook, who had taken an incredibly unlucky tumble from Billy The Red as he pecked over the last fence. The fall came at the tail end of a quick and classy round, the sort we expect from this combination over this course – after all, it was a win here last season that saw them secure their ticket to Tryon.

“I just hope Tina’s okay, because she likes to come and win at Hartpury, and she was in a great position, so I know she’d have been trying,” says Piggy. “I wound her up at the start, saying ‘go on, old bird, kick on!’ So it’s always worrying when you hear that your mate’s had a fall. But we’ve heard that she’s fine – she just had a rattle, but it’s never nice.”

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street take third, marking a promising streak of good behaviour from the reformed character. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pippa Funnell may have relinquished her two-phase lead on time penalties, but solid rounds with the reformed MGH Grafton Street, who added eight time penalties, and overnight leader Billy The Biz, who added ten, saw her finish third and fifth respectively nonetheless. The latter round, which came at the tail end of a long and phenomenally windy day of cross-country action, was achieved despite a forty-minute hold due to a fall for Tom Jackson, which stopped Pippa just after the open corners at 13 and 14.

“It’s never a good thing for someone my age,” she says wryly. “You have all these things going through your head – but my main concern as I was being held was for Tom Jackson, who I’ve helped a lot over the last few years. I was really worried about him, and so you have that going through your mind, and suddenly the dangers of the sport become very real, and it’s difficult – you just have to stay focused and positive and pick up and get on with the job. A few years ago I was held in exactly the same place with Biz, and then he picked up a little fresh, overjumped into the water, and I had a fall – so that was going through my mind as well. I was sort of a psychological mess by the time I started again! But I had a great spin on all of mine – I’m chuffed. I was never going to threaten Pig, I knew that, but I had great rides.”

Pippa Funnell and Billy the Biz tackle the formidable Birketts Bunker after a lengthy hold on course. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Both Piggy and Pippa’s top two horses in this class also managed clear rounds over an influential showjumping course, which was moved, unusually, to the university’s indoor arena. Whether as a result of tighter and thus more technical lines, or because of a lack of match practice indoors, many reliable showjumpers knocked rails – and Toledo de Kerser and Tom McEwen, placed second after the dressage, opted not to showjump at all.

Badminton winner Vanir Kamira acts as pathfinder for Piggy’s string, cruising around in some of the worst conditions of the day in preparation for Burghley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The reason for the move was the extreme conditions that moved over the Cotswolds overnight, bringing with them relentless winds that shunted and burst over the course at speeds of up to 50mph. With them came intermittent heavy rain showers, creating suboptimal conditions for several combinations.

“You feel very against the elements when it’s like that,” says Piggy. “In two of my rounds, I started off and the rain was sideways – it was face-on wind. I was galloping to fence four on Brookfield Inocent and I said to him, ‘I hope you can see something, because I can see nothing! You’ve just got your head down. No one likes the wind – it’s spooky, it’s tiring, and it’s noisy, and of course it changes the game a bit. The conditions vary from drying to slippery.”

Pippa Funnell and Billy The Biz navigate the tricky first water. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But as Pippa points out, the efforts put in by Hartpury’s expansive ground crew ensured that despite the weather’s best efforts, the footing and the questions asked remained suitable, allowing for a positive and educational experience.

“A few places got a bit cut up, but I thought they were great courses, and they encouraged positive riding,” she says. “We saw a few falls and no, we never like to see falls, and maybe it was a bigger track than we normally see, but we need to have these bigger tracks if we want to go to Burghley or to a big three-day. It was a very good track, and I thought Eric did a great job. Horses had to be fit because of the conditions.”

Alex Bragg, who finished fourth on the inexperienced King of the Mill, agrees.

“The ground was great – they’d watered well anyway, and the grass coverage here has just gotten better and better over the last few years,” he says. “Yes, it was tiring for the horses towards the latter end, and you head to be careful, but they’ll be very comfortable tomorrow, because the rain really took the sting out of the ground.”

For King of the Mill, who contests just his sixth international at Hartpury, it’s another huge step in the right direction, and confirms the solidity he displayed when finishing seventh at Barbury last month.

“I’m thrilled for my young horse to finish fourth in a field of over 100 – he’s done great,” says Alex. “I’ve had him for a couple of years, and when I started him at BE100 he was always spooky, and I thought, ‘will I ever get him to Novice?’ And then he went Novice, and he was spooky at Novice, and then he went Intermediate, and he was spooky at Intermediate, and now he’s Advanced, and he’s spooky at Advanced! But he’s so talented – he’s one of the most agile horses you could ever sit on. He’s 17.2hh, and he’s a really big, rangy galloping horse, but he’s as sharp as you like with his legs, which is great for the cross-country. But he can also be sharp with his leg and dance around when you don’t want him to, so we need to master that a little bit! He’s a horse I would hope would contend Badminton and Burghley – he’s a real long-format character, and is over 80% Thoroughbred, so he has the stamina. You need a real blood horse to excel at places like Burghley. I’d like to have a podium finish there one day, and I think he could be the horse to do it.”

Tom Jackson and Pencos Crown Jewel. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sixth place went to Tom Jackson and Pencos Crown Jewel, who cruised home in 7:09 to execute a stratospheric climb up the leaderboard. The celebration, unfortunately, was short-lived – as Tom reached the latter stages of the course on his final ride of the class, Newmarket Prospect, he ran into trouble at fence twenty, causing the forty-minute hold that plagued Pippa. We’re pleased to report that Newmarket Prospect is absolutely fine, and all of us at Team EN wish a speedy recovery to Tom, who’s currently undergoing X-rays for a suspected broken leg.

Tim Price and Bango enjoy a steady run in preparation for Burghley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Problems were widespread and not infrequent across Eric Winter’s track, which is built with long-format prep in mind.

“It’s not unlike Burghley, in that it starts out big, which gets the horses into a stride and really jumping in a bascule,” explained Tim Price yesterday. (His own horses, for what it’s worth, jumped planned slow clears to prepare for that big B.) “Then you’ve got to make some decisive action plans, particularly at the first water, where you see all sorts – it can be four and four, or four and five, or five and five…you almost want to see a flying Frenchman go through it and make it look really easy! The hill is a big influence too, so they have to be fit – it’s a good preparation.”

The course criss-crosses the hill in question, asking horses and riders to negotiate questions on both inclines and declines, as well as on a camber. 88 combinations started, while 69 would ultimately finish – and of those 69, 48 would cross the finish line without incurring jumping penalties, flag penalties, or knocked-pin penalties.

Sarah Bullimore and Conpierre turn in the air over the first element of the first water, preparing themselves for the tricky bending related distance to the two skinny elements to follow. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fence 8AB, a hanging log to the first of two skinny triple-bars on a downhill related distance, proved the most influential, with six eliminations and two retirements occurring here. The first water at 6ABC saw four refusals or run-outs, which took place largely at the latter two skinny elements within the water, but in at least one case, the issue occurred at the first element, a rolltop in the water.

Pippa Funnell and Maybach negotiate the open corners at 13 and 14. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The open corner at 14, which acted as the second part of a related distance from another open corner, amassed five run-outs, two eliminations, and a retirement, while the final combination at 22AB – a brush to a corner in the woods, just two from home – notched up nine run-outs.

Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

While the day might have felt like rather a dramatic one, the course was well-designed, well-built, and – if we’re allowed to embrace the superficialities for a moment – beautifully well-dressed, lending a three-day feel to this late-summer short-four. And for those riders preparing for bigger runs in the coming months, its difficulty will have served as a positive wit-sharpener. As US rider Lexi Scovil, who picked up an unfortunate 20 on courses, wisely says, “numbers are important, but they aren’t everything, and they certainly don’t encompass the positivity I feel about this weekend – Sprout jumped bravely around a spooky indoor showjumping, and felt amazing around most of another 4* cross-country, except when we both forgot to attach the big open corner. Still feeling on track for Blenheim!”

Brimming with gumption: Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico through the water. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It was a great day for our other US representative, Katherine Coleman, who produced one of the most positive rides of the day at that tricky first water, proving how much the exceptionally talented Monte Classico has matured this year. This combination looks set to be an exciting option as we stride down the trail to Tokyo.

That’s all for now from Hartpury, which has been an exciting and enlightening last look at many of our Burghley and Luhmühlen entrants. We’ll be analysing how they did this weekend – and across the summer – in two enormous form guides, coming to you soon. For now – wrap up warm, avoid the winds, and Go Eventing!

The final top ten in the NAF Five-Star Magic CCI4*-S at Hartpury.

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Remember the buzz in the air back in March, when we careened towards Belton (may it rest in peace) and the first UK four-star of the season? As it is every year, its entry list was so full of five-star names that you almost daren’t step away from the arena for a moment – amidst the previous season’s plethora of champions, could we find the next Badminton winner? With the 2019 season a barely-birthed thing, it was a week in which everything was still a possibility. Now, as we head into the final months of the season, it sort of feels like we’ve found that sweet spot again at Hartpury. The entry list is a thing of beauty: there were more five-star winners and gold medallists passing in front of my camera lens than I could count, a bevy of five-star and championship-bound combinations on display, and a harsh March wind, which was, you know, atmospheric.

Pippa Funnell and Billy the Biz head an adjusted leaderboard after the conclusion of dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

On Thursday we reported a Pippa Funnell-led leaderboard and now, as we head into the jumping phases, not a lot has changed – except this time, her leading ride isn’t MGH Grafton Street (relegated to 5th on his score of 24.8), but rather the great grey Billy The Biz, who delivered a 23.3 to help re-establish his rider’s dominance.

Tom McEwen and his Europeans-bound Toledo de Kerser. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In second place, we enjoyed the inarguable treat of seeing Tryon team members Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser in their first international run since Badminton. And what a return to the spotlight it was: they posted a 23.6, marking one of Tom’s career-best results in this phase. One of the things that makes Toledo such a special and exciting horse is the fact that it’s always felt as though there’s much, much more to come – and today, with his more open frame and stride pattern, we got a tantalising glimpse of what could be next if Tom’s willing to take a few risks.

For now, though, with the European Championships on the horizon, it’s all about keeping the gelding healthy, happy, and confident enough to produce the goods in Luhmühlen later this month.

“We had a couple of early mistakes but really, I’m super happy with him,” says Tom, who has quietly notched up some national-level placings with Toledo over the summer. “It’s all just been about keeping him ticking along – if he hadn’t had the Europeans on the cards, he’d have been heading to Burghley.”

Sarah Bullimore and her homebred Corouet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Despite finding himself facing off against some of the sport’s top horses, Sarah Bullimore’s Corouet rose to the challenge and posted an international personal best of 23.6 in his four-star debut. This is enough to see him hold third place as we head into showjumping, and while Sarah has enjoyed three sub-30 tests with over the course of the day, this one is particularly special.

That’s because eight-year-old Corouet is the first foal from her former five-star mare Lilly Corinne, who retired in 2018 after a career-ending injury. Though she already has six babies on the ground from embryo transfers, she’ll now adopt a more traditional broodmare role – and while she’s busy cooking up the next generation of top competitors, she’s lapping up the affections of fellow five-star stalwart Valentino, who also retired last season.

“It was a big year of changes – to retire both Lilly Corinne and my lovely old boy Valentino was a massive blow,” says Sarah. “It was always on the horizon with him, although that doesn’t make it any easier emotionally, but with her, it was a total shock. But now, even though it’s been really sad, she has another job – and she’s enjoying her love nest! They’re so sweet together – she’s very much her own person, and wouldn’t usually like other horses, but she’s always liked him. He’s a real ladies’ man, and he’s always looked out for her – when they were in next-door fields, they’d graze near each other. So it’s lovely to see them enjoy life together.”

Sarah Bullimore and Corouet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Nicer still is the chance to continue the mare’s legacy. In 2017, Corouet and Lilly Corinne put on a remarkable double feature – the former contested the six-year-old World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, finishing sixth, while the latter finished 13th the following week at the CCI5*-L at Pau. Though tricky, the chestnut mare has been a pivotal part of Sarah’s career, and the promising journey her son is on has given the enormously talented and consistent rider an impressive second string, following in the footsteps of top horses Reve du Rouet and Conpierre.

“He’s a freak of nature, really,” she says of the diminutive gelding. “It’s not perfect yet, certainly, and there’s still lots to come, but he always says, ‘okay, yep, what’s next?’ And he’s so class that even if he has little mistakes, he still scores well. He’s small, but he’s clever and he’s feisty like his mother – but in a slightly different way.”

Sarah’s fledgling breeding programme has already proven to be a case in point for the power of dam lines, with Lilly Corinne’s offspring adopting her looks, her temperament – and her talent.

“There was never really a grand plan, but I thought, if you have a mare this good, you ought to breed from her,” says Sarah. “I kept hearing people talk about certain stallions and I just thought, well, this is what seems to be passed along.”

Though the rest of his weekend will be an educational one, Corouet is certainly one to watch for the future. All being well, he’ll head to Blenheim for the eight-and-nine year old CCI4*-S – “and I haven’t ruled out a trip to Boekelo, either,” says Sarah with a smile.

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In fourth place, European squad members Tina Cook and Billy the Red produced one of their best tests, scoring a 23.7 and showing no hint of the occasionally reactive behaviour that’s dogged them in the past. They sit fourth overnight. Meanwhile, Badminton winner Vanir Kamira was another top horse to reappear on the main stage today, and her score of 25.8 has her in ninth place – a worthy leader of Piggy’s four four-star entries, all of whom delivered sub-30 scores.

“I’m delighted with Tilly – she was so chilled, and came out and did a really sweet test,” says Piggy, who heads to Badminton with the mare next month. “There weren’t any moments I was complaining to myself about. She’s hard to keep straight, and I know that, but she’s so sensitive and delicate that I don’t want to overdo the straightening and upset her. It’s a fine balance.”

So, too, is the balance between using a short-format international test as a springboard to bigger things, while still applying enough pressure that she can accurately gauge her horses’ capabilities.

“You definitely still want to get the best test you can out of them, but I don’t try to chase marks – if they make a mistake, I’ll try not to freeze, but rather to use it as a training exercise. And actually, a lot of it is about figuring out how to get the warm-up right so they can perform at their best.”

Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Scoring 26.6 for 11th place was Europeans-bound Quarrycrest Echo, who once again showed his remarkable consistency in this phase after a slightly longer-than-normal warm-up.

“He was a bit concerned about the flower pots, because it’s so windy,” says Piggy with a laugh. “But other than being very attentive of some of them, he felt so good and did some great work.”

Piggy French and Calling Card. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Quarrycrest Echo’s owner Jayne McGivern had plenty of reason to celebrate – her four-star debutante Calling Card also delivered an exceptional performance, scoring 28.6 for 20th place. Like Corouet, he’s young, inexperienced, but absolutely bursting with try – it’ll be exciting to see what he does next this weekend, and further down the line in his fledgling career.

Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

You know you’re looking at a strong field when a sub-30 score can only guarantee you a top-30 provisional placing, but despite the fact that he sits in 13th overnight, it would be a shame not to mention the efforts of 2018 Burghley winners Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy. They sit in 13th place overnight on a score of 26.8, proving that they’re back at their best just a handful of weeks before they prepare to defend their title. Objectively? A 26.8 is always a great test. Subjectively? This was some of the most pleasant, active, and uphill work we’ve seen from the gelding, who consistently delivers good performances between the boards. If Burghley comes down to a Piggy and Tim match-race, it certainly won’t be short of close-fought excitement.

Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Two US representatives made their way down the centreline in the CCI4*-S today: Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico overcame some early sharpness to score 30.3 for overnight 29th, while Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z settled for a 37.9 and 83rd after some unexpected sparkle.

Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Hartpury marks a return to international competition for Lexi and her nine-year-old gelding, who enjoyed a top-twenty finish in the CCI4*-S at Bramham earlier this summer.

“It was way more than I ever expected,” says Lexi, who is based at William Fox-Pitt’s Dorset yard. “I feel like he’s come back so well – he went to an OI and was phenomenal, except some idiot jumped the wrong fence! But while that was unfortunate, he really did feel the best he ever has. Last week I had a dressage lesson with Tracey Robinson and we absolutely got the most quality work out of him, so I definitely think we’re on the right track.”

That right track will lead them to Blenheim, where their original plan to contest the CCI4*-S has now morphed into a CCI4*-L goal. After that, Lexi hopes to extend her visa for another year.

“It’s all been way better than I expected it to be – I keep waiting for something to go wrong,” she laughs. “But it just seems like the programme is so good – it’s that good that it actually continues to work. It’s all really exciting – but it also feels like we’ll get to our goals, even if they’re bigger goals than I’d planned for. We feel so ready.”

With high winds forecast for tomorrow, showjumping has been moved into the college’s spacious indoor arena, with cross-country beginning at 11.20a.m. BST. We’ll be bringing you a closer look at Eric Winter’s course, and of course all the coverage from the day’s action – stay tuned!

The top ten after dressage in Hartpury’s CCI4*-S.

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