New Zealand Olympian Tim Price produced a classic display of horsemanship when he posted his first win at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Oxfordshire, in the most dramatic of weather conditions.
The black clouds that had been threatening finally burst as the CCI4*-L neared its tense climax in the showjumping arena, but Tim’s mount, Susan Lamb and Therese Miller’s 12-year-old Happy Boy, was immaculate over the fences, despite the soggy conditions.
Happy Boy won the prestigious World Championship for Young Horses at Le Lion d’Angers, France (as a seven-year-old) in similarly damp weather on a grass surface. “I held that in the back of my mind as we were warming up,” said Tim. “I knew that he was athletic and that he was capable of it, and he’s a fighter. This has been fantastic. You don’t take these days for granted.”
Tim, a winner of Burghley, Pau and Luhmuhlen five-stars and the runner-up at Burghley last weekend, is the first New Zealander to triumph in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim since Andrew Nicholson in 1991. His wife, Jonelle, is a dual winner of the CCI4*-S.
British Olympian Daisy Berkeley tasted victory at Blenheim in 2006 and she almost did so again, a clear round on Camilla Case, Martha Ivory and her mother Caroline Dick’s Diese du Figuier elevating her from sixth to the runner-up spot.
“I’m thrilled with this horse,” said Daisy. “He’s so beautiful and athletic. I could hardly see through the rain and I was suddenly slipping in the saddle, but I just told myself to ride him like a good horse. He was superb, as he has been in all three phases.”
Germany’s Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice hit just one show jumping rail to finish third in what has been an impressive Blenheim debut. US rider Jenny Caras (Sommersby) and Calvin Bockmann (The Phantom of the Opera), another member of the German army, both jumped clear to rise to fourth and fifth respectively, while Alexander Bragg’s single rail down on Ardeo Premier dropped him to sixth.
Also for the US, Phillip Dutton and Denim finished eighth overall on a score of 41.5. Our Canadian representative Dana Cooke and Quatro finished 41st on a score of 69.3.
The CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses came to a thrilling conclusion when Irishman Padraig McCarthy riding Peter Cattell and Diane Brunsden’s MGH Zabaione clinched the win by just 0.4 of a cross-country time penalty – a mere second.
It was an Irish one-two, as the overnight leader, Georgie Goss on Kojak, who was last to go across country – the top 20 ran in reverse order of merit – rode valiantly across country in pouring rain and so nearly held onto the top spot.
Padraig, who lives in Devon and is married to the 2009 Blenheim winner Lucy Wiegersma, had only been 10th overnight and was unaware of his victory for some time as he was preparing to show jump in the CCI4*-L, in which he finished 14th on MGH Mr Messack, the only horse to finish within the optimum cross-country time.
The CCI4*-S has often been a pointer to future equine stardom – five former winners have gone onto five-star glory, including the dual Olympic gold medallist London 52 (with Laura Collett) – and Padraig describes the home-bred eight-year-old MGH Zabaione, by Zaball out of Viancara, as “the most complete event horse I’ve ever ridden. He has won at every level.”
Caroline Harris rode one of the quickest cross-country rounds, for 1.2 time penalties, to finish third on Cooley Mosstown. Piggy March, who won the inaugural running of this class, in 2009, was fourth on Dassett Arthalent and Sam Ecroyd, the only rider to achieve the optimum cross-country time, was fifth on Bloomfield Manuscript.
The Elite Stallions Cup for the highest ranking British Bred Horse in the eight and nine-year-old Championship went to Corimiro, ridden by Sarah Bullimore owned by Mr Brett Bullimore, Mr Bruce Saint, Christopher & Susan Gillespie.
“It has been another great weekend of competition, with thoroughly worthy winners,” said Event Organiser, Katrina Midgley. “We’ve seen some brilliant horsemanship from a truly international field, plus great support from owners, spectators, and our invaluable sponsors and volunteers. Roll on next year!”
Blenheim Palace International H.T. (UK): [Website] [Scores] [H&C+ Live Stream Replays]
