Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018

DRESSAGE
HIGHLIGHTS
22-28 January
dited by Polly Bryan
olly.bryan@timeinc.com
@pollybryan
SOUTH-EAST
Merrist Wood, Surrey
Several riders set exciting plus-75%
targets ahead of the Merrist regionals.
Alice Oppenheimer and
Headmore Dirubinio threw down
the gauntlet for advanced medium
gold with 76.31%.
However, the most exciting
win of the show came from Nicola
Byam-Cook and pony Twyford
Salamander, whose 75.15% stood
at the top of the elementary
scoreboard for some four hours
before the win was confirmed.
Nicola commented: “I’m glad
our test looked as good as it felt.
I found myself smiling because it
felt lovely and I thought, ‘I’m so
lucky to be riding this pony’.
“It was very rewarding to
earn eights and 8.5s for all our
collectives when we’ve worked
so hard on suppleness and selfcarriage,
but it was one of those
days when the score seemed
irrelevant. We showed what we
are capable of at the moment
at that level. That’s all you can
ever ask.”
It was noticeable that winning
riders attempting two levels in one
day did not fare so well in their
second tests.
By CELIA CADWALLADER
An exception was Shaun
O’Sullivan riding Yuri Jinno’s
Oldencraig Choice. The duo,
performing at the top of their
game, relegated Alice and
Headmore’s super-talented, stillmaturing
Dimaggio son to second
in the prix st georges (PSG).
Shaun and Choice, a Merrist
Wood first-timer, won the class
on 69.07% as well as the inter
I gold with 67.76%. The latter
just exceeded the combination’s
previous best produced at the
Hickstead international last July.
“Choice has a super calm, levelheaded
temperament and finds
the higher level collected work
easy,” said Shaun.
“He hasn’t competed a great
deal and had never done an
evening class. But he managed to
cope with coming in from a dark
warm-up into a brightly lit indoor
arena, and didn’t get distracted by
noises from the lorry park, as he
would have a year ago.”
At the top of their game:
Shaun O’Sullivan and Oldencraig
Choice triumph at PSG and inter I
RESULTS
MERRIST WOOD
27 Jan: med 75Q gold (L Waller).—1,So
Enamoured (M Pook) 73.78; 2, Amicella (K
Mepham) 71.08; 3, Finetime (D Rumsey) 68.64.
silv.— 1, Tango III (T Slade) 71.89; 2eq, Medburn
Singer (F Jopling) & Dalvangs Lorenzo (H
Colgate Hardaway) 68.24. brnz.— 1, Clounties
Mr Darcy (G Way) 63.78; 2, Treliver Delicious (J
Brown) 62.83. adv med 98Q gold (P Watts).—
1, Headmore Dirubinio (A Oppenheimer) 76.31;
2, Dutch Class (J Palmer) 69.86; 3, Finetime
(D Rumsey) 69.34. silv.— 1, Southern Cross
Braemar (D Morgan) 71.44; 2, Dalvangs Lorenzo
(H Colgate Hardaway) 67.89; 3, Esmerilhao
Sernadin (K Shepherd) 67.89. brnz.— 1, Grey
Fox II (P Comley) 62.63; 2, Agent Orange (S
Whitehouse) 62.5. adv 102 gold (P Watts).—1,
Mi Amigo (S-J Lanning) 72.5; 2, Southern Cross
Braemar 69.26; 3, Doetelaar (S Dickinson)
63.08. FEI PSG gold (S Merrison).—1,
Oldencraig Choice (S O’Sullivan) 69.07; 2,
Headmore Dirubinio 66.84; 3, Keystone For
Real (D Poynter) 66.57. silv.— 1, Don King (J
Wort) 63.55. brnz.— 1, Alef (G Rickard) 64.86.
FEI inter I gold (S Merrison).— 1, Oldencraig
Choice 67.76; 2, Samarino (T Grantham)
67.36. silv.— 1, Bentley IV (C Pedder) 70.13.
28 Jan: prelim 17A Q gold (C Kershaw).—1,
Keystone Rhia (S Green) 74.48. silv.— 1, William
Wildstar (R Head) 69.82; 2, Camiro II (I Diggens)
69.31; 3, Rayid Heart Breaker (D Mansfield)
68.1. brnz.— 1, Hawai (C De Metz) 67.93; 2,
Hedron (C Ganjou) 66.2; 3, Rosepoint Lace (C
Evans) 65.51. nov 37A Q gold (J Hudson).—
1, Laurentina (G Davis) & Such A Jarma (C
Sparks) 75; 3, Gucci III (T Fenwick) 73.33.
silv.— 1, Divertimento (R Christopher) 70.55; 2,
Silken Crème (M Joannides) 69.25; 3, Forever
Endeavor (L Moses) 68.14. brnz.— 1, Smooth
Emperor (E McFarlane) 67.96; 2, Laithehill Flute
(K Hewson) 65.92; 3, Tiger UK (V Woodbridge)
62.96. elem 59Q gold (W Jago).— 1, Belushka
(T Fenwick) 69.53; 2, Eastborn D (M Key) 68.9;
3, Harley Beau (S Ridd) 65. silv.— 1, Twyford
Salamander (N Byam-Cook) 75.15; 2, Sandro’s
Storm (H Bown) 72.34; 3, Casino Scandal (J
Price) 72.03. brnz.— 1, Luckatime (J Baldwin)
65; 2, Rondo (L Farrant) 62.65; 3, Catheradoo
Hugo (C Hartley) 61.87.
OLDENCRAIG
26 Jan: prelim 17 Q gold (A Greenaway).—1,
Florida (L Scott) 62.5. silv.— 1, Prevelly Future
(J Leight) 64.1. brnz.— 1, Kalooki (G Milne)
68.39 2, Purple Cosmos (J Robinson) 66.78.
prelim 19Q gold (C Stothard).— 1, Sarago
Raphael (A Ho) 67.08; 2, Jockey Club Cathegus
M (A Ho) 66.25; 3, Florida (L Scott) 63.75.
silv.— 1, Soulman (M Powell) 65.41; 2, Prevelly
Future 64.16; 3, Hazy’s Boy (E Robinson) 62.91.
brnz.— 1, Longhalves Renoir (M Austin) 62.91.
nov 23 gold (A Greenaway).— 1, Vaterloo (A
Farina) 70. silv.— 1, Armitano (E Roche) 71.04; 2,
Rowdown Walkabout (C Freed) 67.7; 3, Forrest
Clooney (S Allen) 66.45. brnz.— 1, Hazy’s Boy
66.04; 2, Longhalves Renoir 64.79; 3, Soulman
62.91. nov 38Q gold (C Stothard).— 1, Vaterloo
66.93. silv.— 1, Jockey Club Cathegus M 70.48;
2, Sarago Raphael 70.16; 3, Armitano 69.67.
elem 45 silv (A Greenaway).— 1, Baxo (A
Ho) 67.93; 2, Fay’s Choice (S Jeffery) 67.41;
3, Will-I-Am (J Elkins) 63.27. brnz.— 1, Super
Ted III (S Allen) 59.31. elem 57Q gold (M-A
Horn).— 1, Waldon Wild Skye (T Dahdi) 68.75.
silv.— 1, Will-I-Am 68.21; 2, Fay’s Choice 64.82;
3, Baxo 63.03. brnz.— 1, Super Ted III 59.1. med
69 gold (A Greenaway).— 1, Fiorella (A Farina)
64.39. silv.— 1, Charming Lady (J Barry) 65.9;
2, Waldon Wild Skye 64.69. brnz.— 1, Fumiko (L
Bunn) 61.06. med 76Q gold (M-A Horn).—1,
Fiorella 69.54. silv.— 1, Charming Lady 61.96.
PYO FEI gold.— 1, Caleo (L Baber-Davies)
69.21; 2, Impression G (A Rawlins) 64.86; 3,
Baldovino (F Bradley) 63.15.
NORTH
Epworth EC, North Lincs | Yorkshire Dressage, South Yorks
A rider on the comeback trail after a
head injury recorded two good wins
in her prep run for the regionals.
Emma Barbery won both novices
at Epworth in her warm-up for a
tilt at the regional prelim title on
Lowlands Rolling Stone. She has
just recovered her confidence after
suffering a head injury when the
eight-year-old Swarovski gelding
slipped and fell when out hacking.
By HELEN SCOTT
“It’s just over two years since
the accident, when I was taken by
air ambulance to hospital,” said
Emma, the finance director at
Askham Bryan College.
“I couldn’t ride for a long time
and I had to recover my strength
and confidence. It has finally got
to the point when I feel, ‘yes, we
can do this’.
“I also had to make my work
a priority as I had just moved to
my new job when the accident
happened, and the dressage has
to fit round it.”
Steph Crowther is another
rider fitting dressage round
her job — she runs an equine
crematorium — but aced one
novice with 75% and came second
in the other at Yorkshire Dressage
with her showjumping-bred
Huevo. The six-year-old had a
fetlock injury as a youngster, so is
being aimed at a career between
the white boards.
“We only began competing
last June, and have made some
mistakes along the way, but he
was absolutely on song and got
positive comments from the
judge,” said Steph, who trains
with Caroline Saynor. “We’re just
one point off qualifying for the
regional finals.”
Huevo was named because he
needed a name beginning with H
for the KWPN studbook.
“It’s Spanish for egg, and
that’s what we call him at home,”
added Steph.
Pictures by kevinsparrow.co.uk and Harry Skelton
50 Horse & Hound 8 February 2018