Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018

Edited by Jennifer Donald
jennifer.donald@timeinc.com
@ donaldjdonald
The long journey from Cornwall pays off for Adam Ellery and eightyear-old
Fairway, who headed the Blue Chip Karma performance
never lets me down. I’m normally
busy with our tack stand, Williams
Equestrian, so we don’t get out
that often, but she comes out and
does her job every time. I’m not
usually that brave, but she’s such
an honest mare, I thought we’d
have a real go,” said Sarah.
The long journey from
Cornwall proved worthwhile for
Adam Ellery, who proved a force
to be reckoned with over this
four-day meeting.
Good preparation with
Fairway (Fai) paid rich dividends
for Adam as Darren Jueleff’s
eight-year-old mare pulled off
a brilliant spin-back to a tall
upright to win the Blue Chip
Karma performance.
Drawn fairly early in the
77-starter Karma qualifier, Adam
signalled his intentions from the
start with a quick scurry through
the beams and Fai hugged the
wings throughout.
“I only started riding her in
winter and, after concentrating
on getting our newcomers and
Foxhunter double clears, we have
been building up confidence doing
the odd turn.
“This was a tough class to win,
but she is getting quicker with
every outing,” said Adam, who
owns a share of the daughter of
Baldwin and enjoyed a lucrative
first visit to Aintree.
“This is the furthest north
I have ever travelled to compete
and we have really enjoyed the
show,” said Adam.
Having his first outing of the
year, Quality Old Joker scored
a brilliant win for Holly Smith in
a fiercely contested 1.40m.
After going the full five
rounds to share first place in the
Liverpool International puissance,
the Irish son of OBOS Quality had
enjoyed some lazy days hacking,
but he soon returned to winning
form and curled his massive frame
around to the wings to post a time
even the best efforts of reunited
Kerry Brennan and Wellington M
could not match.
“He loves a challenge. We’ve
done nothing since Liverpool, but
he’s better fresh,” said Holly. “The
turns were tight, but he never
tries to second-guess me and
everything came off,”
As fast finishes go, Paul Barker
provided two of the speediest
riding Cartouche II (Pogo), whose
ground-devouring stride and
spin-back turns came into play
in the 1.30m classes on days one
and four.
These were among some of the
most competitive classes of this
meeting and Paul employed some
daring tactics to finish ahead of
some speedy combinations.
Pogo is normally ridden by
Paul’s niece Hannah Barker in
young rider and children-onhorses
competitions, but while she
Sarah Williams and Calvaro win
the BS winter amateur qualifier
FRUSELLI
HOLLY SMITH headed
the Blue Chip Dynamic
B&C qualifier with
Gordon and Sue
Hall’s Fruselli.
Second-placed Jessica Crosby and Harvey scurried
round to set a real uphill challenge, but penultimate-drawn Holly
sliced the merest fraction off the leading time.
“It was a last-minute decision to come here, but as we were
both bored at home and bursting with life, we decided to have some
action,” said Holly, who first tried the impressive stallion at South
View last summer following a tip-off.
The Zambesi eight-year-old stallion was bred by Mark Evans and
Amanda Forster at Castell Sport Horses and was first ridden by
Amanda. In just a few months, Fruselli progressed from Foxhunter
level to jump two rankings classes at Liverpool and he ended on a
high note here, producing two clears to finish third in the grand prix.
“He’s not a horse to turn up short, so we’ve been practising
keeping our turns smooth and taking fewer strides —
ONE TO
WATCH
is concentrating on ponies, Paul
keeps the 15-year-old ticking over.
“As I had a few horses in these
classes, I didn’t manage to watch
the leading rounds. Pogo covers
a lot of ground; he turns well and
it felt easy for him,” said Paul, who
beat next-placed Ben Walker on
Native Warrior and Keith Shore
with Coriander.
Ben Walker, who is based
with Pennie Cornish and Phillip
Miller, gained a winning double
at the upper height classes riding
Roulette H and Victory VI.
Roulette H, a nine-year-old
bred by Lancashire dealer Downes
Howard, is by the showjumping
stallion Moschino and has been
with the Pennie Cornish stable
for the past five years. He stepped
up to area trials and 1.45m
competitions last season.
“He likes to jump the bigger
RESULTS
he’s getting an expert at it now,” said Holly, who was due
to have the plates removed from her right leg (injured
early last year) just two days after this show, before
competing on the Sunshine Tour.
25 Jan: KBIS Insurance British novi—1&
2, Richious & MEC Look At Me (A Tough); 3,
Urban Splash (N Roe). 90cm.— 1 & 2, Urano
III & Starlux (N Roe). Nupafeed discovery.— 1,
Pandoras Box (B Smart); 2, Call Me What You
Want (K Shore); 3, Running Gingerbread Man
(A Walters). 1m.— 1, CSH Starlet (J Holding);
2, Cor De Crykon (E Hope). Connolly’s Red
Mills newcomers.—1, Ebrusa (G Azevedo-
Silva); 2, Gassara (E Forrester); 3, Harlequin
Vivendi (A Walters). 1.10m.— 1, B Valeree (R
Connor); 2, Jupistar Van’t Langbos (K Shore);
3, Grass (G Billington). Equitop Myoplast
Foxhunter.— 1, Icon III (E Williams); 2, Harvey
(J Crosby); 3, Quality Street (C Bolam).
1.25m.— 1, Fantastic (R Connor); 2, Elo (G
Billington); 3, Flintstone De Ness (L Smith).
AW Jenkinson Natural Flake 1.35m.—1&2,
Cruising Star & Electra B (R Howley); 3, Zaha
(R Connor). 26 Jan: Connolly’s Red Mills
newcomers.—1, Jeppsen K (C Arnold); 2,
Gassara; 3, Footloose LG (C Smith). Equitop
Myoplast Foxhunter.— 1, Blue Pilot (J
Elliott); 2, Fairway (A Ellery); 3, Peppercorn (T
Whitaker). 1.20m.— 1,Contessa M (S Buckley);
2, El Diablo Grande (C Shepherd-Bramham); 3,
Cartouche (P Barker). nat 1.30m.— 1, 2 & 3eq,
Cartouche, Lux Fabulous & Sandors Legacy
stuff and, as we are going to the
Sunshine Tour hoping to find
Nations Cup form, this was the
ideal preparation for him,” said
Ben. “This was a fast class and
we had to find somewhere to save
time, so while most riders steered
around the Christmas tree island,
I knew he would probably spook
at it, so I went for a nice drop and
turn inside to the next vertical. It
was tight, but it paid off.”
Ben’s second victory came
courtesy of Victory VI, who
maintained a relentless pace
to record a 1.30m win on the
following day.
“He can be quirky and he was
naughty yesterday, but at least he’s
redeemed himself with a round
like this,” said Ben.
“He’s economical in the air and
has a big stride, which makes him
a good indoor speed horse.” H&H
(P Barker); 3eq, Billy Starlet (E O’Dwyer). AW
Jenkinson nati 1.40m.— 1, Roulette H (B
Walker); 2, Ubank (A Ellery); 3, Wellington M
(K Brennan). 27 Jan: Connolly’s Red Mills
newcomers.— 1, Tinkabella (B Vernon); 2,
Mount Pleasant Lily (D Coogan); 3, Flemenco
T (S Stockdale). 1.15m.— 1, B Valeree (R
Connor); 2, Drewmain Dark Star (A Ellery);
3, Capriool III (C Bolam). Blue Chip Karma
performance.— 1, Fairway; 2, Courageux
(C West); 3, Footloose LG (C Smith). nat
1.30m.— 1, Victory VI (B Walker); 2, Divedent
SB (C Arnhold); 3, Darcobal Fravanca (J
McGlory). Blue Chip Dynamic B&C.—1,
Fruselli (H Smith); 2, Harvey (J Crosby); 3,
Django Blue (J Elliott). AW Jenkinson nat
1.40m.— 1, Quality Old Joker (H Smith); 2,
Wellington M; 3, Waldemar (C Pritchard). 28
Jan: Connolly’s Red Mills newcomers.—1,
Ebrusa; 2, E Papa FM (B Mitchell); 3, Highclass
B (C Bolam). 1.10m.— 1, Lester Van T Laahof
(E O’Dwyer); 2, Classic Raphael (K Sutcliffe);
3, Cassius XI (M Prenty). BS winter amateur
Q.— 1, Calvaro Star (S Williams); 2, Culto (R
Jenkinson); 3, Nonstop III (S Sellars). Equitop
Myoplast Foxhunter.— 1, Quality Street (C
Bolam); 2, Ulisina II (A Tough); 3, Hermionie
II (Z Beesley). nat 1.30m.— 1, Cartouche; 2,
Native Warrior (B Walker); 3, Coriander Van’t
Vennehof (K Shore). National 1.40m/AW
Jenkinson Natural Flake grand prix.—1,
Electra B; 2, Ayrton IV (J Andrews); 3, Fruselli.
8 February 2018 Horse & Hound 57