Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018
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SHOWJUMPING<br />
AW<br />
JENKINSON NATURAL<br />
FLAKE ELITE SHOW<br />
25-28 January<br />
Richard Howley and Electra<br />
B produce a breathtaking<br />
double clear to take the<br />
honours in the grand prix<br />
Electra powers<br />
to victory<br />
The grand prix has an edge-of-the-seat climax with Richard<br />
Howley nearly making it a one-two over a testing course<br />
Aintree, Liverpool<br />
RICHARD HOWLEY and Electra<br />
B produced a breathtaking double<br />
clear to take the honours in the<br />
AW Jenkinson Natural Flake<br />
grand prix.<br />
“She’s a consistent mare with<br />
plenty of blood, so it’s easy to<br />
be fast. I tried to settle her into<br />
a nice rhythm and a good roll<br />
back at number 10 helped us,” said<br />
Richard, who almost made it a<br />
one-two, as Cruising Star posted<br />
the fastest time of all, but a rail<br />
fell after a tight turnback to the<br />
second fence.<br />
Raf Suarez set a suitably<br />
testing course for round one.<br />
Almost every fence came down,<br />
although an airy oxer off a corner<br />
at number two, followed by a<br />
double on a forward five strides,<br />
accounted for most faults.<br />
With 16 from the start list of 53<br />
By MARGARET SHAW<br />
winning through to the jump-off,<br />
this was always going to be an<br />
edge-of-your-seat climax and it<br />
provided a fitting finale to four<br />
days of top-drawer jumping.<br />
Once Holly Smith and<br />
Hearts Destiny (sixth) and Alex<br />
Thompson riding Cathalina V<br />
(seventh) produced two good early<br />
second clears, the challenge was<br />
set and the top five came from the<br />
last five combinations to jump.<br />
Eventual third, Holly<br />
Smith and Fruselli (see One To<br />
Watch) first took a three-second<br />
advantage, but that was shortlived<br />
when local rider Julie<br />
Andrews and Ayrton IV pulled<br />
off two tight turns at either end<br />
of the arena to take the lead and<br />
eventual second in 31.08 seconds.<br />
“This horse ticks all the boxes.<br />
He loves to win and I can trust<br />
him to gallop and turn short,”<br />
said Julie.<br />
However, next-drawn Richard<br />
Howley was waiting in the wings<br />
with Electra B and, although he<br />
gave the troublesome second fence<br />
some space this time, his turnback<br />
to a top-of-the-wings upright<br />
three from home saw Electra pick<br />
up off barely one stride.<br />
“I was determined not to make<br />
the same mistake with the second<br />
fence,” said Richard. “We are just<br />
a few months into our partnership<br />
and Electra is growing in<br />
confidence with every outing and<br />
will be going to Spain as my grand<br />
prix horse. I had planned to come<br />
here on the first day as a warm-up<br />
and return today to go well in the<br />
grand prix, and the plan worked,”<br />
said Richard, who claimed the top<br />
two 1.35m places on the first day<br />
with Cruising Star and Electra B.<br />
The final two grand prix<br />
places were decided next, the<br />
new partnership of Anthony<br />
Condon and Courtney 6 taking<br />
fourth and the 2017 winning rider<br />
James Whitaker and Glenavadra<br />
Brilliant finishing fifth.<br />
Raf Suarez was happy with<br />
the result: “The course was big<br />
enough and testing everywhere.<br />
It’s quite difficult to accommodate<br />
those stepping up to this level and<br />
established grand prix horses and<br />
riders, but I was pleased it rode<br />
so well.”<br />
There was another hardfought<br />
contest in the British<br />
Showjumping winter amateur<br />
qualifier, where 19 of the field of<br />
48 came through to the jump-off.<br />
After Richard Jenkinson<br />
posted a quick time with<br />
early-drawn Culto, many of the<br />
following riders had no choice<br />
but to take risks over a tempting<br />
course, and it was only two<br />
stunning turnbacks successfully<br />
pulled off by Sarah Williams that<br />
relegated the early leaders.<br />
Riding the home-bred Calvaro<br />
Star, Sarah steered inside lines all<br />
the way and, although arriving<br />
a bit deep to the last fence on an<br />
acute turnback, her 11-year-old<br />
daughter of Calvaro left the top<br />
rail up.<br />
“She’s brave and careful — she<br />
Pictures by Majestic Photography<br />
56 <strong>Horse</strong> & <strong>Hound</strong> 8 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2018</strong>