You couldn't rain on Bettina's parade today
If you can’t make it to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials this year, don’t worry. Just pop down to Belton International Horse Trials in Lincolnshire and you’ll see all the riders in action there
The entry list this year for the CIC3* Grantham Cup is impressive and packed with horses that are heading to Badminton having a start or up and coming stars. One of the up and coming stars was Chris Burton’s Santano II, at only his second 3* start, holding the lead in the dressage for much of the day. Santano II, by Sandro Hit, is the young horse that caused a stir last year by setting a new 2* dressage record and today he was in the lead on a score of 39.5 from early in the day until the German dressage diva Bettina Hoy knocked Chris off the top spot.
Bettina’s 10 year old gelding Seigneur Medicott turned in a light, elegant and mistake free test, that Bettina was clearly happy with, to score 33.20.
However straight afterwards Laura Collett and Grand Manoeuvre also impressed the judges and a little mistake at the beginning where Grand Manoeuvre broke into canter may have cost them the lead; this big chestnut can certainly strut his stuff and they were rewarded with a score of 36.30.
Now that's a halt. Laura and Grand Manoeuvre
Chris Burton maintained his third position but it was a British female whitewash for a little while after that with Pippa Funnell riding Billy Beware equalling Chris’s score of 39.50, Tina Cook riding Calvino II finishing in fifth on 40.50, young Emily King in sixth on 41.50 and Gemma Tattersall in seventh on Quicklook V on 41.0. The Antipodes took over then with Australia’s Sammi Birch in eighth place on The Court Jester (42), New Zealand’s young Jesse Campbell in ninth riding Kaapachino (42.10), Bill Levett in tenth and 11th riding Alexander NJ and Improvise and Sam Griffiths on Paulank Brockagh in 12th
Pippa and Billy Beware
There are still plenty more to come in this star studded field of 128 riders and Laura, Pippa, Gemma and Sammi will all be back in the arena again tomorrow on their second horses to see if they can better their own scores.
Into the Red Hill Marina
Meanwhile, although the increasing drizzle was a minor inconvenience in the dressage arena (you can’t help but feel sorry for the grooms on a day when the rain just keeps coming, even if it isn’t heavy), out on the cross country course the tough Novice track was causing its fair share of problems. Fence 9 – the Red Hill Marina – on Stuart Buntine’s track added significant penalties to many scores and, having got over that hurdle, many riders breathed a sigh of relief but then came unstuck at the next at the very next question, the Lycetts Labyrinth.
Jodie Amos (above) was the winner of the Lincolnshire County Council Novice Section riding Direct Ballytarsna Ducarel and we caught up with her after presentation to find out more
Jodie Amos
The Novice Section A was won by Lauren Shannon riding Priorspark Precious, John-Paul Sheffield won the Section B riding To Be Fair II and Steve Garrod riding the seven year old Ufonzo owned by Izzy Laurence won the Section C. Steve, a farrier by day who lives locally, won on his dressage score of 28.8
“He’s a quirky character” Steve told us who has ridden Ufonzo since he was a four year old “He’s always been a bit spooky but that’s what makes him special”
Steve Garrod and the owner of Ufonzo, Izzy Laurence
