Alnwick Ford International Horse Trials 2024 Cross Country Videos
Willa Newton has a great chance of winning the second leg of the Northumberland Challenge on Camilla Behrens’ Hartacker at Alnwick Ford International Horse Trials (18-22 June) this week.
The Leicestershire-based rider took the first leg of this big-money series, which unites the three Northumbrian international events of Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham, at Belsay in May, and is now pursuing the £25,000 prize on offer for winning the WL Straughan & Sons CCI3*-S class at all three competitions. The total prize-pot for the 2025 Northumberland Challenge is £65,000.
Willa said: “Hartacker is still a very new ride to me, but he feels in great form. The Northumberland Challenge is such a fantastic initiative between three brilliant events, and opportunities such as this are rare.”
Willa and Hartacker are just one of the exciting pairings competing at Alnwick Ford this week. Gloucestershire rider Mike Jackson returns to the scene of the most significant international success of his career to date with last year’s CCI3*-S winner Girls Gamble, who could also take a share in the Northumberland Challenge prize-fund this year after his third place at Belsay.
Izzy Taylor has four horses entered in the CCI3*-S, and others bound to be highly competitive include 2024 Badminton CCI5* heroine Caroline Powell, European individual silver medallist Kitty King, Lizzie Baugh with her brace of new CCI5* rides, Crazy Du Loir and En Taro Des Verniers, Olympic and World medallist Jeanette Brakewell and local riders Harry Mutch, Katie Magee, Jessica McKie and Emma Carmichael.
Young Japanese star Yuya Segawa rode Vegas De L’Elfe to victory in the first leg of the NIS Group Services Ltd and Encon Technical Solutions CCI2*-S at Belsay, and they return to try to continue their winning run at Alnwick Ford. But they will face strong opposition from the likes of Michael Jackson and his double Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse champion Oscar, North Yorkshire’s Storm Straker, top British junior rider Jago Jackson, Belsay CCI2*-L winner Lucinda Atkinson and acclaimed young horse producer Eliza Bell.
The British Eventing national classes at Alnwick Ford are brimming with top-quality competitors. They include reigning European champion and Olympic team gold medallist Ros Canter, who has already won both the European CCI5*s (Badminton and Luhmühlen) this spring, Tokyo 2021 Olympic team gold medallist and nine-times CCI5* winner Oliver Townend and Australian’s multiple Olympic team gold medallist Andrew Hoy.
Event organiser Craig Anderson said: “We’ve got excellent entries for Alnwick Ford, and we’re excited about welcoming a large number of top riders from all over the country, international stars and local competitors at all levels. The team have worked very hard to produce the best courses and ground conditions possible, and we are all set for a great week of equestrian sport.”
Alnwick Ford is hosting classes from CCI3*-S to BE80 level, as well as Pony Club area competitions and GO BE sections. Spectators are welcome - for more information, please visit www.alnwickfordequestrian.co.uk.
An Eventful Life is filming all competitors on cross country at Alnwick Ford International 2025 - order or view XC Videos here
