Bubby Upton and MJM Bobby Dazzler
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Burnham Market (2) - order or view videos here
This weekend at Burnham Market was considerably warmer than the last time we were at the Norfolk venue back in April, though in typical Norfolk style we still got a sprinkling of rain at the end of the weekend. This event attracted an enormous range of riders, from those who were coming back down to earth after Burghley such as Piggy French and Imogen Murray, to amateur BE90 riders having a day out with their horse and our beloved Ros Canter made her comeback to competition after giving birth to her daughter.
Burnham Market (2) hosted two TCN classes after cancellations elsewhere meant that some riders were yet to gain their minimum entry requirements for their next level of competition. Holly Woodhead won the TCN2* section on Benicia B and the TCN3* class was won by Bubby Upton on Catherine Joice’s MJM Bobby Dazzler.
Bubby said “I am so thrilled with MJM Bobby Dazzler and how he went at Burnham Market. It’s our first season together but he’s a horse that I really think a lot of and I am so excited for his future. He was faultless at Burnham and he’s really begun to trust me as the season has gone on which is such a rewarding feeling. He’s only seven years old but it’s sometimes very easy to forget that as he takes everything in his stride and I just feel so lucky that his owner Catherine Joice trusted me with him and I’m so happy that we were able to finish our season off on such a high and to pull out this result for his owner.”
“I just have one event left to go until my season is over, which is Blenheim 8/9 Year Old class with my Young Rider European dual medallist horse, Cola III, so I really hope for a happy end to the season and to be able to show everyone the truly special horse that Cola is, and then it’s back to University for me where I am studying at Edinburgh.”
Willa Newton had a busy weekend, winning Intermediate Sections B and D, and Novice section K as well as running five other horses across the weekend.
“Cock A Doodle Doo, winner of Section B in the intermediate, is a very exciting young horse who is aiming for Le Lion which I am really excited about. Caja 20, winner of Section D and owned by Joey Newton and Sarah McCorquodale, is a very special mare and it is great to have her back on top form after a frustrating time with her, she’s not easy to manage so it was great to have her feeling good and well again!”
Georgie Frow won the intermediate Section C on her own TS Shanghai.
“It has always been my aim to compete successfully at Intermediate level and I have been extremely lucky this season to get that opportunity on two horses – one for a former owner at the event yard of World Champion Ros Canter and the other, my father’s TS Shanghai. For the last year I have worked as a second rider for Ros and the training, experience and support has been invaluable.”
“TS Shanghai (known as Finn because he was born in Finland), was bought by dad as a three-year-old – a real bargain buy and a true find. I had a smile on my face the first time I sat on him, and that was it. Over the last three years we have made fantastic progress and what a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago, we both struggled and had to retire when we had a bash at Intermediate – and now look.”
“Eventing is never easy and who knows what will happen next time out, but for now I am so proud of the pair of us. The Burnham Market course is one of the trickier Intermediates we have tackled – and I must have got some inspiration from Ros on Allstar B, who went out before me. On my safe return, she was there waiting – ever-supportive – to chastise me when I complained about getting some time faults. Of course, as ever, she was right as I should have just been delighted by the way Finn went round – but as it happens it was a win anyway!”
Sarah Bullimore took Section E in the novice class on Coroyale, owned by herself, Brett Bullimore and Bruce Saint, and Lisa Pilbeam won Section F on RLE Chloe, owned by Home Farm Equestrian Centre. Irish rider, Meghan Healy, won the Open Novice section G on Simon Grice’s Springheeled (watch Meghan Healy and Springheeled here)
Matthew Wright and Cooley Outlaw
Section J in the novice class was won by Matthew Wright on Redwood Autumn, owned by Charlotte Cole, Amanda Morris and Craig Morris.
“I have some really nice horses coming through the ranks and I’m excited to be working with them. This is my first season competing Redwood Autumn, who is owned by Charlotte Cole and Amanda and Craig Morris, and he’s proving to be a really competitive little horse. He reminds me so much of Hugginstown, who won at Blair for me and his owner Charlotte Cole on many occasions. It’s uncanny really, even down to the little quirks where he’ll stop at a cross pole by spooking in the warm up and then go and storm around the show jumping and cross country track like a demon just like Huggy used to. The only difference I’d say is that he has more ability than Huggy did, so I’m excited for his future and hope he can follow in his footsteps”
“It would have been nice to have got the 1,2 in the section, as I know I could have been equally as competitive on Sir John Peace and Charlotte Cole’s Crazy Du Loir who finished 6th in the same section, but I had seven time faults on her. I’m trying to go slow on purpose as her natural way of going is extremely fast so it would have defeated the object of her training however tempting it may have been. Nearly all of the horses I had at Burnham Market will now head to either Ballindenisk or Osberton for an International run to end the season.”
Richard Jones won the BE100 section M on Financial Express, owned by Dinah Saunders and Trefor Jones, and section H was won by Caroline Day on Lucy Mason’s Fenomeen L. Caroline has an event yard in Great Finborough near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.
“I produce horses to mainly event and all of the horses I competed at Burnham Market I have started myself. The event at Burnham Market went really well for me, all my horses jumped clear around a fun and educational cross country course. My times on the Sunday were all quite tight due to one of the horses getting in last minute and I really wouldn’t have coped without Julie Brega, director of The Open College of Equine Studies, who own two of the horses I competed on Sunday. She really worked hard to make sure we made all our times.”
Lizzie Baugh won the BE100 section L on her own Shannondale Courage. Lizzie is 22 years old and currently studying for her master’s degree at Nottingham Trent University, conveniently in Equestrian Performance!
“We have our horses at home on the family farm and livery yard and I do my master’s degree alongside eventing my string of 5 horses. I also ride the young homebreds at home as well as ones I have in for schooling and sales livery. I represented GB in 2017 and 2018 at the Young Rider European Championships.”
“I have had Shannondale Courage (Dale) for two months now. So far we have done four events, won three of them and finished second in the other! Every time out he has finished on his sub 30 dressage score. I bought him as a project to do some events with, produce through the levels a bit and then sell on but I’m very tempted to keep him!! He’s a lovely laid back character and just comes out every time and does the job.”
“He did manage to somehow pull a hind shoe off on the lorry before he started. I had a novice horse to ride in the morning, finished washing off, went to get Dale off the lorry and his shoe was hanging off! Not a great start but we found the farrier who kindly put it back on for us, tacked up as he was being re-shod, put a few studs in and trotted up to the dressage. We only had ten minutes or so to warm up but that was enough and went in to do our test. Lucky he’s so laid back and doesn’t need much working in. He’s a good old-fashioned type of horse with a leg at each corner and a rather large head! He’s so lovely to have around though, has his quirks but gets on with his job and is incredibly talented both of the flat and over a fence”
“Burnham Market is fast becoming one of my lucky events as I won the CCI3*S there in the spring and was also second place in the Intermediate with a homebred horse in the spring too. I like the atmosphere that the show jumping arena offers and think it’s great for educating the younger horses. The cross country course I also find to flow and be educational, offering good fair questions”
Imogen Murray on MD Sandyhill Zorro
Imogen Murray was another busy rider this weekend, winning the BE100 Open Section N and running five other horses, placing in the top ten of two of them. Imogen describes SJL Convince Me, owned collaboratively between Fran Reeve, Kim Pengelly and the MS Team, as “a really talented mare who’s exceptional in the dressage and SJ phases, however she can lack some confidence in the cross country phase”
“She really hates to get anything wrong, she’s such a trier, we’re doing a few 100 Open classes to build her confidence up. She can get quite worked up and stressed, so she spends most nights in the field. At home we refer to her as Princess as she’s just so beautiful and loves to polish her crown”
The BE90 classes were won by Charlotte Long on Aventurine, Georgie Featherstone on Booty Boots (who wins my name of the weekend!), and Iona Woods on Loughnatousa Joey.
After the disappointment of having to abandon Cholmondeley Castle earlier in the year due to torrential rain, Musketeer Events will have been pleased with their last affiliated event of 2019. They have an unaffiliated event at Cirencester Park at the end of the month and then we can look forward to what the new year will bring!
