Show Horse Jumping

Baileys Jumping and Style Championships

WILTSHIRE riders came close to a hat-trick at the Baileys Jumping and Style (JAS) Championship finals, at Addington Manor arena, Buckinghamshire.

The series, celebrating its 10th year, staged qualifiers for this pre-event season warm-up all over the country at 11 locations, with the best going on to the finals. There they tackled a course of show jumps, followed immediately by a timed course of cross country fences, and were judged on style, with penalties given if over the pre-set optimum time.

The second final of the day, at BE100 level, was won by Wanborough 14-year-old Alice Bibby, on the 14.2hh bay gelding Summerhouse Coconut.

“The JAS qualifier was the first time Alice had entered the series, where she finished second, so we were not expecting a win at the finals,” admitted her mum Jayne.

“There were over 50 starters in the BE 100 final and Alice was drawn midway, jumping a lovely double clear. There were 17 or 18 fences in total so it was quite demanding and you had to be sure your remembered the course.”

Bibby, a pupil at Stonar School who also events the German-bred pony Cassanova, finished on a excellent style mark of four to just pip Reigate’s Georgina Wood in a very close contest.

Foxham U21 European medallist Georgie Spence, 22, who is supported by series sponsor Baileys Horse Feeds, was third and fourth in the BE100 final with Bonmahon Bouncer and Merlot Time, two of her five qualified rides.

Marlborough’s 2009 Young Rider European gold medallist Laura Collett also had a busy day, with five rides across the classes. The highlight was a win in the BE Novice final with her own Jitterbug, who finished a point ahead of junior Alice Sandberg. The 10-year-old chestnut mare had been in fine form in the qualifiers and justified her place as a pre-event favourite. For the first time the top two riders from the Open class automatically qualified for the Indoor Eventing final at the British Open Showjumping Championships, one of Britain’s top equestrian dates held at the NEC in April.

The top ticket went to Oxfordshire’s Wills Goodhew, with Lacock’s David Doel in second place on the Dutch bred bay Vivre La Vie B.

The class provided a nail-biting finish to what had been a whole day of top class competition, with the result really not decided until the last horse jumped.

“We very nearly won – I just got one line not quite right,” said Doel, 17.

“You really had to gallop round to get the time hoping the fences stayed up and only one rider got home under the time. It was a very decent course – a couple of fences were up to 1.20m in height – and the whole event had a real buzz, making it feel a real achievement.”

However, Doel decided not to take up his place at the NEC and his qualification for the British Open passed to third-placed rider, Gaby Cooke.

“It would have been good to ride at the British Open but my horse is still quite young and inexperienced and we felt it would be a step too far at this stage,” Doel explained. “He is a long term prospect and I don’t want to risk that for one event.”

Instead he will focus on his commitment to the Racesafe-sponsored Junior squad for the 2010 season.

He plans to take both Vivre La Vie B and his young mare Cindy Del Monte, 11th in the BE100 JAS final, to the Junior Regional Novice at Aldon one-day event later this month.

VWH Pony Club’s Pumbaa Goess-Saurau finished second in the BE90 JAS final, completing on a style mark of nine, and 10th in the BE100 final.

The Marlborough teenager’s partner in both was the mare Mayfair Daisy, who also went well in the 2009 JAS series.

Champions from all sections of the final went home with valuable prizes including £500-worth of training plus £50 vouchers for free feed from Baileys, and runners-up gained £300 in training vouchers.

Leigh’s Janine Collishaw won the top test of the day at Knapp Farm Livery’s unaffiliated dressage meeting near Cricklade.

The Kings Leaze Riding Club member saw off her nearest rival Jacqui Taylor Collins by a clear 15 mark margin in the Novice 24 test, a UK Riders qualifier. Janine scored an impressive 71.15 per cent on her relatively new ride, the 12 year old Edwin Col.

The new partnership got in a couple of events towards the end of the 2009 British Eventing season, finishing sixth in a BE90 Open section at Solihull.

They also proved their versatility at Knapp Farm’s long-delayed Christmas show jumping competition, held at the end of January, where they won the Puissance after clearing the wall at 3’ 11”. Taylor Collins had earlier enjoyed a double at Prelim level at Knapp Farm’s dressage meeting.

Article taken from GazzetteandHerald.co.uk – 3/3/2010