Six new National Champions crowned at the Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships 2018

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Six new National Champions crowned at the Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships 2018

The 2018 Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships held at Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool (13th – 18th November) came to a close Sunday evening and the Championships proved to be one of the highlights of the national showjumping calendar once again. Following six jam packed days of showjumping, six new National Champions were crowned.

Julie Priestley, Equine Brand Manager at Dodson & Horrell, was in attendance for the six days and commented “We have enjoyed every minute of the past six days of competition. It was a pleasure to meet so many members at the event and the atmosphere was fantastic throughout the competition. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who took part. I would also like to thank Aintree Equestrian Centre and British Showjumping as well as their team of volunteers for putting on a wonderful show. We are already looking forward to next year!”

The Championships were all held under the Dodson & Horrell prefix and the results were as follows:

85cms National Amateur Championship

Katie Benbow from Tunstall, North Yorkshire took the top spot in the 85cms National Amateur Championship on board her own 12 year-old chestnut mare Ruby St Loise.

The starting field of fifty-four was whittled down until just nineteen remained for the ultra-competitive jump off. Ten talented combinations went on to produce double clears and the winning round came from Katie and Ruby St Loise who were drawn as the second pair into the arena. They set a great standard when they delivered their double clear in 34.13 seconds.

Talking after the Championship, Katie said “The National Amateur & Veteran Championships are always an aim for me, I have jumped there on numerous occasions and Aintree Equestrian Centre is a fantastic venue. The courses at this show are always a great test and I’m delighted to have won one of the Championship Finals on Ruby St Loise, who is a fast little horse.”

95cms National Amateur Championship

The 95cms National Amateur Championship was headed by Holly Gair from Chester-le-Street, County Durham on Bowes Milky Way, a 21 year-old grey mare owned by Wendy Gair. Fifty-five came forward for the Championship and a twenty horse jump off unfolded.

Holly knew that that only a quick double clear would do and Bowes Milky Way stepped up in fine style as she flew through the finish with all of the fences still standing in just 28.42 seconds.

Holly was pleased with her win and added “To win this Championship was outstanding and I was thrilled to finish second on my other horse Usita Champ. I’d managed to qualify for a number of classes at the show and Bowes Milky Way really tried her heart out. She’s a fantastic honest horse who really enjoys her jumping and it was great win for her.”

1.05m National Amateur Championship

The winner of the 1.05m National Amateur Championship was Rachael Evison from Pontefract, North Yorkshire on her own 12 year-old grey mare Scylla D’Ouilly. Rachael fought off fifty other challengers to take the top spot.

Following an exciting first round, nineteen remained in contention for the jump off and it was Rachael and Scylla D’Ouilly who put down the fastest time to return home on zero penalty score in 31.38 seconds.

A delighted Rachael commented “I had an agonising wait on the day as we were drawn early, but it’s fantastic to have won the Championship. The first round was nice and technical before moving onto a twisty jump off which really suited the mare and I. Scylla D’Ouilly is an easy and straightforward horse and this show fitted in with this year’s plans nicely.”

1.10m National Amateur Championship

Lucinda Stewart from Ayrshire scooped the 1.10m National Amateur Championship on her own 9 year-old dark bay gelding Cancun II. The pair set a blistering pace in the jump off and their time was to prove unbeatable.

Ten of the forty-one starters made it through to the jump off and the in-form Lucinda and Cancun II left all of the fences standing in 36.11 seconds. This time left them with over a second in hand.

“The Championships have always been part of the plan for Cancun II this year as we have come second the last two times”, said Lucinda. “This win is really special for us and we did a lot of work coming into the show. The horse has been on form all year and Mark McGowan’s technical tracks suited him.”

Minor Veteran Riders Championship

Carol Gee made her trip from Kilkenny, Ireland worthwhile when she won the Minor Veteran Riders Championship on her own 10 year-old bay gelding Fernhill Splash.

This partnership bettered thirty-three others and went on to win the thirteen horse jump off with a double clear in 36.10 seconds.

Carol was thrilled to have picked up a National Championship title and said “I came over from Ireland and popped into the show on my way up to see my father! I was drawn as the last to go in the class and went for the win. Aintree Equestrian Centre is a great venue, the courses were super and I really enjoyed the show.”

Major Veteran Riders Championship

Nina Emery from Cannock, Staffordshire became the Major Veteran Riders Champion with her own 12 year-old bay mare Galaxy III.

The initial field of ten was narrowed down to five for the jump off and four of those combinations were able to produce a double clear. The fastest of these double clears came from Nina and Galaxy III who finished up in a time of 29.72 seconds.

Following her win, Nina said “The horse and I won this Championship back in 2013, so it’s great to be able to reclaim the title and having the podium celebration at the show was a really nice touch. I was the first to go in the jump off and the horse jumped in a good rhythm whilst still being able to make all of the tight turns. The show is such a lovely one to compete at.”

For a full list of results and further information about the Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships, please visit www.aintreeequestriancentre.co.uk.

Dodson & Horrell:
Dodson & Horrell has been leading the way in equine nutrition for almost 80 years, pioneering manufacturing methods and promoting nutritional research. This year Dodson & Horrell has launched various new and improved ranges of horse feed, the Balancer Range and the Performance Range.

As official supplier of nutrition to Equestrian Team GBR since 2009 Dodson & Horrell works closely with the entire team to deliver nutritional advice to both the Performance and World Class Programmes. 

In addition Dodson & Horrell supports a variety of top equestrian athletes who make up #teamdandh. The ambassadors play a vital role within the company by highlighting the quality of the feed and nutritional advice. Dodson & Horrell showjumping brand ambassadors are Geoff Billington, Jess Dimmock, Yazmin Pinchen, Lauren Hough, Joe Davison and many of the Whitaker family.

For further information, please visit www.dodsonandhorrell.com or call us on 01832 737300. For any further nutritional advice please call the Helpline on 0845 345 2627 or email enquiries@dodsonandhorrell.com.

 
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