Billy Colclough Secures Horse of the Year Show Final Ticket at Chard NAF Five Star Bronze League Semi Final

A coveted place in the NAF Five Star Bronze League Final at Horse of the Year Show was up for grabs at Chard Equestrian Ltd this weekend, where 58 rider and horse combinations came forward to contest Krissy Spiller's challenging semi-final course. 

With the standard set high, riders needed to produce two faultless rounds to earn their place in the deciding jump-off. Fourteen combinations rose to the challenge, setting the stage for a thrilling race against the clock. 

It was Billy Colclough who ultimately claimed victory aboard Georgina Bril's Kept Secret T, delivering a confident and composed clear round in a winning time of 33.53 seconds to secure both the top spot and a coveted qualification for the Horse of the Year Show Final. 

Finishing just fractions behind was Elizabeth Mantel riding K Gracious, whose polished clear round in 33.87 seconds earned an impressive second place. 

Completing the podium was Phoebe Jefferies aboard Zipwire, who also produced a faultless jump-off round to stop the clock in 34.96 seconds, securing third place. 

Congratulations to all of the riders who qualified for the jump-off and, in particular, to Billy Colclough and Kept Secret T on an excellent performance and their qualification for the NAF Five Star Bronze League Final at Horse of the Year Show. 

“We are super pleased and I am very very proud of Billy, he did so well again. He had three in the class and two through to the jump off so there was quite a lot of rushing around, but Billy is really good under pressure and keeps his cool. It went very well on the day, similar to two years ago when he qualified for the final, last year we just missed out having a fence in the last round at the semi final. The six-year-old he also had through to the jump off, Another Cora, jumped a great round too but unluckily had the last fence, otherwise she would have been third. 

Billy rode well, it was a lovely forward course which really suited us, it was a good day!  

The mare is heading up to Twemlows with her owner, Georgina Bril this week to get an embryo transfer, so hopefully there will be a lovely foal out of her. She will be there for two or three weeks than she will have a few more quiet weeks before we start preparing for HOYS.” 

NAF Five Star Bronze League Semi Final 

Chard Equestrian Ltd, Saturday 25 July 2026 

1st – Billy Calclough & Kept Secret T – 0/0/0 33.53 

2nd – Elizabeth Mantel & K Gracious – 0/0/0 33.87 

3rd – Phoebe Jefferies & Zipwire – 0/0/0 34.96 

4th – Brooke Holson & Chestnut Dumas Garnier – 0/0/0 35.58 

5th – Martin Brake & Juduela – 0/0/0 36.15 

6th – Stacey Cook & Gigant – 0/0/0 36.34 

7th – Julia Helm & Helms Rossio – 0/0/0 36.93 

NB: Qualifications will be updated pending official grading of results.   

Image: ESP Photographic