Guy Williams lands the eVet Puissance with the legendary big wall specialist Mr Blue Sky UK
Saturday 17 June 2023
Guy Williams and Puissance specialist extraordinaire Mr Blue Sky UK claimed an outright win in the eVet Puissance as the sole pair to clear 2.15m (7ft 1in) in front of a cheering Bolesworth International crowd.
It went all the way to round five as the nine starters were whittled down to just two for round four – the big red wall standing at 2.10m (6ft 11in). And much to the crowds whooping delight, both contenders cleared the wall. They could have opted to share at this point, but the sporting gents entertained the appreciative spectators and put their hat in the ring to go again.
The wall went up another 5cm to 2.15m – or 7ft 1in in old money – with Wicklow, Ireland’s Brendan Murphy, 23, up first on the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse Erne Riverrun. They’d cleared the wall in round four with a flourish, but this time two coping bricks came tumbling down. It was all down to Guy and Caroline Phillips’ Puissance legend Mr Blue Sky.
Guy, who only returned to competition a week earlier after a two-week break with injury, admitted he had a bad back, but dismissed any twinges to come down to the wall. Mr Blue Sky was eager and, with a flick of his heels, made short work of the towering height to jump clear and claim the lion’s share of the prize.
“He’s very, very good at this, but I need to bring him down to the wall slowly in the first couple of rounds as he gets stronger and stronger, especially as I’ve got a bad back,” said Guy.
The win was made all the sweeter as Show Director Nina Barbour, concerned about Guy’s bad back and offered to put him in contact with a professional sports masseuse, also generously added an extra £1,200 to the prize fund.
Guy, who had mentioned he’d jump in round five – “to get a bit of extra money,” was delighted.
“We could have shared but decided to jump again and we really appreciate Nina’s generosity,” he added.
Image: Equestrian at Bolesworth
