A last-minute decision pays off for Annabel Shields in the Mechelen 2* Grand Prix
Thursday 02 January 2025
Annabel Shields left the best until last at the Christmas Show in Mechelen, Belgium, as she stormed to victory in the concluding 2* Grand Prix on Creevagh Carisma.
Annabel only got notification of entry to this Yuletide show on 23 December when her partner Sven Hadley delivered the news.
“I spent Christmas Day bathing and clipping and driving through the night to make the trot-up on Boxing Day,” she said. “I felt like a zombie on Boxing Day, but it was worth it!
Showing her early form, Annabel guided Creevagh Carisma into third in the 52-entry 2* 1.40m speed, three seconds off the pace. But their best performance came in the Grand Prix.
Forty-nine riders faced a 13-fence, 16-effort 1.45m course of dog-leg lines and committed distances, and only eight found the key to come home clear and qualify for the jump-off – and it was hotly competitive.
Annabel is known for her daring prowess against the clock and this class was no exception as the 14-year-old Camiro De Haar Z daughter Creevagh Carisma matched her fervour. Slicing corners and taking the final fence at a blistering pace, Annabel left no-one in doubt of her intentions and swept into the lead.
“I was drawn early with fast ones behind me, I had to set a fast time, but I can always trust her to be quick and careful and we were quick to the last,” said Annabel, who has ridden this grey mare for more than six years – “We know each other inside out and she loves to win. As it was run alongside the five-star classes and the FEI World Cup ran on the same day as our win, the show was unlike any other two-star with loud music and cheering crowds – the atmosphere was fantastic, and she [Carisma] loves an atmosphere.”
Once she’d completed her round, Annabel quietly warmed Creevagh Carisma down – “Once I’ve jumped, I don’t watch the others go, instead we watched the tiny jockeys from the Shetland Grand National warm up in the second collecting ring.”
Following riders chased hard but no-one could match the time, although The Netherlands’ Tani Joosten came very close on Galdal Me, breaking the finish beam only 0.03 seconds in arrears to take second place. A delighted Annabel stood top of the podium, winner of an e-bike worth 3,000euro plus more than 6,300euro in prize money.
Sandy Mclean notched up a victory double and was narrowly denied a hat-trick with Matt Pike’s SES Jumeirah.
Sandy got the ball rolling with a win in the Greenland Selection 2* 1.35m two-phase, outpacing his 37 rivals on the seven-year-old Jumeirah (Diamant De Semilly x Douglas) by 1.53 seconds.
The pair maintained their winning form 24 hours later, topping the 26-strong 2* 1.35m speed with almost two seconds in hand. Out to make it three out of three in the 30-horse 2* 1.35m two-phase on the final day, Sandy and the consistent Jumeirah had to settle for second place, 0.67 seconds behind the pace.
“It’s been an incredible year and none of it would have been possible without the amazing SES team behind me,” said Sandy, who notched up an impressive 67 international wins.
Katie Bradburne eased Westpoint Foreign Affair into third spot in the initial leg of three of the Cavalor FEI Jumping Ponies Trophy in a Table C speed class (seconds added for a knockdown). Twenty riders tackled a 12-fence 1.30m track with Katie and the eight-year-old Fruselli daughter finishing 0.86 seconds behind the winner, The Netherlands’ Bethany Vos on Still Got Me, a Coral Reef Follow Me II 13-year-old bred in Scotland and initially produced by Chloe Templeton, competing in three HOYS finals in 2018. Katie finished fifth in The FEI Jumping Ponies 1.35m Grand Prix Final.
Lily Attwood picks up world ranking points in the United Arab Emirates
Lily Attwood, who is currently midway through a three-month stay competing in the Unite Arab Emirates, was in the money at the 3* Fujairah.
Lily slotted Calvaro’s Up To Date into second in the 3* 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier. Twenty-eight competitors came forward over the 1.45m speed track, the Calvaro FX 14-year-old mare 0.42 seconds off the winning time.
The pair were in the frame for the Al Fujairah 3* Grand Prix and were one of five of the original 22 contenders to post an initial clear over the 1.50m course to qualify for the jump-off. Lily steered the mare into another clean round but finished just off the podium in fourth, 2.09 seconds off the winning time.
Image credit: Peter Nixon
