Paul Barker lifts the 2024 British Masters title at South View Equestrian Centre
Monday 01 July 2024
Paul Barker landed the Windmill Farm Estates British Masters Grand Prix at South View Equestrian Centre with his reigning Winter National 1.35m Champion, Green Grass.
“He’s been very consistent recently but ended up second a few times, it was nice to win one,” said Paul.
Course-designer Gillian Milner set a 12-fence 1.40/1.45m track and asked rider questions with related lines and a fairly restrictive, thought-provoking time allowed which caught out several. But it was ‘job done’ when she reduced the 18 starters by two thirds for six to battle it out in the jump-off.
Times became progressively faster as riders dared on tighter lines with Nigel Coupe’s opener on Air Queen II quickly relegated by Rebecca Marsh aboard Stevie G. But her lead was short-lived. No-one could match Paul Barker’s pace on the 12-year-old stallion Green Grass and he skilfully wiped more than two seconds off the time to claim the handsome £2,500 first prize.
It finally gave Paul and the home-bred Green Grass (Luidam x Grandeur) the win they deserved; in the last month, they finished second in Cheshire Horse Show’s Area Trial, Bramham Horse Trials 1.40m Classic and the Royal Highland Grand Prix and third in the Bramham Grand Prix. They also had to settle for second in the British Masters Grand Prix qualifier.
The versatile stallion has recently mixed stud duties with competition days.
“He covered three mares last week in between Royal Highland and South View and he’ll have a week off now to cover a few more before we go to Great Yorkshire. He’s very laidback about it all, so easy to ride and a nice horse to have around,” said Paul, who has an exciting prospect in the six-year-old daughter of Green Grass, Annie B II – “She already has newcomer double clears for this year and next year, she’s a nice one.”
Graham Babes headed a seven-horse decider to top the first of the British Masters qualifiers with the 10-year-old Monks I Am Casall (I’m Special De Muze x Casall), pushing Paul and Green Grass into second spot by 2.25 seconds.
Nicholas Roberts claimed the second qualifier in a 14-strong 1.40m single-phase on the 15-year-old Darius Des Vignes Du Theil with an almost three second advantage over Keith Shore’s Zero 24.
Fresh from their Bolesworth International Summer Festival seven-year-old win, Emily Ward made short work of the Medium Tour Grand Prix, finding the quickest route on Angela Hunt’s Millfield Lottery to score an impressive win.
“She likes going at pace naturally and the course suited her; she lands and turns. This was a decent jump-off at 1.35/1.40m for a young horse still learning her trade against the clock,” said Emily.
Twenty starters tackled the initial 1.30m course with six finding the key to reach a hard-fought jump-off. Keith Shore opened with a competitive target on Zero 24 but Emily was tighter and quicker, hitting the turbo button on the seven-year-old Millfield Lottery to wipe an impressive 3.63 seconds off his time. Christie Pritchard chased hard on Camillo Von Hary Z, 1.46 sec adrift of Emily’s time to slip into second place, relegating Keith to third.
“The time in the first round was quite tight and I had to do a few sharp turns to get inside [and not incur time faults]. Luckily, they were the same turns in the jump-off and she is a very quick learner. She’s very intelligent and knows where her legs are – for a big horse she’s nimble and agile,” said Emily, who sold the mare two years ago to “great supporter and owner” Angela Hunt, keeping the ride.
The Plot Blue x Quinar mare Lottery was originally purchased as a six-month-old foal from Millfield Stud by Emily and her father Nick – “We’ve always been a fan of Plot Blue and she was a lovely, sporty model that took our eye,” added Emily.
An on-form Emma Sargeant secured victory in the Small Tour Grand Prix with Pat Morris’ Whisper’s Love and came close to making it a top two result.
“She’s a little winner, naturally quick and always pulling you to a fence,” said Emma.
Emma had already tucked a win under her belt on day one, claiming a top two in day one’s qualifier with Ballyheerin Quintana and Whisper’s Love respectively. She was out to repeat the result in the Grand Prix. More than half the original field returned for round two as 15 of 24 competitors promised a hotly contested jump-off, and it turned out to be a battle between the two competitors with double rides.
Graham Babes gave Barbuda OS an easy trip in the opening round with Emma almost immediately wiping 14 seconds from the time on first ride Whisper’s Love. She remained steadfastly at the top, underscoring her position in the penultimate draw to guide the eight-year-old Ballyheerin Quintana into second, 1.61 seconds separating her two rides. But Graham gave Emma a run for the money in the final draw aboard Kalendar Girl, splitting the result and slipping into second spot, 0.35 seconds off the pace.
Emma has produced the eight-year-old mare Whisper’s Love (Whisper In The Wind x Bon Ami) from the beginning, contending the Royal International Winter Novice Final two years ago and notching up countless wins up to 1.30m level along the way.
“I thought Graham might catch me at the end, I took one too many pulls to the double and thought I’d left a little bit, but she’s very careful and so quick away from a fence,” said Emma.
Locally based and South View regular Martha Penney gave an insight to her intentions on day one, winning the Amateur 1.05m qualifier, and duly landed the South View Amateur 1.05m Grand Prix with the speedy Eltaire-B.
Thirteen of the 30 starters gained access to the jump-off with Anya Brown taking two through and setting an early target aboard Morris Oxford. They remained comfortably ahead until tenth drawn Martha jumped an inspired round, smoothly utilising every inside turn option with the tightest lines. Scything between fences to angle the penultimate oxer, Martha seized victory by 2.26 seconds on the Carambole x Ustinov 15-year-old mare she acquired almost two years ago.
Image credit: Phil Hillier / Boots and Hooves Photography
