Jennifer Billington lands the Winter Grand Prix at Kelsall Hill’s Cheval Liberte Winter Grand Prix with a final round flyer on Flipper Darco UK Z
Tuesday 14 January 2025
Jennifer Billington hit 2025 running with a superb victory double on Flipper Darco UK Z at Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre’s Cheval Liberte Winter Classic, including the £3,000 to the winner Winter Grand Prix.
“He’s so talented, very careful but brave with it, he ticks all the boxes for me,” said Jennifer.
As a precursor to the feature Grand Prix, Jennifer and Flipper Darco topped the 1.40m two days earlier, beating 21 jump-off rivals and pushing Emma Crawford’s Dukes of Hazzard into second place by 0.22 seconds.
A field of 42 started in the Winter Grand Prix, including five-time Olympian Michael Whitaker and his son Jack, and faced a tough 13-fence, 16 effort 1.40m track designed by Raf Suarez. Questions included related and dog-leg lines, tall verticals, a triple bar and Liverpool, with scope, obedience and rideability also tested, Raf achieving his predicted seven clears for the jump-off with Anthony Condon claiming two.
“It wasn’t a massive track but very technical, the fences came very quick, there was no time for a breather and the combination was tight off the corner, you had to make decisions quickly,” said Jennifer.
Rollback turns coupled with long runs in the jump-off gave riders plenty of options, but in the event, only two riders posted double clears, the clock luring early riders into mistakes.
Youngest rider of the class Ted Bastian-Mason, 14, rode a quietly confident round to join the jump-off and made just one error second time out on early drawn Forest Ranger OL to hold a brief lead on four faults. They were immediately relegated by Ryan Page with BP Ko Jax, also on four faults, who slipped into the lead by some five seconds and held the lead as challenges fell by the wayside.
It hadn’t gone to plan for Cheshire-based Anthony Condon on first drawn LMD Marko, but he made no errors on the handsome 11-year-old stallion Oviedo S (Udarco Van Overis x Cash) to provide the first clear from the penultimate draw, setting a target that slightly left the door ajar – but you had to leave all the fences intact. Only last to go Jennifer Billington stood between him and the handsome winning purse of £3,000.
Jennifer wasn’t going to give up without a fight and set sail to the first fence on the 14-year-old Flipper Darco, utilising his massive stride to take out a stride down the first distance then slice across the Liverpool oxer. Chancing a forward pace to the fragile ‘Bicycle’ vertical and the following double, Jennifer maintained her relentless onslaught down the final line to wipe 1.34 seconds off the time and claim victory.
“If Anthony had hit a fence, it would have been different, but I knew he wasn’t slow and I had to take the gamble, and it came off. I’ve had [Flipper Darco] for five years now and we have a great partnership and I know him so well, he runs off my trust and he’s always preferred to go on a forward stride,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer took over the reins on the Flipper D’Elle x Darco gelding from Holly Smith in October 2020 and has built a successful rapport up to two-star level and was selected for the European Young Riders team last year – a feat she wishes to repeat in 2025.
“The Young Rider European courses were so strong last year, and I’d love the chance to go back in my final young rider year,” she added.
Long-time leader James Wilson secured the Winter 1.35m with Radjamerci Van De Vlasbloemhoeve. It turned out to be the perfect warm-up for the following day’s UNIBED – High Performance Equine Bedding Winter B and C as the pair recorded their second victory of the show to claim Hickstead finalist qualification.
In the Winter 1.35m, eight of the original 30 competitors posted clean rounds over the 12-fence 1.35m track to join the jump-off, but James set a good target on the eight-year-old Dieu Merci Van T&L x Wandor Van De Mispelaere mare and could not be caught. Emily Ward chased hard in the final draw with the home-bred Wild Star HF but had to settle for second place 0.57 seconds in arrears. Jordan Thompson provided the only other double clear for third on Imperium RJ.
Locally based Keith Shore filled the top two places in the Blue Chip Dynamic B and C qualifier as the top three places were filled by the less experienced grade C horses. Fifty competitors tackled the 12-fence 1.25/1.30m handicapped single-phase track with Keith dominating the class. He eased early ride Congo Khalasar SFS into the top spot, beating his own time on the Singular LS La Silla x L’Arc De Triomphe eight-year-old GCS Gold Rush by only 0.03 seconds. It was tight at the top as Flo Norris was only a further 0.09 seconds in arrears for third aboard Mila Blue.
Flo and the German-bred Mila Blue went two better in the Winter Seven-year-old, landing a decisive win to relegate Will Edwards. Thirteen from a start list of 27 faced an 11-fence 1.20m to contend the jump-off, Flo using her late draw two from the end on the Million Dollar x Chacco Blue mare to smash the competition by more than two seconds. Will had to settle for second and third on Malou L Z and No Strings Attached.
Will jumped to the top of the Blue Chip Calming Performance qualifier with No Strings Attached II. The 11-fence 1.20m track reduced the 37 starters 14 for the jump-off, Will and the Halifax Van Het Kluizebos x Vigaro stallion edging ahead by 0.34 seconds. Geoff Billington steered Casallco’s Dream into second with Jonathan Dixon’s D’Avicii JL Z filling third place.
Jack Whitaker proved the fastest in the Winter Grade C with Chique RV Z. Fourteen of the 40 starters jumped clear over the 12-fence 1.30m course to qualify for the jump-off, but Jack made short work of the raised and shortened course. He guided the eight-year-old Cicero Z x Emilion mare on deceptively quick tight lines to win with 1.41 seconds to spare. Lee Williams eased Handiarys De Titoy into second ahead of Emma Sargeant, in third on Lakkato II.
Chris Smith featured strongly in the Winter Six-year-old, claiming two of the top three places. Fourteen of the original 24 starters posted clears over the 11-fence 1,10m course to return for the jump-off, an on-form Chris on three of the rides. He guided ONS Geert (It’s Possible SRK x Arezzo VDL) into the top spot with 0.58 seconds in hand and slotted his father-in-law Jim Barry’s home-bred Sovereign Corlandria (Cornet Obolensky x Indoctro) into third, sandwiching Jack Martin’s Hilton S into second.
Long-time leader Emma Sargeant secured victory in the Winter 1.25m single-phase with Mark Holland and Gemma Sargeant’s 12-year-old mare Maxima Z (Mylord Carthago x Air Jordan Z), holding off the challenges from 49 rivals to win by 0.26 seconds. Derek Morton had to settle for second spot on Darco V&V with Harry Mutch in third riding Shanbeg Cooley.
Image: KT Equine Photography
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