Scott Brash leads the way at Chard Equestrian CSI2* International Show
Monday 24 July 2023
Scott Brash secured two of the top three places in the top-billed 2* Grand Prix at Chard Equestrian Centre in Somerset, winning with a super-fast round on Hello Vittoria.
“It’s my first visit to Chard, it’s a lovely venue and they really try hard to put on a good show; I enjoyed it and I’m delighted with how both horses jumped,” said Scott.
Chard proprietor Jane Gregory was overwhelmed: “A few years ago, I was very excited to have some of the 2012 London Olympic fences at Chard. How humbled I am this year to have Olympian Scott Brash competing.”
A full field of 60 competitors contended the world ranking 1.45m 13-fence track designed by Ben Townley with 18 finding the key to access round two for a competitive, hard-fought jump-off.
Scott set an early lead on the nine-year-old mare Folie De Nantuel (Luidam x Diamant De Semilly) but Irish rival Shane Breen cut the lines tighter on Haya – who was dropping down a level after competing on the 5* Longines Global Champions Tour all year – to snatch a narrow 0.18 second lead.
Scott made his late draw just two from the end on second ride Vittoria count. Revving up the pace before shooting through the starting gates, Scott meant business and maintained his relentless pace, cutting corners to the quick to a midway vertical and the penultimate double before daring to take out a stride to the final vertical. The risks paid off as he was awarded the win by 0.70 seconds.
“It was a top three for Breen Equestrian, both my horses came from there. Vittoria is a very good horse in the making, quick and very easy to work with. Folie is a year younger at eight-years-old and this was her first 2* grand prix, I was delighted,” said Scott, who cannily managed to miss the worst of the weather. “I jumped Thursday and Friday, went home on Saturday and returned on Sunday – it worked out well as I missed the worst of the rain.”
Annabel Shields seized victory in the other world ranking class on offer with her seasoned veteran Wet Wet Wet. A healthy entry of 55 tackled the 12-fence 1.45m speed but the win fell to the on-form and newly crowned Great Yorkshire Show’s Cock o’ The North. Annabel and her ‘favourite’ 20-year-old (Mr Blue x Royal Feu) know each other so well and, at a super-quick but balanced pace, she trusted him to the tall, airy stile and with a final gallop to the last, secured the win by 0.58 seconds.
James Whitaker returned triumphant in the 2* 1.40m speed on Lucy Lutener’s Caloro Ex Z. Thirty-nine participants came forward in miserable, wet weather but it didn’t deter James and he took advantage of every tight turn to win by almost two seconds over Mark Edwards and Ede Peasy.
“It was very, very wet but luckily it slowed Mark Edwards down and that helped me win!” said James.
Mark has enjoyed a phenomenal season so far and was again on form, scoring an incredible nine wins over the four days.
Marlene Edwards’ Flying Tinker II, a Tinkers Tale 12-year-old bred by Mark and his father Martyn, got the ball rolling. Sixty-seven tackled the two-phase track, Mark proving unbeatable by taking the top two places with Flying Tinker and his half-brother Montreuxs Tale, 0.63 seconds separating the two. The 13-year-old Montreuxs Tale came up trumps 24 hours later in the 2* 1.35m speed, beating 34 rivals by 0.64 seconds.
Both Jafabalou and Gaetano Musterd scored three wins each to add to Mark’s ever-growing tally. The Balou Du Rouet x Concorde 10-year-old Jafabalou made short work of a trio of classes, initially claiming the 1* 1.20m accumulator by an amazing 6.47 seconds, topping the 1* 1.30m speed with an impressive five seconds to spare and taking the 1* 1.30m accumulator by four seconds.
Gaetano Musterd only joined Mark in May but they have quickly established a rapport and the Darco x For Pleasure 12-year-old was another triple 1* winner, moving up a level each day. They headed the first day’s 1.10m by 1.63 seconds, a 1.15m with 0.73 seconds in hand and the final 1.20m by beating their 18 rivals by 0.53 seconds.
Mark scored his ninth and final win in the concluding 2* 1.35m with Vicky Gillard’s 10-year-old Edward x Gletscher mare Ede Peasy. A speedy round in the 18-strong two-phase held off the late challenge of Ireland’s Sven Hadley on Fabuleu VD Watertoren by 0.39 seconds.
Winners of the 2* 1.35m with more than three second to spare on day one, Jay Halim and Gentle doubled up in the 18-strong 2* 1.30m accumulator, the Libero H 12-year-old claiming a 0.44 sec victory over Ireland’s Sven Hadley in second on Uidam.
Jay also celebrated the win in the amateur 1.05m accumulator as Emily Hall landed the win with the sole maximum score on Jay’s former ride and a great winner, the 21-year-old VIP.
“This is so lovely, VIP jumped me round my first 1.60m and now he’s won Emily her first international rug,” said Jay.
Consistency was the key in the young horse classes. James Smith scored a hat-trick in the 7-year-old classes on John and Laura Renwick’s home-bred NFS Angelina (Arko III x Couleur Rubin).
James topped day one’s 24-horse 7-year-old 1.30m two-phase with 1.13 seconds to spare, pushing Mark Edwards and Landorado A J into second place. Twenty-four hours later, the pair headed another two-phase to again deny Mark the win, this time by the narrow margin of 0.10 seconds aboard Casque D’Or.
Eleven of the 21 who came forward in the 7-year-old Final accessed the jump-off with James showing them the quickest route. He claimed the win with 0.31 sec over Ireland’s Anthony Condon, in second and third with Ashdale Allstar and SFS Houdini.
Adam Ellery was a force to be reckoned with in the 6-year-old classes aboard Marino, the consistent Il Est Balou x Dynamo gelding claiming a trio of wins, including the Final. The pair skipped ahead in Friday’s 6-year-old 1.20m two-phase with 1.13 seconds in hand and followed suit on Saturday to top the 1.20m speed by two seconds.
Marino delivered in the 14-horse jump-off of the 6-year-old Final for Adam, but it was tight. James Smith had given them a run for their money to take second with NFS Corluga only 0.04 seconds in arrears.
Adam also picked up a win in the penultimate day’s 2* 1.35m as the small but mighty F Kwanah IS stepped up to the plate. The 25 starters were reduced to 11 for the jump-off but they were no match for Adam on the 13-year-old Zavall VDL x Quite Easy 958 mare as they secured a 0.47 second win over Mark and Montreuxs Tale.
Alex Bishop netted the five-year-old final in a 17-strong decider on Nadal Van’t Asbroek, the Ibolensky x Calvaro FC gelding claiming a 0.73 second advantage.
Image: ESP Photographic
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