Alex Bishop and Beyonce shine in the 1.25m Open
Friday 21 June 2024
.jpg "Alex Bishop and Beyonce shine in the 1.25m Open")
Local professional Alex Bishop took an early victory in the main arena at the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting, taking the 1.25m Open Championship with smart grey Beyonce LVP Z.
Alex, who teamed up with the 14-year-old mare at the end of last year, actually never intended to chase competitive success with Beyonce.
“We got her through a friend and bought her to be a broodmare,” he explained. “But when we got her into work, she just loved it. She’s already producing quite nice horses, so we’ve got a future plan for her, too.”
The mare looked very smart in the ring, but it took a little bit of effort to get her looking that way. “She wakes up every morning as a skewbald – we have to buy the purple shampoo at B&M, or it gets too expensive!”
Beyonce was the second of Alex’s rides in this two-phase class – he also rode the 12-year-old stallion RS Chacco Bay, who finished eighth after tipping two rails.
“That meant that I knew what not to do,” said Alex. “But I did sort of have an idea of the course, even though he rides very differently to her – they’re polar opposites, really.”
“The course gave you a few options where you could go one less stride to fences in the jump-off. Beyonce doesn’t have the biggest strides, so if I’m going to do that, I have to really commit early. I did see some Superman legs at one point, but it all adds to the character of the round, I think!”
The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting runs from 20-23 June at Hickstead in West Sussex. Tickets are available at the gate or can be booked online at www.hickstead.co.uk. All the action from the International Arena will be livestreamed on ClipMyHorse.TV and Hickstead.TV.
Image credit: Boots and Hooves Photography
 c. KT Equine Photography.jpg "Victory for Emily Ward and Wild Star HF in the Winter Grand Prix at Kelsall Hill Winter Classic")
