Alex Gill & Billy Olive Take Top Spot in Speedi-Beet HOYS Grade C Qualifier at South of England Show
Friday 12 June 2015
Competitors and spectators were swathed in sunshine yesterday at the South of England Show in Ardingly, West Sussex and the sun most certainly shone down upon Alex Gill and Billy Olive, the winners of the Speedi-Beet HOYS Grade C Qualifier.
With three direct qualifying tickets available for the Speedi-Beet HOYS Grade C Championship Final, which will take place during Horse of the Year Show this October, yesterday’s class was well fought out by the fifty-nine combinations that came forward to contest it.
Following a stiff first round of competition, twenty-three combinations remained in contention after producing a first round clear to give them a place in the jump off. Each and every one of the remaining competitors was aiming to produce a double clear to put them in a strong position and eight eventually went on to achieve this, meaning that the clock was to prove pivotal in the allocation of qualification places.
The fastest double clear was delivered by 17 year-old Alex Gill from Northallerton, North Yorkshire and he was on board Billy Olive, an 8 year-old bay mare owned by Billy Stud. Alex and Billy Olive were given a late draw in this class and in the jump off, this proved to be advantageous as Alex knew exactly what he needed to do in order to secure a win. The combination needed a double clear and it was vital that they did it in less than 40.00 seconds. Ensuring that he rode both accurately and quickly, Alex steered his ride over the fences to cross the finish line with that double clear in just 39.84 seconds, just 0.14 seconds faster than his nearest rival.
Damien Charles from Westerham, Kent took a close second place with Sarah Rutherford’s 9 year-old bay mare Batavia T after they produced their double clear in 39.98 seconds. The combination had held the lead for the majority of the class before being pipped in the final stages, but their performance ensured that the pair would be heading to the Championship Final.
Third place was taken by John-Paul Sheffield from Billesdon, Leicestershire on Carolus K, an 8 year-old black gelding owned by Jane Heerbeck. They produced their double clear in 41.59 seconds to slot into the top three.
South of England Show – Thursday 11th June 2015
Speedi-Beet HOYS Grade C Qualifier
1st Alex Gill & Billy Olive – 0/0 – 39.84 seconds
2nd Damien Charles & Batavia T – 0/0 – 39.98 seconds
3rd John-Paul Sheffield & Carolus K – 0/0 – 41.59 seconds
NB: Qualifications will be updated pending official grading of results.
Horse of the Year Show 2015 will take place from the 7th – 11th October 2015 at Birmingham’s Genting Arena.
Image Credit: Spidge Event Photography.
Speedi-Beet from British Horse Feeds:
British Horse Feeds, makers of Speedi-Beet, is the equine feed division of I’Anson Bros Limited and is based in Masham, North Yorkshire. British Horse Feeds is best known for its flagship product ‘Speedi-Beet’ which, thanks to the unique patented process has revolutionized the feeding of beet pulp. Speedi-Beet has improved nutrient availability and soaks in just 10 minutes, compared to 24 hours for sugar beet pellets. It’s a great way to add quality fibre to your horse’s diet for slow release energy. Fibre-Beet, a formulated blend containing Speedi-Beet and alfalfa has the benefits of Speedi-Beet with extra conditioning. Both Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet are approved by the Laminitis Trust.
For more information contact British Horse Feeds on 01765 680300 or visit our website on www.britishhorsefeeds.com.
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