Emma Crawford lands her first National Grand Prix title in an exciting week at the Arena UK ALX Horseboxes Major Showjumping Festival
Monday 23 September 2024
Emma Crawford was crowned new ALX Horseboxes Major Grand Prix champion with two masterful rounds on Dukes of Hazzard at the Arena UK’s popular week-long Major Showjumping Festival in Grantham, Lincs.
“It’s a night I won’t be forgetting in a hurry! It’s our first National Grand Prix win, the biggest win of my career so far and I can’t thank Duke enough. I owe him everything,” said an overwhelmed Emma, who made the journey from Scotland worthwhile.
It was one of the tightest, most thrilling competitions in the years of this feature Grand Prix with the top three separated by only 0.21 seconds. Forty-three competitors came forward in round one with 11 mastering the 1.45m course to reach the edge-of-your-seats, high-octane jump-off.
“I jumped this Grand Prix last year and I thought it was bigger and tougher this year; it walked like a 2*Grand Prix course,” said Emma.
Allana Clutterbuck left no stone unturned with a sizzling round on Vykinbay and Judge Burgess chased hard to finish slightly in arrears on Oilina but they were no match for Emma. She set off at the gallop and cut every turn to the max on the Caretino x Clearway 12-year-old, risking taking out a stride to the final oxer to win by just 0.05 seconds. Despite his vast experience, the legendary John Whitaker could only slot Sharid into an eventual fourth.
“He’s Mr Consistent, always trying his hardest to jump clear rounds but usually finishing second or third, he so deserves this big win,” said Emma on ‘Duke’. “I feel so honoured to have such a talented and trusting horse like Duke – seven years of partnership together, we know each other inside out and we are still conquering new things!”
This show was in preparation for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
“Arena UK is the best place for a warm-up for HOYS, there isn’t anywhere else that has an atmosphere like HOYS, so hopefully we’ve done our homework,” added Emma, who had won the Under 25 qualifier with Duke earlier in the week – “To qualify for the Under 25 Grand Prix, you have to compete in both qualifiers, but I didn’t want him to jump five times, so we didn’t jump in the Under 25 final – it was definitely the right decision.”
Joe Trunkfield landed a victory double in fine style, taking both Star of the Future and Trevor Burrows Memorial 1.30m Grand Prix.
Joe galloped to the top in a very competitive 1.30m Grand Prix to add another title to the collection of long-term campaigner, Greenacres Vanquish. Only seven from the 33 starters qualified for the jump-off but it was red hot, Joe finding the shortest route by a whisker on the 12-year-old Van Gogh daughter to push Charlie Dawson’s Iloma into second by 0.23 seconds.
“I won this final a couple of years ago; it always makes a really good class and is even more special with the Trevor Burrows cup. Seeing Sandy [McLean], Jude [Burgess] and Charlie [Dawson] in the jump-off, it was only ever going to be a quick one but Vanquish is a naturally quick horse and is usually there or thereabouts,” said Joe.
Mark Williams’ eye-catching Kermit Van Overis landed the Star of the Future B and C Grand Prix under Joe’s guidance. Seventeen from a field of 55 accessed the jump-off with Joe and the Kentucky Van Overis x Pablo VD Good One cruising into the top spot to push Emma Sargeant and Joe Malone into second by 0.33 seconds.
“Kermit’s always been special and has won both six and seven-year-old championships previously. It was his first ‘big atmosphere’ show and he coped brilliantly. All credit to the Arena UK team and course-builders, they gave all the finals a prestigious championship feel,” said Joe.
“I watched Emma Sargeant as first to go and I knew we had to be on ‘full gas.’ The jump-off track was very clever with tall fences on tight corners followed by runs to big oxers. I asked every risk, leaving out strides on each roll-back and he showed his class at every fence.”
Rachael Connor was another to conjure up a winning double, taking both the entertaining Listers Mercedes-Benz Ride and Drive and 1.20m Grand Prix with the ultra-consistent Fantastic.
Eleven riders battled against the clock in the 1.20m Grand Prix jump-off, but Rachael claimed the upper hand with her lightning quick, long-term partner Fantastic, the 14-year-old mare flying into the top spot with 0.78 seconds in hand to beat Katie Robinson’s Mervs Thanks A Million into second place.
Rachael proved she herself was fleet of foot in the Ride and Drive. She rode an ultra-quick round before leaping off Fantastic, running and jumping over a small vertical on her own two feet before belting up in the Mercedes-Benz for the scurry section and beat her 19 rivals by 1.22 seconds.
Carmen Edwards made his Dodson & Horrell Puissance debut on Happy Valerie a winning one in a spectacular class. Thirteen competitors faced the big wall on Friday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd and were whittled down to five in round five, with the wall now standing at a daunting 2.10m. Carmen and the year-old Happy Valerie proved the only combination to come home clear to be the outright winner.
“Val and I had a night to remember in our first ever Puissance. No practice, straight in and she won – the only horse to jump 2metres 10cm!” said a delighted Carmen.
Henry Willcox scored a major win in the Devoucoux Under 25 Grand Prix title with new ride of six weeks Elan V. Twenty-five young riders came forward to battle for supremacy with 12 conquering the 1.35m track to make their way into the jump-off. But Henry has quicky established a rapport with the Canturano x Numero Uno 15-year-old Elan – a former ride of Robert Murphy – to secure victory by an impressive 2.56 seconds. Emma Crawford had to settle for second on this occasion with King Louis III.
Lauren Roach doubled up with Foxhunter and Five-year-old Grand Prix titles. Kerry Grimster’s Louisiana-S claimed the Redpost Equestrian Foxhunter Grand Prix in a head-to-head when only two provided initial clear rounds to reach the jump-off. Lauren and the Dutch-bred eight-year-old mare commanded the win with the only double clear, to leave Sandy McLean’s Prestige in second place.
Lauren clinched victory in the Five-year-old Grand Prix aboard Kerry Grimster’s Harlequin VI. Fifteen of the original 54 starters contended the jump-off with Lauren and the Harley VDL x Jumbo Jet mare she has produced for the past 11 months edging ahead by only 0.08 seconds to win over second-placed Tom Harrison’s Tuinman Van De Lentamel.
Jude Burgess lifted the ATG Photography Six-year-old Grand Prix with Starcent. Forty-eight quality six-year-olds tacked a 1.20m track with 17 returning to contend the jump-off, Jude and Rebecca Burgess and Lauren Stone’s Big Star x Toulon mare posting the winning round with more than two seconds to spare.
Molly Hay topped the ATG Photography Seven-year-old title with Quick Ginger Della Caccia (Quick Star x Calido I) in a six-horse decider with a 0.91 second advantage over Charlotte Ash in second aboard Air Sandulay (Air Jordan x Sandro Boy).
Alicia Page’s Captan VH Heereind Z (Casallco x Startrek) impressed judges John Whitaker and Geoff Billington at his first affiliated show and they duly selected the gelding as their Harlows Timber Stables and Shelters Four-year-old Style and Performance champion with one and half points to spare.
Sandy McLean galloped into the top spot of the Newcomers Grand Prix with Matt Pike’s Jip B. Thirteen of the 57 starters contended the jump-off with Sandy – in only his second week of competition with the Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Wolfgang 10-year-old – easing into the win by 0.55 seconds.
Sandy almost made it a double but had to share the Dodson & Horrell Six-Bar honours with Ben Bick. Four of the original 20 competitors made it to the fifth and final round but a final clean sheet could not be found and the winners shared first place on four faults – Sandy riding Matt Pike’s Caldio I x Acord II 10-year-old Calcord with Ben aboard Daisy Townsend’s 10-year-old mare Cersei TW (Vivant Van De Heffinck x Converter).
Alice Ellison commanded the 1.15m Grand Prix, winning by an impressive 4.60 seconds on Audrey Grahame’s nine-year-old Babette De Landry Z (Bamako De Muze x For Fashion) in a seven-horse jump-off.
Amelia Keen emerged triumphant in the 16-horse decider to take the Jade Wilson Ayres 1.10m Grand Prix on the 14-year-old Forked Lightning (Typhoon S x Heartbreaker) to record a 0.68 second victory over Steph Gunn, in second on Leilaroos.
Shanel Alexander outpaced her 70 rivals to take the 1.05m Grand Prix on Billy Botticelli. The clock played a major part as 28 qualified for the jump-off, Shanel flying into the top spot on the nine-year-old Billy Congo x Kroongraaf mare to win by 1.31 seconds.
Skye Blu Valderas Yeow notched up a double. Skye claimed two chances in the 27-strong jump-off to decide the 95cm Grand Prix and touted the fastest round of the class on the 12-year-old High Voltage III (Tjungske x Sam R) to win by 0.30 seconds.
Ezariosa Z partnered Skye to victory in the 1m Grand Prix. Twenty-two of the 51 starters reached the jump-off, Skye and the 15-year-old gelding flying into the top spot with 0.91 seconds to spare.
Crystal Lloyd jumped to the top on Darco Charlie to take the 90cm Grand Prix crown in a 20-strong jump-off, the FSS Correlli Bravo x Ard VDL Douglas 12-year-old scoring a half second win.
Charlotte Wilson got the better of her 49 rivals in the Nupafeed Supplements Discovery Grand Prix on the aptly-named, speedy Foxisle Ferrari. Twenty contended the jump-off with Charlotte and the Foxisle Starz-R-Out seven-year-old mare winning with 1.33 seconds to spare.
Michael Fursedonn swept to victory in the Equissage Pulse British Novice Grand Prix with the seven-year-old Miss Volottie (Lancelot x Coevers Diamond Boy) with almost two seconds to spare in the 15-horse decider.
Image: ATG Photography
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