South of England International Stairway Brings a New Contender Into the Mix!
Friday 12 June 2015
The third leg of the International Stairway saw a large field come forward to contest the superb course designed by London 2012 course designer Bob Ellis. David McPherson and his own Gloria Van Zuuthoeve took the honours and made a welcome introduction onto the League Table which will see Horse of the Year Show wildcards being allocated from it.
The slightly sloping ground in addition to the 1.50m course which included some of the Olympic fences certainly took some prisoners in the first round, with many faulting in the final line which finished directly in front of the members pavilion heading towards the collecting ring.
In a class where the top six, or all clears, come forward to the second round, the class couldn’t have played out any more perfectly as it was exactly six combinations that managed to leave all the fences standing within the time allowed of 75 seconds.
The jump-off course saw a couple of new fences introduced with the revised course asking competitors to turn back on themselves towards home for the penultimate fence, encouraging them to turn up the speed and jump the final fence just past the entrance gate from which they had entered. This most certainly made for an exciting jump off, especially with riders jumping in reverse order based on their first round time as it was clearly evident that the class could be taken by each and any of the six that had made it through.
First to go was Tim Davies with Barrett Watson’s 13 year-old bay gelding Valentijn O and they laid down the gauntlet putting in a clear on a forward going pace to stop the clock on zero penalties in 59.11 seconds. This must, without doubt, have added some pressure on the five riders to follow as they now knew that a fast clear was the only option if they were to topple him from pole position. For Phillip Miller and Shirley Light’s 8 year-old bay mare Unbelievable Lady, it just wasn’t their day when they picked up 10 penalties having had a couple down and finishing just outside the time.
For Nigel Coupe, this round was an important one, as not only was the title of the class at stake but also crucial league points which would mean he could extend his lead even further than the 9 points he was currently ahead by as a result of his 2nd place finish at the opening leg in Devon and his 1st place result a few weeks ago at Suffolk. Deciding to go for a clear rather than taking too many risks, his strategy paid off when he delivered yet another brilliant clear in 61.78 seconds. With a couple of seconds being left open, the rest of the field were most certainly not going to be put off trying to beat or get close to Tim’s time.
Phillip’s second ride was on his long term partner Caritiar Z, the 15 year-old grey gelding owned by Nigel Eccles, Diana Cornish and Pennie Cornish, with whom he won the series in 2011 and 2012. A fence down mid-way on the field seemed to unsettle them, seeing them finish on a total of 16 penalties and 10 time.
Carron Nicol on the eye-catching and charismatic Mr Visto, the 10 year-old bay stallion owned by both herself and her sister Sandra, really came into their own this afternoon, in this their second season in respect of the Stairway. Covering the ground without looking like he was even picking up pace he attacked the course with gusto and stopped the clock with all fences standing in a time of 60.03 seconds and in doing so managed to nudge Nigel down a place.
Last to go was David McPherson on his own 9 year-old bay mare Gloria Van Zuuthoeve. They entered the arena looking incredibly laid back and relaxed, a way of going which obviously suits this talented mare, as she approached each fence just jumping out of pace, covering the ground and giving each fence plenty of room before opening up to the last managing to shave almost two seconds from the time that Tim had laid down at the outset.
It was certainly an incredible class to watch with all spectators cheering David on in his final lap of honour. The series now moves the other end of the country, where the fourth leg will take place at The Royal Highland Show which runs between the 18 -21st June.
South of England Show International Stairway Results:
1. David McPherson & Gloria Van Zuuthoeve (0/0 - 57.52 seconds)
2. Tim Davies & Valentijn O (0/0 - 59.11 seconds)
3. Carron Nicol & Mr Visto (0/0 - 60.03 seconds)
4. Nigel Coupe & Golvers Hill (0/0 - 61.78 seconds)
5. Phillip Miller & Unbelievable Lady (0/10 - 69.43 seconds)
6. Phillip Miller & Caritiar Z (0/25 - 76.24 seconds)
7. Tim Davies & Braveheart V (1/-)
8. Ben Walker & Text Back (4/-)
For current standings and more information on the International Stairway League Table please click here.
Image Credit: Spidge Event Photography.
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