UNIVEAU TAKES SUFFOLK STAIRWAY BY STORM

Di and Pennie Cornish’s nine year-old bay stallion Univeau, stormed to victory in yesterday’s British Showjumping Business Partnership International Stairway held at the Suffolk County Show in Ipswich.

 

Scorching temperatures ensured a full to capacity crowd packed around the main arena to watch some first class show jumping over Kelvin Bywater’s 1.60m course.

 

Just four combinations managed first round clears to secure their place in the jump off for the £2,500 winners purse, but with the rules of the competition taking five through to the timed jump off, it meant a slot for Tina Fletcher and Hello Sailor who jumped the first round clear, but clocked up just a single time penalty.

 

First to go in the jump off, Tina and Hello Sailor, fresh from their Nations Cup win in Linz just a couple of weeks ago, played safe to ensure jumping another clear round in a slow time of 58.43 seconds.

 

She was followed buy the winner of the Devon County International Stairway, Helen Tredwell and Opportunity B who also managed to leave the fences standing and shave almost six seconds off Tina’s time, crossing the finishing line in a time of 52.68 seconds.

 

Timothy Davies and Valentijn O came next, and they too left all of the poles in the cups for a superb clear round in a time of 56.78 seconds, putting them into second place with just two left to go.

 

Anna Edwards and Unique IX, also a member of the winning British Nations Cup Team in Linz last month, conscious that they needed to make up time took a gallop to the last fence but overshot the turn and finished with four penalties for a refusal at the final oxer.

 

Last into the ring Phillip Miller and Univeau, fresh from their Surrey County Grand Prix victory on Bank Holiday Monday, gave it their all to produce a foot perfect clear and managed to shave six hundredths of a second off Helen’s time to take the victory.

 

 

 

The International Stairway series is aimed at identifying and assessing both potential and existing British Team competitors, taking in eight of the largest County Shows in the country. Funded jointly by the British Showjumping Business Partnership and the County Show venues hosting the classes, the series has a purse of £60,000 prize fund. In addition to the prize fund available there is also the bonus of £45,000 worth of Rider Ranking Points to the eight highest placed competitors on the overall league table that sits behind the series.
 

Shows hosting the International Stairway Series for 2010 are:
 

South of England 10 – 12 June

Royal Highland 24 – 27 June

Royal Norfolk 30 June – 1 July

Great Yorkshire Show 13 – 15 July

New Forest & Hants 27 – 29 July

Pembrokeshire 17 – 19 August

Royal County of Berkshire 18 – 19 September

 

In addition for 2010 a 'Wild Card' to compete in the International classes at the 2010 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) is available via a points league encompassing both the International Stairway and International Trial competitions.