Welsh Master Round Up 2022
Tuesday 19 April 2022
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Upholding the Welsh honour, Mark Edwards repeated his amazing feat of 2021 to retain both Welsh Masters titles in the feature Equestrian Surfaces Grand Prix for the Liz Edgar Memorial Trophy and Fletcher Sporthorses Gents title at a popular Welsh Masters at the David Broome Event Centre, Chepstow. And he did it in style with two horses he bred himself.
“To do it once is amazing, I never thought I’d get to repeat it a year later,” said Mark.
Fifty-three faced a thirteen-fence 1.40m track designed by Raf Suarez in the vast Superflex Arena and fifteen of them answered every question to battle it out in the jump-off. Tim Davies claimed two of the rides, but the on-form Mark had three. One error was made on first ride Ede Peasy, a nine-year-old just stepping up to this level, for four faults but there was no mistake with second ride Montreuxs Tale. Taking the tightest of lines across fences to brilliantly execute inside turns, Mark kept up the momentum on the Tinkers Tale x Corleone 12-year-old to clear the final vertical with a flourish and land a well-deserved victory.
“He’s so reliable and loves the big ring here. When I walked the course, I didn’t think there would be 15 clears, it just shows the quality of the horses but the ‘figure of eight’ jump-off suited us,” said Mark, who won with 0.52 sec to spare.
Kerry Brennan chased hard on the ever-eager, forever young 19-year-old Wellington M in the latter stages to slot into second and Adrian Whiteway’s early effort with Floris finished third.
Mark retained his Gents title with a devastatingly quick round on the aptly-named Flying Tinker II. Eight of the thirty starters over the 1.30m track returned for the jump-off with Carmen Edwards (no relation) and Adam Botham both touting two rides apiece. But they were no match for Mark and Marlene Edwards’ Tinkers Tale 11-year-old as the pair executed tight inside turns to the second vertical and the double and sealed the win by 1.17 seconds with a risky gallop to the final oxer.
“It was Marlene’s birthday so it was a double celebration. He is so careful, a smashing little horse and a winner,” said Mark, who will return at the end of the month for the Chepstow International here. “I’ll jump a couple of International shows in this country and then start on the county circuit and hope for a good year.”
Gemma Ellison left he best until the last as she maximised on her final draw to lift the Fletcher Sporthorses Ladies title on Fernhill Off Chance.
Forty-two ladies came forward over the same twelve-fence track as the Gents with eight posting clears, Helen Rees – who claimed the top two places in the first qualifier – a formidable opponent with both Bart VI and Bianca Du Rouet through to the jump-off. Helen looked to have it in the bag with a quick clear on Bart but victory was not to be as fellow Welsh lady Gemma risked tighter lines to win by 1.05 sec on the Sligo Candy Boy x White Clover 10-year-old she bought in Ireland four years ago.
Nicole Lockhead Anderson was on top form to take a victory double. Nicole was lightning-fast in a hot, strongly competitive twelve-horse decider to decide the Welsh Masters 7 and 8-year-old Championship with Emerald Irish Cruise.
Nine 7-year-olds were pitted against three 8-year-olds in this handicap class and the younger, less experienced horses had the edge taking the top two places. No-one was quicker than Nicole who picked up her second championship of the day with a 0.60 second advantage on the Ringfort Cruise x Mount Diamond Flag mare to push early leader Chris Smith and BE Golden into second.
Nicole lifted the first Welsh Masters 2022 title on offer with Tom Williams’ 9-year-old Nero Van De Kwade Heyde in the NAF 1.20m Championship. Fourteen of the initial forty-one entries accessed the jump-off with Nicole finding the shortest route on the handsome Echo Van T Spieveld x Lux Z stallion to win by 0.48 seconds.
Laura Mantel secured the Hazelden Saddlery 6-year-old Final with Conquistador II DRH Z following a battle for supremacy with Lottie Tutt.
Twenty-one of the forty-eight starters tackled the jump-off with Laura holding off strong challenges to take the title by 0.25 seconds on the Cancara Z x Quidam De Revel gelding owned jointly with John and Laura Renwick. Lottie had to settle for second and third with Billy Be Boss and Blue Twist and Laura brought second ride Dame Diamant Z into fourth.
Laura has ridden Conquistador from the start of his career in September 2020 and the pair were on a roll having won the Vilamoura 6-year-old Grand Prix last month.
Izak Ketteridge and Rosita VD Bisschop were crowned new Welsh Masters 5-year-old Champions with a devastatingly quick round in the final decider.
Nineteen of the original forty-two starters jumped initial clears in this three-round class and thirteen reached the final jump-off but Izak was quick off the mark in third draw, trusting the carefulness and pace of Rosita to win with 2.89 seconds. The trust was not misplaced, the Di Cantero Van Ter Hurst Z x Vagabond De La Pomme mare has jumped an impressive number of double clears in Newcomers and Foxhunter since Izak took over the ride in early February.
Georgia Taylor-Jones ensured the final Welsh Masters title went to a Welsh lass with victory in the Showground Photography 1.25m Championship on KQueen Dina VD. Twelve of the thirty-five entries returned for the jump-off with Georgia and the Arezzo VDL x Sydney 7-year-old mare easing into the top spot by 0.35 seconds.
Jasmine Punter galloped to the top to take the Bailey Farm Equestrian 1.15m final with Corona VDB Z. Seventeen of the forty entries made their way into the jump-off but Jasmine outpaced them all on the Crown Z x Corland 11-year-old to win with 1.27 seconds in hand.
Elisha Simmons cut every conceivable corner at the gallop to take the Keith Price Garages 1.10m Final with Avalon Du Carpont. Twelve of the forty starters tackled the jump-off with Elisha emerging triumphant on the Jivaro Du Rouet x Frisson De Balme 12-year-old gelding with 1.27 seconds to spare.
Gabriel Ball outpaced his twenty-three jump-off rivals with daring to take the Deebees Rosettes 1.05m Championship on the British-bred 13-year-old Mourinho (Fahad x Lauriston) by 1.05 seconds.
