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‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

Pippa Roome Pippa Roome

    • Bubby Upton has retained her dressage lead in the CCI4*-L after the Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country action today (13 June).

    Defending champions Bubby and Its Cooley Time – owned by his rider, Susan de Zulueta, Hilary Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, Jane Dear and Susie Holland-Bosworth – had 3.6 time-faults. But Bubby punched the air as she crossed the finishing line, consolidating her comeback to form with this grey after three falls in the past year.

    Bubby Upton had to contend with her martingale breaking at fence three on the Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course, not ideal as “Finn” naturally has a very high head carriage. On a galloping stretch between fences she managed to lean down and grab the loose part and tie it around her breastplate so at least it wasn’t flapping between the horse’s legs.

    “He’s not the easiest horse to ride cross-country on a normal day and the martingale is a pretty key piece of equipment for him, just keeping his head a bit lower, otherwise it is quite literally in my face, and he’s not really looking at what’s going on in front of him,” said Bubby.

    “The track alone was challenging enough, without that extra curve ball thrown in. I didn’t realise for a bit what had happened but his head position was constantly changing – it was like having a completely different horse under me.

    “I had to take extra time at everything, but even if I wasn’t able to put him on perfect lines, his talent saw us through. I can’t fault him in terms of his talent, his mentality. He just never gives up – he’s such a fighter.”

    Bubby sits just 0.1 of a penalty ahead of Selina Milnes and the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat, whose clear inside the time today moved them up from fifth after dressage to second overnight.

    “I didn’t know how fit he was as I haven’t had a run since the start of May, but the girls at home have done an amazing job,” said Selina, who is coming back from breaking her ribs just before the start of the season and then triggering them again a second time the Monday after Mars Badminton Horse Trials.

    “He’s been here twice before so we know he does cope with the hills and he was gunning the whole way round. He didn’t miss a beat,” she added.

    A fault-free round also meant a rise of three places for the 2024 Badminton winners, Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier.

    “She is opinionated, but she has dropped the bridle a bit this year, which makes it easier for me,” said Caroline.

    Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir recorded 5.6 time-faults, which dropped them from second after dressage to fourth, while 3.2 time-penalties meant Wiltshire-based US combination Tiana Coudray and D’Artagnan slipped just one spot to fifth.

    Katie Magee was the first of four to make the time today, on British intermediate champion Cushlas Indigo, and was rewarded with a rise from equal 13th to sixth.

    New-look Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course

    It was a pity that those watching on screens were unable to get a full view of how course-designer Andrew Heffernan’s reworked cross-country track rode, because the coverage of this class was sparse, with a very limited number of fences shown due to technical issues.

    However, from what could be gleaned, the course appeared to work out well in general, with a good spread of problems and positive reactions from riders.

    “It was a bit different to ride compared to the last 30 years that I’ve been coming here, but I think Andy builds amazing tracks – the fences had beautiful profiles and the horses can read the questions,” said Caroline Powell.

    The Defender combination at fences 5ab and six, a narrow brush oxer followed by a right-hand turn to two angled brush shoulders, was the first influential fence. The fact horses ran into the intense section of the course in the park bowl, where most of the crowds gather, early on the new route was perhaps a factor here.

    This early problem was soon followed by the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond (fence 7abc and 8ab), which consisted of a log bounce in, then a skinny box hedge in the water and a step to bird bounce out.

    MCS Maverick, third after dressage with Piggy March, ran too free here and ended up on an awkward stride at the step, stumbling up it and stopping at the bird.

    The usually strong cross-country combination of Isabelle Cook and Cymoon “F” Z also came unstuck here when they were a long way off the skinny in the water and the horse floundered on landing, resulting in a fall for the promising young rider.

    Fence 16ab, the Coopers Marquees Corners – two open right-handed corners around a blind left-hand bend – also caused their fair share of penalties. Gemma Stevens and Chilli King, who had been 10th after dressage, were among those who faulted here.

    The second element of the straight route through the water at fence 18abc, the triple brush arrowhead, was taken out of the course two-thirds of the way through the competition for safety reasons, because the ground on take-off was degrading. Those who had jumped the fence before it was removed from the course all had their time reduced by two seconds (so 0.8 of a time-penalty was taken off their initial score).

    Ibble Watson and Aristoteles S J, eighth following the first phase, had three run-outs at this fence before it was taken out and Daisy Berkeley retired in this area after 20 penalties at the second pond, at 19ab, with Diese Du Figuier, who had been seventh after dressage.

    Four combinations came home inside the 10min 2sec optimum time – Katie Magee (Cushlas Indigo, sixth), Selina Milnes (Cooley Snapchat, second), Caroline Powell (Greenacres Special Cavalier, fourth) and Aoife Clark (Full Monty De Lacense, ninth).

    “I’m satisfied, but not over the moon,” summed up course-designer Andrew Heffernan.

    Andrew said he thought the new route basically worked and explained he wanted to eliminate the downhill start, which has contributed to some early falls here, and take out the pull to the finish so the track was less punishing on the run home.

    “The idea of this event is to get horses ready for five-star and the good rounds were very good. I will tweak it for next year – I thought it could be more flowing.”

    Andy said it was a positive that fewer horses made the time this year than last – “it made it more of a competition” – but that while the track had been on the soft side last year, this year it was a little too strong.

    Fifty went to post in the CCI4*-L today, with 34 (68%) finishing and 25 (50%) jumping clears.

    Sadly, Charlie Foxtrot, owned by Michael and Sophie Payne and ridden by David Doel, suffered a “fatal cardiovascular catastrophe” around fence 22.

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    Pippa Roome
    Pippa Roome

    H&H magazine editor and eventing editor
    Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
    Pippa Roome

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