Bubby Upton topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results in the CCI4*-L class this afternoon (14 June), making an emotional return to form with Its Cooley Time after a series of falls since the pair won this class last year.
“I won this last year and subconsciously thought the world was my oyster, but I really believe and hope that now it is,” said Bubby.
She continued, tearfully: “I’ve never lost faith or belief in him, it was just a question of tweaking a few tiny little things and not losing faith in the fact that so much of it was so good.
“When a few times on the bounce, it goes wrong, it’s quite easy to lose faith in the whole system. Thank God I’m surrounded by such amazing people. We just made a few small tweaks here and there and I really feel like this past year has been the making of us.”
Bubby and the 11-year-old grey, owned by his rider, Susan de Zulueta, Hilary Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, Jane Dear and Susie Holland-Bosworth, had just 0.9 of a penalty in hand when they went in to showjump today but put in a very assured clear in the time.
“Like I’ve said before, what a freak. He jumps like a jumper, goes across country like a point-to- pointer and flicks his toes like a dressage horse. You can’t really ask for more.
“As I’ve also said before, the line is thin with him [because he is such sensitive horse so things can easily go wrong], but I genuinely wouldn’t want to be sat on another horse coming to the last day – maybe apart from Cannavaro,” said Bubby, referring to her 2021 under-25 national champion.
“The pair of them are just extraordinary and they make my job so easy, so it’s a pure joy and privilege to go in with that pressure on a horse like him.”
Bramham Horse Trials results: clears on the podium
Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat at Bramham 2026. Credit: Peter Nixon
Selina Milnes also showjumped clear to keep second, with just 0.8 of a time-penalty, on the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat.
“He is a really good jumper — he’s only ever had one rail at a long format, at Pau last year – so I was quite confident going in,” she said.
The more dramatic part of the day for Selina was the final horse inspection. She and her team trotted the horse up last night and he was fine, but this morning after she had ridden him – and with her farrier brother Greig and vet husband Scott having left – he suddenly went lame.
“I think he literally just stood on a stone and there were no farriers here, but we grabbed Rich Taylor, who’s from our area, from the coffee queue to help us get the shoe off. He had some bruising on the inside of his heel and they padded it all out and he’s good now,” she said.
The horse had the shoe off and back on within an hour before the trot-up and was sent to the holding box, but passed on re-inspection.
Tiana Coudray and D’Artagnan take third at Bramham 2026. Credit: Peter Nixon
Wiltshire-based US rider Tiana Coudray put in a fault-free round, just three seconds over the time, to move up from fourth to third with Annabelle James, Kyrle Arscot and her own 12-year-old grey D’Artagnan.
Tiana said: “He’s the most gorgeous animal through and through. Like all of mine, we picked him up through Facebook and didn’t know what he was going to be. He was a big, weak baby – rising eight but he had done very, very little, and he’s just been the most incredible horse.
“His temperament is unmatched. He’s got a heart the size of the world and if he ever makes a mistake, it’s only because he didn’t know the answer. He’s so honest and so, so generous. This spring, the strength is coming and the trajectory he’s been on has been stratospheric.
“He was amazing three weeks ago at Belsay, which is the first time we’ve really felt the pieces were all starting to be there. Anything could have happened this week, but I’ve got so much faith in him, I know he’s going to give me absolutely everything he can and because his body’s stronger now, he can just give me so much more.”
Yasmin Ingham dropped two places in the Bramham Horse Trials results, finishing fifth on Gypsie Du Loir, who knocked the second part of the double at six with her hind legs. Four faults for Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo also cost them two spots and they wound up seventh.
Clears elevated Tom McEwen and Quintus from ninth to sixth and Ireland’s Aoife Clark and Full Monty De Lacense from eighth to fourth, the only pair to finish on their dressage score.
“I took over the ride in March last year and he is very, very sensitive horse – he’s so kind and gentle and genuine, but he is a real worrier and that’s partly why I’ve got him, because Jonelle Price thought he would be better suited to smaller yard,” said Aoife, who was on the silver medal-winning team at last year’s Europeans with the horse but had a fall across country.
“This week is the most together we’ve felt. He really suits me, because he’s all blood, he’s so fast-thinking and agile, but it takes a bit of time to cement a partnership. I think the winter was important – we just did loads of hacking and a winter of me just being his human and him settling into his work was key.”
Lizzie Baugh finished eighth on Piltown Concorde, Alex Bragg ninth on Jaeger Master – a horse he has worked hard on to change his balance and way of going – and Yasmin Ingham had another horse in the top 10 with Goliath Du Loir landing 10th.
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You may also be interested in:
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