A good standard of four-year-olds was presented for the first SEIB/British Breeding young horse evaluation of the year at Heart of England EC.
Vin and Elizabeth Jones, who have supported the initiative since its inception, had three home-breds forward. And one, Treason, gained the highest score of the day from evaluators Lucinda Sims, Mike Florence and Jane Nixon.
The gelding by the French Thoroughbred Hand In Glove out of the 1996 Burghley Young Event horse champion Welton Lady, by Welton Crackerjack, impressed the judges, gaining a score of 9.16 for his paces and a final mark of 8.5.
Richard Stiles, successful in this series with Flayne World Magic two years ago, returned with his home-bred BWBS graded stallion Flayne Don Daquiri, who gained the highest score, 7.8, in the dressage section, ridden by Verity Franks.
The chestnut by Don Gregory out of Moet Bewes, by the Danish Warmblood Mohican, has already qualified for the summer novice regional finals. He also has his first foals on the ground this year.
“He loves work and learns very quickly,” said Richard, who left his Yorkshire home at 5am to travel to Staffordshire for the evaluation.
Justin Lloyd’s Dutch-bred stallion Valeur S headed the show jumping section under Zoe Taylor, showing his talent in loose jumping to score 8.88 marks in this section.
Two ponies contested the new dressage and show jumping pony sections. Machno Showtime, by the Sport Pony Studbook stallion Carregcoch Bleddyn, gained performance and breeders diplomas for owner Nicola Slater and breeder Merion Jones.
Old Lodge, second and third in the show jumping final last year with Tiffany and Twilight, gained the highest score in both dressage and show jumping at Crockstead EC with Verbal Response. The AES-graded stallion by the Hanoverian Espri was bred at Old Lodge.
“His career is undecided because he’s capable of either job and could well be a better dressage horse,” said Corinna Duncan from the Berkshire stud.
“An opportunity too good to miss” was what Paul McClaughlan thought when the three-year-old Pokey’s Bally Milo came into the sale ring at Duckhurst in Kent. The bay gelding by the former eventing Thoroughbred More Pokey gained high jumping marks in the eventing section under Sam Penn, stable jockey for Golden Cross EC, where Bally Milo is based.
“He’s so rideable and does a lovely job,” said Golden Cross owner Ian Bareham.
