BE Breeding Championships

Billy Landretti and Cotton King confirmed their supremacy over their peers yesterday when they took the top two places in the four-year-old class at the Pavo British Eventing Breeding Championships.

These two also headed the line-up in the Winergy Burghley Young Event Horse final a month earlier, but the placings were reversed this time, with Jane and Jonathan Clarke’s Billy Landretti taking top honours under Pippa Funnell.

“Crunchie”, as he is known, was bred by Donal Barnwell and Pippa’s husband Will Funnell, and is by the jumping sire Vechta, out of an Irish mare called Lemon. He set an unassailable lead in the dressage at Tweseldown yesterday, scoring 15, and stayed on that score to head the class by two marks.

Cotton King was bred by Hazel Bramley, who gave him to Sue Browne, owner of his sire Mill Law, in lieu of stud fees and he was subsequently sold to Marguerite Boucher.

“He is so well balanced for a big horse – Sue and Nicola [Baguley, Sue’s daughter] have done everything right with him,” said his jockey Angela Tucker.

Nicky Roncoroni stood third on her own Trig Point, a handsome son of Ghareeb who she chose at Goresbridge Sales last year.

In the five-year-old class French rider Leonard Goerens headed the pack on Emma Shoesmith’s Irish Sports Horse Flying Machine, by Cult Hero.

“He’s lovely on the flat and a good jumper,” said Leonard. “I like him because he’s got a bit of spirit.”

Oliver Townend bettered Leonard’s 28.3 dressage mark by 1.2 penalties, but with a pole down show jumping he had to settle for third on another Irish-bred horse, ODT Jerry Springs. Cecilia Holman split Oliver and Leonard with her black Oldenburg mare Be My Girl.

“I really enjoyed the competition,” she said of her experience at the fourth BE Breeding Championships. “It’s been so well run and I’m grateful to everyone who put it on.”

The top three places in the six-year-old final went to the only horses who managed to stay on their dressage scores.

Granntevka Prince took top honours under Lucy Wiegersma. He was bred by his owner Geraldine Mills, by Grannex, who is best known as a jumping sire.

Chris and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning took second place with Nick Gauntlett. Nick chose this stallion, who is by the Thoroughbred Phantomic, in Germany

“We weren’t looking for a stallion, but he’s so loose in his movement, good in his jump and bold cross-country – you can’t fault him,” said Nick.

William Fox-Pitt was third in this section on Teresa Stopford Sackville’s Cool Mountain. By the supersire Primitive Rising, he was bred by Jane Pulkington in Gloucestershire.

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