Top eventers out in force

Catch up with all the latest news from the world of horse trials in our weekly column from Eventing magazine editor Kate Green

The weekend’s two intermediate events produced strong competition, although both were battling against heavy rain and strong winds and the novice event at Graveley, Herts, had to be cancelled due to waterlogging.

At Lincolnshire, Leslie Law followed last weekend’s win at Poplar Park on Shearwater Insurance’s Shear H20 with a repeat victory, in the open intermediate, and also won another OI on Brer Rabbit, a horse previously ridden by Owen Moore.

Sarah Cutteridge was second on Vin Jones’s good mare The Wexford Lady and British team rookie Caroline Pratt was third on Kinsey Control .

Karen Dixon was third behind Shear H20 with Too Smart, who is back on target after ablip at the end of last year for Karen’s fourth successive World Games, and New Zealander Bryce Newman celebrated his first eventing run in this country for a decade with fifth place on his three-star horse Dunstan Springbok.

Bryce, who is based with Eddy Stibbe at his Bedfordshire yard, is planning to run at his first Badminton on Dunstan Inishturk, a horse who was massively impressive at last year’s four-star Rolex Kentucky CCI**** in the States.

The third OI section saw victory for Blyth Tait on the grey Eze, who impressed at Burghley last year and is likely to be heading for a first Badminton run.

Young Rider Piggy French was second on her dun cob Done To Order and Vere Phillipps was third, on his first outing of the season, on Coral Cove, on whom Vere plans to make his Badminton debut.

On Aldon’s well-drained Somerset soil, Jo Marsh-Smith and her “superhorse” Albie O’G, prolific winners last year, took the AI.

Australian Matt Ryan took second and third on his WEG short-listed horses Balmoral Mr Slinky and Bonza Puzzle.

Andrews Hoy and Nicholson dominated the two OI classes.

Hoy won on racing magnate John Magnier’s Moonfleet with Nicholson second on Astronave.

Then Nicholson won the second section on Rosemary Barlow’s Duddles, who was brought over in the same shipment from New Zealand as Astronave, and Hoy was second on his duel Olympic gold medallist Darien Powers.

It was a first run in this country for nearly two years for the Pegasus-like grey Darien Powers, who spent last year in Germany, due to FMD, and did not get a three-day run due to chipping his nose in a stabling accident.

Darien Powers is now 16 and is likely to have his last ever three-day run at Badminton, where he will start as one of the hot favourites.

For full results of Aldon and Lincolnshire, and event notices results visit www.britisheventing.com

Read full report with pictures from all events in the April issue of Eventing magazine (on sale NOW).

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