1. Bolesworth gets under way
Bolesworth International Horse Show is in full swing with an action-packed weekend of showjumping ahead, including young horse classes, the popular mini-major, grand prix and puissance. More than 800 horses are entered and fans can enjoy following the likes of Geoff Billington, Jack and William Whitaker, and William and Pippa Funnell as they go head to head in the international classes. H&H will be bringing you some of the highlights online and you can read our full report in the magazine, on sale 7 July.
Keep up to date with all the action
2. A young showjumper with big aspirations
Seven-year-old Annabel Widdowson beat stiff competition from the Whitakers and the Breens last weekend when she won the under 10 mini challenge at Hickstead with her 25-year-old pony Another Victory. The competitive young rider – who is the granddaughter of Big Star’s owner Gary – prepares for competition by watching videos of Nick Skelton on repeat. Annabel’s mother Kathleen says her daughter hopes to be trained by her hero in the future, and she already has her eyes firmly set on a Big Star foal.
3. A champion racehorse bows out
Dual Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle winner and eight-time Grade One victor Buveur D’Air has retired aged 11. The Nicky Henderson-trained gelding took £1.23 million in prize money during his career, and will be living at owner JP McManus’s Martinstown Stud where he’ll “have plenty of time to exchange stories and anecdotes with Istabraq and Binocular about Champion Hurdles gone by”. Buveur D’Air ran for the final time in March following an 11-month absence, after a shard of wood became wedged in his coronet band while racing in 2019. Nicky said it had become clear that his hoof was still causing problems and so the decision had been made to retire him.
Read Nicky’s tribute to this special horse
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