Three horses left the CCI4*-L competition at or before the Defender Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up this morning.
Forty-three horses finished the cross-country yesterday, so 40 now go forward to the final showjumping phase.
Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up update
France’s Camille Lejeune withdrew Dior Du Leou, owned by S. C. Camatieu, Pascale Audonnet, Franck Messaille and his rider, before the inspection. He was 26th overnight after a clear cross-country round with 10.8 time-faults.
Two horses who were presented to the ground jury – Austria’s Christian Steiner (president), Britain’s Nikki Herbert and Ireland’s James Rooney – were sent to the holding box at the Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up and their riders then elected to withdraw them.
The first of these was Matthew Heath’s ride Benedict Radau, owned by Hans Radau and Jane Shears, who was 27th after cross-country having recorded a clear with 3.2 time-penalties.
The second horse withdrawn from the holding box was Lonestar, ridden by his owner Thomas Hawke. He was 33rd overnight, having recording 11 jumping penalties for breaking a frangible device at the second oxer at fence 15ab and incurred 8.4 time-faults.
Thomas Hawke and Lonestar at the Bramham final trot-up 2025.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Bubby Upton bids for first senior CCI4*-L win
Bubby Upton will be the last competitor into the showjumping today. She and Its Cooley Time hold the lead after cross-country but do not have a fence in hand to win the competition, with Izzy Taylor and SRS Big Wall hovering just 1.8 penalties behind them. A fence down for Izzy would give Bubby a fence in hand, even if Caroline Harris (Cooley Mosstown), currently third, goes clear.
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Bubby is a former double winner of the national under-25 championships, having taken that class here at Bramham in 2023 and at Bicton Horse Trials – when the Devon fixture replaced Bramham during Covid – in 2021. She is bidding for her first senior four-star long victory in the Defender CCI4*-L class today.
If she wins, Bubby follows in the footsteps of Tina Cook and Terry Boon in upgrading from victory in the age-restricted class to the senior one here at Bramham.
Tina took the young rider section (the class at that time was for under-21s, rather than under-25s) in 1991 on Smithstown Lad and the seniors in 1993 on General Jock.
Terry won the young rider section here in 1994 on Vital Decision and the seniors in 2004 on Foreign Exchange.
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
