Bubby Upton scored her first senior CCI4*-L win when she topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results this afternoon on nine-year-old Its Cooley Time, owned by his rider and the Five Time Syndicate.
Bubby had a fence in hand by the time she and “Finn” entered the showjumping arena, but didn’t need it. The pair rattled the upright at two, but never looked in danger of losing their title after that.
Bubby follows in the footsteps of Terry Boon and Tina Cook in pairing an age-restricted section win here – she won the under-25s in 2023 – with the senior long victory.
“It means a lot to win this – it’s one of the big Bs and growing up, I’ve seen legends win this. So it feels really special to win it, particularly having won the under-25 championships here as well,” said Bubby.
“And I guess the way Finn did it as well – he was really dominant all week, and just faultless, to be honest. He’s all class, and I’m so glad he got the win that he deserved.”
Asked what might be next for the nine-year-old, Bubby said: “I’d obviously love him to step up to five-star and I’d love to make my senior championship debut. I’ve come close a couple of times and been unlucky with accidents and stuff – one of which was off him.
“But, it’s all worth it in the end. Horses with his talent and his class, they test you at times because they’re uber intelligent, but patience and trying to understand them and work with them pays off in the end.”
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Bubby admitted it “took a while to come back in terms of confidence” after a rotational fall from Finn while cross-country schooling at home in 2021. She broke eight vertebrae and her collarbone in the accident, although it was not as serious as her 2023 fall (from a different horse), which nearly ended her career.
She said: “He was just young, green and not paying attention whatsoever at a fence. But in the last few years, he’s grown up beyond measure. I’m very proud of the horse that he is today. We all know, having seen him as a naughty, obnoxious youngster that we couldn’t get in and out the yard, what we’ve been through to get here, so it means a lot to us.”
Bramham Horse Trials results: Taylor drops out of top 10
Izzy Taylor was second overnight on SRS Big Wall, but she lost her claim on a podium place early when fences two and three came down. A final total of 13.2 faults dropped the pair to 13th.
Caroline Harris’s immaculate clear on Cooley Mosstown – owned by Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford – elevated her to second in the Bramham Horse Trials results.
“I’m seriously proud of him,” said Bramham debutante Caroline. “He’s a very good jumper, but I find him easier to jump on the last day of a three-day when he’s a little tired, because he just loses that bit of tension. But he was not going to touch a fence.
“He’s only nine, and we came here to do his first four-star long. We didn’t have high expectations. I just wanted him to finish confident and happy and he’s gone above and beyond for us. He deserves the result; he’s a phenomenal horse in all three phases.”
Tom Jackson jumped Helen Scott’s 13-year-old Hawk Eye out of order as he had two in the top six overnight. A clear eventually moved this relatively new ride for Tom up from sixth to third, while a single fence down for Tom’s other ride, United 36, sent him from fourth to eighth.
“Hawk Eye’s quite a new ride for us,” said Tom, who took on the horse at the end of last year and will now think about aiming him for Burghley Horse Trials.
“He’s reasonably experienced, but I’m delighted with him. I’ve been working quite hard on trying to have him as adjustable as possible, because he can get a bit keen and strong. Yesterday, he didn’t skip a beat, he really felt like he was really with me and then he followed it up with a lovely clear today.”
A tight time
The 76sec time in this final phase proved quite tight and a single second over it still allowed Ireland-based Daniel Alderson to move up from fifth overnight to fourth with Blarney Monbeg Pepper.
Kylie Roddy’s ride SRS Kan Do had to have an emergency shoe replacement in the collecting ring, jumping one slot later than planned, but went clear to move up from ninth to fifth.
Hayden Hankey and Fools In Love upgraded from 11th to sixth with 0.4 of a time-fault, while Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy moved from 14th to seventh with a clear on Pomp N Circumstance.
A valuable fault-free performance lifted Sweden’s Louise Romeike (Caspian 15) from equal 17th to ninth, while the top 10 was rounded out by Sam Ecroyd, who held 10th with four faults on Boleybawn Lecrae.
Harry Meade – last year’s winner of this class on Annagmore Valoner – and Holly Richardson dropped out of the top 10 today.
New world number one Harry and Jet Fighter had the Defender oxer at seven and the first part of the treble down to fall from seventh to 19th. Number three and the first part of the double at eight came down for Holly and Ballyneety Silver Service, so they slipped from eighth to 20th.
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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.
