Breeder aims for Blue Chip glory with five homebreds competing
(Image credit: Henry Kinchin)
Kim Barzilay and her Buckinghamshire-based rider Emma-Jo Slater have attended every Blue Chip Championships since 1992 but this year is extra special as Kim has five home-bred horses competing.
“It’s always nice to bring home-bred babies here to strut their stuff and this time we have three novices and two grade As who jump in Friday night’s (8 April) grand prix,” said Kim.
Emma-Jo first competed at her first Blue Chip Championships in pony classes aged 13.
“She didn’t win until she was 17 in the winter novice and finished first and second. We always qualified a lot of horses and used to see if we could better the number each year but we didn’t have the horsepower to win consistently in the early years,” said Kim.
Emma-Jo has won most of the novice titles over the three decades but the one title that has eluded them so far is the Blue Chip Dynamic B and C.
“We haven’t got an entry in the B and C this year so that will have to wait but we are back in with a chance in the Star championship,” said Kim. “Emma-Jo has been on the gold league for the last seven years and there fore ineligible but this year she’s back in so we’ve brought faithful friends Kings Of Leon and Freule TN as well as Judy Ross’s Fleur Du Logis.”
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