Emotions were running high for Katie Dashwood who was in complete disbelief that her ex-racehorse Minella Rebellion (Reg) continued his impeccable form to give her a first Royal Windsor Horse Show win since 2015 in the RoR Tattersalls Thoroughbred ridden show horse championship.
Katie and Reg, who was in training with Nicky Henderson and ran five times during his career, are in their second season as a combination.
“I’m very overwhelmed,” said Reg’s producer Jo Bates, who watched the gelding win the supreme at the The Jockey Club RoR National Championships and the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse (R2R) championship at HOYS last season. “He’s a lovely horse with an amazing brain. He’s beautiful to ride. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed training him. In the ring he’s got a lot of showmanship and he loves his job. In the national hunt class there were a lot of horses who were unsettled but Reg kept his cool. He is just incredible.”
“I’m in complete disbelief,” added Katie. “I was lucky enough to win the RoR challenge here in 2015, and I could never imagine I’d be able to net another championship. Windsor is the biggest show he’s been to; the crowds are so electric. All credit to Jo, who has done the most spectacular job with him.
“We don’t overshow him. He also qualified for HOYS as a riding horse last year, but he only did two qualifiers in total.”
Reg is a full brother to Cheltenham Festival winner and Grand National runner-up Balthazar King and was purchased for £90,000 at a Tattersalls Ireland sale at Cheltenham in May 2016.
Reserve in the Royal Windsor RoR championship was Sarah Gwillam riding Sar Cassidy-Hill’s winning flat horse Imperial Ruby. The Imperial Dancer 13-year-old retired from the track in 2012 and he won the RoR finals at Hickstead in 2017.
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