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‘I didn’t even expect to be in the top three’: 18-time national champion kicks off winter championships with rising five-year-old star following in his dam’s footsteps
River Rise Pizzazz and Sadie Smith get the 2025 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships off to a flying start with victory in the HorseHage prelim gold.
Sadie Smith and Sarah Tyler-Evans’ five-year-old gelding River Rise Pizzazz (Valverde x Lord Letherdale) kicked off the 2025 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships in style, winning the first class of the championships – the HorseHage prelim gold – on 75%.
Hot on their heels were Amy Woodhead and MSJ Vienna, just a whisker behind on 74.8%, while Ryan Todd and Merikanto SLF completed the podium on 72.87%.
“I’m so pleased with him – and quite shocked, to be honest!” said Sadie, who was collecting her remarkable 18th national title. “I didn’t expect to even be in the top three.”
The win was made all the more special by River Rise Pizzazz’s breeding. Sadie co-owns the gelding with Sarah, who bred him, and rode his dam, River Rise Escarla, during the early years of her career.
“She and I won loads together – she helped me to four national titles, three of them at the winter championships,” Sadie explained. “She later became a broodmare, and Pizzazz was her first foal. He’s not quite as brave as she was, so I wasn’t sure he’d live up to her. But he’s getting better and better.”
Often a proving ground for future stars, the prelim gold offers an early glimpse of promising talent – and Sadie believes River Rise Pizzazz is firmly on that path.
“He’s a lovely mover,” she said, “and he’s so safe – and I like that more now! We’ll see how he goes, but the stronger he’s getting, the better he’s getting.
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“His canter is his standout pace, his mother had a fantastic canter too, he has a really active hindleg, and he’s really uphill and so balanced for a five-year-old.
“He’s still got quite a normal walk, so he’s got to learn to relax and get those longer steps. But it’s improved a lot, and I was so pleased to get some eights today because he never used to walk anywhere!”
River Rise Pizzazz arrived with a solid record, having won two-thirds of his tests and placed fourth in the four-year-old final at last summer’s nationals.
But he wasn’t an obvious favourite for the win: at the Wellington regionals, he finished fourth behind Becky Latimer (Filibertus CF), Jessica Ralton (Top Secret VII), and Lucy Amy (Phelim Naresh) – all of whom returned for this class.
Second to go in the 19-strong class, Sadie faced a nervous wait to see if her score would hold for the win, especially with an 11% spread between judges. Claire Ballantyne at C awarded a high of 79.6%, while Ann Bostock at B gave just 68.4%, pulling down the average.
“That’s just dressage for you,” Sadie laughed. “But I’d have been happy even if he hadn’t won. He was spooky and green at the regionals, so I had no expectations coming in.
“I just wanted a nice ride – and he was amazing. He didn’t spook at all during the arena walk this morning, and he gave me such a lovely test. He had great rhythm, came nicely up onto the bit – for a five-year-old, I thought he was brilliant.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
