Katie Jerram-Hunnable could not hold back the tears as she was called forward to take the 2022 SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse championship on the first day of the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), riding The King’s five-year-old First Receiver.
Previously owned by his breeder, The Queen, First Receiver qualified for HOYS at Burghley Horse Trials and was Her Majesty’s final show ring winner before she died.
“When I first rode for Her Majesty 20 years ago she said she wanted to win HOYS with a home-bred, and I’ve finally done it for her,” said an emotional Katie, who has finished runner-up at HOYS for The Queen on four different occasions. “I, like the rest of the world, was so upset when Her Majesty passed away. She had so much passion for horses, and the one thing she wanted to do was to win here with a horse she bred. I was so nervous before the class due to the anticipation; I just wanted to do the job properly for her.”
The New Approach bay gelding has been out of racing training for 18 months. He was trained by Sir Michael Stoute and has won five out of seven outings this season in the show ring.
“We were looking for well-mannered rides, which were light in the hand and the champion delivered,” said ride judge Magnus Nicholson. “To get these horses to perform here is an amazing achievement, especially considering the pressure of the atmosphere and given the size of the arena. It’s asking a lot of them.”
Second place in the 2022 SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse final was another five-year-old, Tracey Bailey riding her own and Chris Graham’s Debt Of Honour, who was also in training with Sir Michael Stoute. By Kyllachy, the bay gelding qualified for HOYS at Onley Equestrian Centre.
Sarah Gwilliam and Sar Cassidy-Hill’s Imperial Ruby posted third.
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