‘This feels like such an achievement’: second generation home-bred is 2023 Search For A Star champion
A second generation home-bred hack shone the brightest under the spotlights in the 2023 SEIB Search For A Star championship on day three of the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Nottinghamshire-based Helen Church and her daughter Jennifer Church’s Bassingfield Dark Secret (Zeus) is by Dark De Niro and out of former HOYS show hunter pony finalist Bassingfield Cassandra, also a home-bred. He lifted yesterday’s SEIB SFAS hack class with Jennifer en route to lifting the top title.
Despite his professional performance in the main arena, the 10-year-old is only in his first season of showing. He qualified for the SFAS finals on his second attempt.
Jennifer, who works as an equine vet, said: “I’ve just had a baby and I’ve been really busy, so in all honestly Zeus hasn’t done much at all! But he’s a lovely chap and he’s very sensible.
“We always knew he was a nice looking horse, but it’s just been a case of getting round to it. Hopefully we can push on and do more now. This feels like such an achievement doing this on a horse we have bred”
Zeus’ 2023 CV includes the British Elite supreme and the Equifest hack championship.
Reserve in the 2023 SEIB Search For A Star championship was Hayley Came-Boyce and her winning show hunter Killycloghan Masterson, a six-year-old by Kings Master.
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The pair qualified for the SFAS finals on their first attempt, and they juggle showing alongside working hunters, eventing and some show jumping.
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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.