Dassett Eventing CCI4*-S at Aston-le-Walls, Northants
Laura Collet LONDON 52. Photo ©Tim Wilkinson. Eventing Images
Laura Collett conjured another superb performance from Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott’s London 52 to hold onto her slender lead in Section A of the Dassett Eventing CCI4*-S at Aston-le-Walls, while world champion Ros Canter showed she has another potential star in the winner of Section B, Michele Saul’s nine-year-old Lordships Graffalo. Ros was also 14th in Section A on her world champion, Allstar B.
Ros Canter LORDSHIPS GRUFFALO. ©Tim Wilkinson, Eventing Images
“I had a lovely time,” said Laura. “London 52 is something else. It’s as if he’s seen the course plan before – he’s a joy to ride in all three phases and I am so lucky.
“The ground here was phenomenal – it couldn’t have been better, even going later in the day like I did. It was a really attacking course with distances you had to be committed to.”
The top three remained the same throughout Section A, with Izzy Taylor retaining second place on Monkeying Around and Tom McEwen third on Toledo de Kerser. All three were within the optimum cross-country time with Izzy just adding 0.4 of a time fault in the jumping.
In Section B, also generously supported by Dassett Eventing, the dressage leaders Piggy March and Brookfield Quality slipped to second with a mere 1.6 time penalties and Kitty King rose to third place on Cristal Fontaine. Tom McEwen and Dreamaway ll, third after dressage, were going brilliantly until a run-out at the the acutely angled brush at fence 22.
Richard Waygood, Performance Manager for Eventing, said that Aston had provided an ideal 4* run that catered for all. “We’re really grateful to Nigel Taylor and his team,” he said. “It has given competitors and owners everything they could wish for – a proper 4* track that provides a pathway to 5* level and championships.
“From a team perspective, Mark Phillips’s course design and forward distances made it a meaningful test; the top combinations made it look easy and the less experienced could pick their way round and finish well and happily.”
Irish Results
Aoife Clark withdrew Celus D’Ermac Z before the show jumping and Cathal Daniels withdrew Rioghan Rua before the cross country.
The highest placed Irish combination after dressage, Joseph Murphy and Cesar V were eliminated after a fall on the cross country, leaving Padraig McCarthy and Leonidas II as the highest placed finishers. After going clear show jumping, Camilla Speirs and Lukas came home from the cross country with just 8.8 time penalties. Sarah Ennis and Horseware Woodcourt Garrison were clear show jumping, but incurred 15 penalties for a flag on the cross country.
Full results for the Irish entries:
Photos from the Irish combinations with thanks to ©Tim Wilkinson, Eventing Images.
