February in Top Form
Whilst this month was one of success, it was also one of debuts. ‘BP Arctic Blue’ stepped up to compete in his first CSIO4* Nations Cup with Shane, contributing to Ireland’s podium finish in Sharjah, whilst ‘Calixte Heartbreaker Z’ also rose to the challenge to compete in her first CSIO4* Nations Cup representing Great Britain with Sandy, who was also making his debut at this level. During the 3* show, ‘Opportunity’ and Sandy set the tone, winning a CSIYH1* 1.15m. Sandy also rode ‘Z for T’ to 6th place in the CSIYH1* 7YO final, and ‘Market M’dam’ to 4th place in the CSI3* 1.55m Grand Prix. Our student, Lavinia Ecclestone, paired up with ‘Killard Be Mine’ for two 2nd places in the CSICH-A 1.10m classes.
The team then headed to Abu Dhabi for the Longines League of Nations show. ‘Scarteen’ didn’t waste a second, clinching the win in spectacular fashion with Shane in the CSI5* 1.45m Welcome Stakes, as they finished 7.68 seconds faster than second place. ‘Scarteen’ also finished 8th in the CSIO5* 1.50m Winning Round, making it all seem too easy! KatieSpeller continued her form with ‘Z7 Pink Panther’, securing yet another win in the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix – the second Grand Prix win on the trot for this pairing. ‘Market M’dam’ also made her CSI5* Grand Prix debut with Sandy, showing promise for the shows yet to come.
For the much-anticipated LLN, we were thrilled to have both Shane and Sandy selected for the Irish and British teams, with both of ‘BP Arctic Blue’ and ‘Calixte Heartbreaker Z’ also making their debuts at this team level. Shane rode afantastic clear with ‘BP Arctic Blue’ for Team Ireland in the first round of the CSIO5* 1.60m LLN, making the debut one to remember and showcasing the talent in this special gelding. ‘Calixte Heartbreaker Z’ and Sandy put on a phenomenal performance themselves as they both made their debut at that level for Team GB, holding their own around the tough track.
For the last show of their U.A.E. season, ‘Scarteen’ and Shane flew around the CSI5* 1.55m Jump-Off class to finish in 5th place. Katie rode another flawless round with ‘Z7 Pink Panther’ in Sharjah’s CSI2* 1.45m GP, showing just how consistent ‘Z7 Pink Panther’ is, yet to touch a pole at that level. Another who hasperformed with remarkable consistency since stepping up the levels is ‘BP Arctic Blue’, who finished his season on a high, securing 4th place after two classy rounds in his first-ever CSI5* Grand Prix. A huge thanks as always to Team Z7 for hosting us for another fantastic season!
Back in England, the team has been performing just as well. Liam Hayes took a string of horses to Onley for their 3-day show. ‘Lucky Wood’ jumped clear all weekend, picking up 2nd and 3rd in the Discovery classes. ‘Pippylista’ echoed these performances, not touching a single pole all weekend, for a 5th and 6th place in the Newcomers classes. ‘BE Valencia’ was on a winning streak, taking the win in the Foxhunter and then stepping up to the 1.30m level with ease to claim victory again. ‘BE Ratastosk’ came 3rd and 5th in the 1.30m Open whilst ‘BE Bunny’ and ‘Limoncelo de Kreisker’ jumped clear all weekend as well, the latter finishing 6th in the Discovery.
After an incredible month, we would like to thank our team for always giving their best, and our sponsors and owners for their continued support, without which these achievements would not be possible.