All 55 horses were accepted at the Agria Blenheim European Championships first trot-up at lunchtime today (17 September) meaning a full house go forward to the dressage.
Overnight rain gave way to blustery but dry conditions to kick off proceedings at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. The trot-up was largely smooth sailing, with just one horse – Pomp N Circumstance ridden by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy – asked to trot again, before being accepted.
British-based Norwegian competitor Yasmin Olsson-Payne was the first to present her ride Cos Me Will before the ground jury of Sandy Phillips (GBR), Katrin Eichinger-Kniely (AUT) and Valerie Pride (USA). The nine-year-old gelding, owned by Jane Lucas and Paul and Victoria Clark was given the nod of approval, which set the tone for the rest of the trot-up at the Blenheim European Championships.
All six horses on the British squad, in partnership with Agria, sailed through, while the British riders looked smart in their team jackets.
Laura Collett and her five-star winner London 52, who won individual bronze in Paris and led the team to Olympic gold, was the first of the home side to present. The 16-year-old gelding, co-owned by Laura, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett, is among the favourites for individual honours this week.
They were followed by 2024 Pau CCI5* winners Caroline Harris and D.Day. The 11-year-old gelding, owned by Fiona Olivier, Heather Royle, Lucy Matthews and Marie Anne Richardson, looked bright and alert as he sprang down the trot-up strip with his ears pricked.
Yasmin Ingham’s great campaigner Rehy DJ, with whom she was fourth at the 2018 young rider Europeans and has since been on the podium at CCI5* on two occasions, took in his stately surroundings with wide eyes, before bounding along the concrete in front of the ground jury. He is owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.
Piggy March’s ride this week, Jayne McGivern’s five-star stallion Halo, Tom McEwen’s ride JL Dublin, owned by Jo and James Lambert and Deidre Johnston, and Bubby Upton’s horse Its Cooley Time, who she owns with The Five Time Syndicate, all looked bright and fit as they head forward to the first phase.
Dourough Ferro Class Act, the ride of Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and owned by James and Niki Potterton, looked particularly keen to get on with the competition – and the commentator quipped that cross-country “is on Saturday” as the pair zipped past, with a thumbs up from the ground jury.
Her compatriot Padraig McCarthy had the sole tense moment at Blenheim European Championships first trot-up, when he was asked to run again with his own and Rachel and Sarah Gough’s Pomp N Circumstance; the 11-year-old gelding was then given the nod of approval.
The iconic backdrop of Blenheim Palace has a different look for 2025 – the main facade has a scaffolding hat owing to £12m roof restoration work.
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