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‘This is our first time – I was just hoping he would behave’: showing newcomer clinches RoR in-hand championship at Royal Windsor

Celeste Gall Celeste Gall

    • Dani Williams secured the Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) in-hand championship at Royal Windsor Horse Show with the nine-year-old National Hunt winner Dance With Fire (Ginger), on what was their first venture into showing.

    “This is our first time ever showing, I was just hoping that he would behave and we would have a good show,” explained Dani, who fell in love with him whilst he was on sales livery with her two years ago.

    Owned by Jane Dexter, Ginger only ran twice but he wasn’t fast enough, so he was retrained as a showjumper with Paul Crago.

    “Dressage is my thing, so we do a lot of that,” said Dani.

    Royal Windsor Horse Show RoR in-hand reserve champion

    Fifteen-year-old Barracuda Boy (Ronnie) ticked off a bucket list achievement for owner Debbie Hodge-Phillips when he won the RoR in-hand Flat class and stood reserve RoR in-hand championship, led by Danielle Carr.

    With over £100,000 winnings on the track, Ronnie won seven times and was placed 33 times out of 53 starts.

    “He was a sprinter, running between five and seven furlongs,” said Debbie, who purchased him seven years ago as a hack for £1,000 and keeps him at home in Suffolk.

    “It’s just us on the yard so everything is nice and calm; he’s changed tremendously since we moved there in July last year. We have our good days and bad days showing, but he was second in the RoR amateur ridden flat final at Hickstead last season,” added Debbie, who has been unable to ride since November due to a bad accident at work.

    Ronnie was ridden by Danielle at Hickstead and she will be riding him again today in the ROR ridden flat equivalent.

    “I can’t ride him like Danielle does, she has a fantastic connection with him. His brain is a little buzzy so he’s not the easiest,” added an elated Debbie. “I think it will take me a while to come down from this win – it’s what dreams are made of.”

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    Celeste Gal
    Celeste Gal

    Freelance showing reporter
    Celeste is an experienced equestrian journalist based in Cornwall, specialising in native breeds and carriage driving. She has been reporting showing for Horse & Hound since 2012. Celeste brings a lifelong passion for ponies to her reporting. She competed both plaited and native working hunter ponies up to her teenage years, then taught herself to carriage drive in 2018 and has successfully competed and won at county and national level.
    Celeste Gal

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