Esmerelda dazzles in Seven-Year-Old Final

Jude Burgess took the top spot in the Breen Equestrian British 7 Year Old Championship with the talented mare Galwaybay Esmerelda.

Drawn fifth to go out of the seven combinations in the jump-off, Jude produced a quick time of 37.30sec to take the lead, more than 1.5sec in front of runner-up Lottie Tutt, who claimed the British Breeders prize bonus with Billy Davos.

Galwaybay Esmerelda, a daughter of Emerald, is owned by Rebecca Burgess and Lauren Stone.

“She’s been really consistent all year, knocking on the door, so I thought she had a good chance here, and it all came off on the day,” said Jude. “I wasn't on for the clear round bonus, so the plan was just to go for it and try to do the time, and it was one of those rounds where every turn came off, and I got a great shot everywhere I wanted to.”

The last two riders to go, Holly Smith (Orovito) and Lucy Townley (Billy On My Mind) couldn’t match Jude’s time, but they were able to secure the bonus prizemoney for jumping double clear throughout the qualifiers.

A total of 38 combinations came forward for the British 4 Year Old Championship, which is judged on both style and performance. Horses that jumped clear in the first round progressed on to a second, non-timed round where expert judges Paul Crago and Keith Doyle assessed them for their jumping technique, natural ability, future potential, and rideability.

With a double clear and an impressive score of 36, the title went to Danielle Ryder and Excape. Raunaq Anand and Watch Me VD Roddam took second, with Angie Thompson and Whacker Blue AJ in third. Fifteen combinations shared the double clear bonus, with eight sharing the British-bred bonus.

Danielle bred Excape (Escape Z x Harley) before selling him to owner Qyn Bartly Forsythe. “To be able to win this championship with Escape Z and then win it again with his offspring is more than we could ever ask for. He jumped fabulously, and the aim was just to jump clear round to give him confidence, and go home ready for next year.”

Judge Keith Doyle described the standard as excellent. “We really were torn with the top six or seven, it was really close,” he said. “The winner stood out for its overall rideability, presence and jump. It actually looked almost a year old than the other horses, it was so advanced.”

Paul Crago agreed, saying the winner was a ‘standout’. “This horse was exceptional in terms of its attitude, and rideability,” he added.

Eighteen-year-old Izabella Rogers and her mother Nicola’s Diagolda PS took the honours in the Cheval Liberté UK 1.30m Open Grand Prix, proving to be the fastest out of the 22 combinations in the jump-off. It was extremely close at the business end of the leaderboard, with Izabella finishing just 0.18sec ahead of runner-up Lottie Tutt and Billy Dynamite, and less than a second dividing the top five.

“I'm super happy with my horse. I haven't really had her out since January, as I've just completed my A levels, but I thought I'd bring her here just to get back into the swing of things. I didn't really have an expectation going in, I just wanted a really clean, confident round, and she exceeded all my expectations,” said Izabella.

For full results click here.