Piggy March secured the fifth CCI4*-L success of her career, showjumping clear from pole position on Cooley Anything You Like. They finished on their dressage score of 32.2 to claim the £4,000 winner’s prize at the second running of Scone Palace International Horse Trials.
Northamptonshire-based Piggy produced James Midgley and Gaie Scouller’s 11-year-old up to two-star level, but he has only returned to her yard this season after a spell with world number two Harry Meade.
“I felt it was on me not to mess this up as he was giving me a really good feel, so I thought, ‘stay relaxed and just go and jump the jumps like you’ve been doing for however many years,” said a relieved Piggy. “He’s a really cool horse. That felt proper.
“I was conscious of the cross-country going on as he has been quite lit up since he’s been here. I didn’t want to do showjumping in cross-country mode but he stayed settled.
“He really is a Burghley horse,” she added. “I had 20 seconds to make up late on the cross-country so I squeezed him for the first time in my life and must have made up 25 seconds. He’s like an aeroplane.”
Willa Newton, who had led the dressage on Hartacker but dropped a place with cross-country time-faults, piled the pressure on Piggy with her super clear. They could not afford a single rail.
“Hartacker jumped amazingly, he was sensational and I couldn’t have asked for any more,” Willa said. “I was nervous but I had a plan and had to trust him as he’s such a good jumper.”
Earlier in the day, Piggy dropped from first to third in the final phase of the CCI2*-L with her young horse Diamond March, but this four-star victory never looked like slipping from her grasp.
“You can only do your best, and if it’s good enough, happy days,” she said. “But I felt a bit disappointed by my round in the two-star, how quickly it went wrong, so that was in my mind.”
Gaie spotted Cooley Anything You Like as a four-year-old, and was at Scone to cheer them on.
“He’s been so wonderful with Piggy,” she said. “He was never going to touch a fence. It’s special to watch.”
Heidi Coy was third with MGH Jessica, rising from 13th after dressage with a clean sheet.
For the USA, Quidley Kellerman finished up in seventh overall with Blakeney’s Cruise on a final score of 45.8, adding just some time in show jumping. Molly Duda wrapped up Jutopia’s first CCI4*-L with three poles down and some time to finish up in 11th on a final score 61.1.
Gemma Stevens Secures Podium Double in Malcolm Group CCI4*-S
Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze. Photo by SPIHT / Peter Nixon.
Cooley Park Muze showed all his class to win the 100-strong CCI4*-S class at Scone Palace, leading from the dressage phase to win on a clean sheet of 28.4 with Gemma Stevens.
Running in reverse order for the final cross-country phase, only three horses made the time, with Gemma stopping the clock 10sec inside after a foot-perfect round on the Rex Syndicate’s 10-year-old.
“He’s so unbelievably light in his contact; he’s so obedient, balanced and such a good jumper that I can just keep coming,” said Gemma, who was part of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the recent World Championships in Aachen, Germany. “He’s just easy to go fast on.”
“He’s not a full thoroughbred but he’s learning to dig deep when he’s tired. He has to work at that, but what he doesn’t have to work out is his jump and ability. He’s the horse of my dreams.”
Gemma also finished third on Chilli’s Jester and seventh on Chilli Morning IV, both bound for Blenheim.
“First and third – that’s pretty cool,” she grinned. “I was thrilled with all three horses – they were all fabulous.”
Tom McEwen – like Gemma, part of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the recent World Championships in Aachen, Germany – was the chief beneficiary of overnight second Emily King’s 20 penalties on Valmy Biats at fence four. The first rider inside the time, Tom steered Quintus round to finish on his dressage score of 30.3 to climb from sixth to runner-up.
Perthshire’s Wills Oakden finished fourth on Keep It Cooley.
Scone Palace International HT CCI4* (GBR): [Website] [Scoring] [Live Stream Replays]
