Manvendra Singh became the first Indian event rider to win an FEI international class on British soil for many years when he took section J of the Uvex-sponsored CCI2*-S at Cornbury House Horse Trials in Oxfordshire on Declan and Kitty Cullen’s Grand Marnier. The pair completed on their dressage score of 31.7.
“It was great to have a horse like this and I really enjoyed the cross-country. I really owe everything to my coach [Declan],” said Manvendra, 22, who is based with the Cullens in Co Armagh. “I’ve been riding this horse for four months and it has been a great journey.”
Declan explained: “Manvendra’s horse got injured and my daughter, Kitty, said, ‘You can ride my horse. This is only Manvendra’s third event with Grand Marnier; he’s done a brilliant job and we’re buzzing.”
Another up-and-coming young competitor on a new ride, Josh Levett, scored in CCI2*-S section H aboard Amelia Ludiman and Susan Ridley’s Gortin House. They added just 0.4 of a cross-country time-fault to a dressage mark of 30.0.
“I didn’t know what to expect here, because I only started riding this horse three days ago,” said Josh. “She is a lovely, straightforward horse and jumps brilliantly, so I knew I would have a good chance, but there were a lot of unknowns.”
Britain’s Caroline Harris, who is about to make her senior championship debut at the Europeans at Blenheim next week, won CCI2*-S section I with Gail Sinclair’s Isington Girl Power on their 30.1 dressage.
“I didn’t expect to win – she’s a late starter so is a bit behind all of the other seven-year-olds as she had a foal when she was four,” said Caroline. “This was a lovely way to finish her season.
“We saw her advertised on Facebook – the owners were looking for a horse to produce and sell. She had a mega jump and we thought she looked pretty cool, but she is still for sale.
“Cornbury is so good for educating young horses. This mare has never seen anything like this and it has been great for her to learn in this atmosphere. The cross-country is a big, bold track and rewards by positive riding.”
Jesse Campbell and Speedwell. Photo by Peter Nixon.
New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell took top honours in Pragnell CCI3*-S section F aboard Karen Coumbe and Deborah Strang’s smart 11-year-old, Speedwell.
Fifth after the dressage on 29.9, they capitalised on a speedy double clear, picking up just 0.4 of a time-fault to win by 2.6 penalties, ahead of Tom McEwen and Maestro in second.
“He goes to Boekelo next for the Nations Cup and I wanted a competitive but good run, and Cornbury is a great event for setting horses up for three-day events at the end of the season,” said Jesse, who took on the ride of this gelding following the death of his wife, Georgie.
“Speedwell was produced by Georgie all the way up to four-star and it’s a real honour for me to ride him. She always said he would be the best horse in the world, and it’s amazing that I get to show people that. I love him – he’s a real trier, but also extremely talented.”
New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone leads the way after the dressage and cross-country phases of the ARC Racehorse to Eventer Challenge with Sparky Lad. The 11-year-old Australian-bred and raced son of Smart Missile, owned by Tim Boland, finished comfortably inside the optimum time to maintain his dressage lead on a score of 26.2.
Clarke said: “I had a great round today. Sparky is always keen to run and I let him go; not too fast as he’s a very speedy little guy and his next aim is Strzegom CCI4*-L, but he jumped a great round. “We‘re obviously aware of the great prize pot for this class [£50,000], and so there is pressure that comes with it, but he’s a great jumper and we’ll be doing our best to jump clear tomorrow.”
The ARC Racehorse to Eventer Challenge Cup – the brainchild of Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud – concludes on Saturday morning with the final showjumping phase, which takes place in reverse order. Saturday at Cornbury will also focus on the best young horses in the UK, with the cross-country phase of The Howden Way British National Championships for five- and six-year-olds taking centre stage.
As well as superb equestrian sport, featuring many of the world’s most famous riders, Cornbury Horse Horse Trials is an innovative and exciting blend of local, sustainable food and drink from our neighbouring farms, premium hospitality, and interactive children’s activities over the weekend of September 13-14, all in the stunning setting of Cornbury Park.
All the cross-country action from Cornbury House Horse Trials will be shown live on Horse & Country TV’s streaming platform H&C+.
To buy tickets, see timetables of each class and for more information, visit cornburyhousehorsetrials.co.uk.
Cornbury House Horse Trials: [Website] [Tickets] [Timetable] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream]
