Izzy Taylor is the new British national eventing champion, having won the Hambro Sport Horses CCI4*-S, incorporating the British Open Championship, held at Hambro Sport Horses Burgham International Horse Trials in Northumberland.
Riding her own and Mark Sartori’s 10-year-old Monkeying Around, Izzy finished on her impressive dressage score of 22.3. She was second after dressage to Sarah Bullimore, who scored a Burgham record of 19.6 on Corouet but tipped one showjump and finished runner-up.
“Monkeying Around is a very, very good horse who has been a consistent winner for a long time,” said Izzy. “He genuinely finds all three phases easy, and can both really stretch out and gallop and shorten up and adjust very easily.
“It is a real honour to be British Open Champion, and it was fantastic of Burgham to step in to host these historic national championships after Gatcombe decided to cancel,” she said. “As ever at Burgham, the ground and the courses were very good and it is one of my favourite events – after all, I brought nine horses up here this week!”
Joint-owner Mark Sartori is a trustee of Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Izzy now donates all her rosettes to Great Ormond Street.
Polly Stockton took the British Intermediate Championship for the first time since 2008 on Kate Willis’ 11-year-old Chicko. The pair added nothing to their dressage mark of 31.9, seeing off second-placed Sasha Hargreaves and Woodlands Be Daring by 2.7 penalties.
“He’s just a dude – a really cool horse,” said Polly, who found Chicko in Cheshire-based Dutch event rider Andrew Heffernan’s yard after her lorry broke down at Somerford in the autumn of 2018. “He’s a rosette winner – Mr Consistent. He’s a machine, but I haven’t been able to go quick on him, and I said to his owner, Kate, that I would really try today to go quicker!”
Polly and Chicko will target the CCI4*-L at Blenheim in mid-September next.
The prestigious British Novice Championship went to Kitty King and Adrian Sweet’s MHS Monbeg Junior. Kitty, for whom it was a first national championship title, was another who completed on her dressage score, this time of 29.4, on the Quidam Junior-sired seven-year-old.
“I am absolutely delighted,” said Kitty. “He didn’t start eventing until July last year; he’s a very impressive horse, a very kind and gentle soul who is just big and weak and who now needs time to consolidate at this level.”
Izzy Taylor took second and third places in the British Novice Championship on Hathaway Whole Lotta Love and Cooley On The Cards.
Hambro Sport Horses Burgham concludes tomorrow (Sunday, 1 August) with the Holme Dodsworth Metals CCI2*-S and the British Restricted Novice Championship.
Tickets for Hambro Sport Horses Burgham must be purchased online up to 11.59pm the night before and are not available on the gate. For those unable to attend, the cross-country action on 31 July and 1 August will be shown on Horse & Country TV’s live-streaming platform, H&C+: https://app.horseandcountry.tv/browse-eventing
> View the official event programme
> View times and full results from the competition so far
> Walk the Cross Country Courses on Cross Country App
Keep up with all the news and results from Hambro Sport Horses Burgham via our website, Facebook page and Instagram page and on Hambro Sport Horses’ own social media channels @HambroSportHorses.
Polly Stockton took the British Intermediate Championship on Kate Willis’ 11-year-old Chicko
The prestigious British Novice Championship went to Kitty King and Adrian Sweet’s MHS Monbeg Junior.