HOYS puissance champion Douglas Duffin will return to the main arena at Hickstead after snatching the first of two qualifying tickets on offer at the Scottish National Equestrian Center.
Last into the arena in the drawn order of 41 starters for the Winter Novice Championship qualifier, he rode Laura Morton’s Aslan II to command the lead.
Laura handed the ride on the seven-year-old gelding to Douglas three months ago to allow her more time to recuperate from a broken leg.
“Although he’s seven, he is actually very low mileage,” said Douglas.
“We’ve been out competing over the last few months at newcomers level and he’s finished first in all four of his last outings,” he added.
The Fife-rider said he was able to use being last into the arena to his advantage but, having been around the course on another of his rides, Baltimore Landzicht, he knew the class could be won or lost on the turn to the last “particularly large” fence.
“He’s got plenty of scope to keep progressing up the levels,” he added of Aslan, which is sired by Ellen Whitaker’s renowned stallion Locarno.
Douglas, who has been in the top 20 GB rider ranking list and represented Great Britain in 2009 at a Nations Cup in Prague, competes a string of horses from East Muirhead Stables, near Dollar, where he has been based alongside Ron Brady for the last decade.
He now plans to take around six horses, including Aslan, south to Hickstead his “favourite show” where he and his puissance partner Volcano have previously tackled the famous Derby track five times, finishing third in 2010.
Taking second spot and also securing her moment at Hickstead was Lanarkshire’s Gillian Anderson, who juggles competing at BS with full-time studies in nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Her ride was the six-year-old mare Congeniality B, sired by Memphis, which she has had for a little over a year.
“She’s got all her newcomers double clears for this year,” said Gillian, who keeps the mare at home at West Kype Farm, in Strathaven, alongside her second horse Bally Knock Lad.
For Gillian, the result will see her return to a final in the main arena at Hickstead for the first time since 2008, when she reached the JC on her 148cm pony Cloverhill Minsky.
Congeniality B has been jumping to foxhunter level.
Gillian trains with UKCC level 3 coach Andrew Wilson who is based at West Kype.
Also proving consistency in the showjumping arena, Perthshire event rider Emily Ryder and her on-form gelding Zippo III took the win from the newcomers class.
Zippo a 10-year-old gelding by Lupicor started life as a showjumper with Retreat Farm Stud, in Rutland, but was sourced by Ernest Dillon for Emily to purchase and bring on as an eventer.
Since making his BE debut in 2011, he has scaled the levels to international two-star level in British Eventing, but Emily likes to maintain his momentum by showjumping during the winter.
“I have only done a couple of BS shows with him, but I have really enjoyed them,” said Emily, having also won the intermediate championship at the Scottish Horse of the Year Show at Gleneagles in the autumn.
Young event rider Morven Pringle also enjoyed success at the show, taking both first place in the discovery and second in the newcomers with her seven-year-old mare Dunbog Gypsy Rose.
Morven, who competes from the Borders, has owned Rosie for the last two years, having bought her from Wills Oakden, in Fife.
“I mainly event her,” explained Morven, “We finished the event season off for 2013 at the six-year-old championships at Osberton in October.”
The Irish-bred, by Colourfield, won at novice level at Eglinton Horse Trials in July and had prior to that stood the highest placed mare at Hutton, in June.
“It was also the year we stepped up to International level, competing in the CIC* at Hopetoun,” said Morven.
“This was her first show after having time off over Christmas, so I was very pleased with how she went!”
Morven, who is hoping to compete at under 21 level this year with the possible aim of the seven-year-old championships, works on a showjumping yard to fund her eventing.
Results
1m05 open: 1 Charlotte Geddes, Flying Arrows; 2 Rachel Payne, Claria; 3 Shannon Kelly, Orpheus. Winter novice championship qualifier: 1 Douglas Duffin, Aslan II; 2 Gillian Anderson, Congeniality B; 3 Mark Turnbull, Cartouch III. British novice: 1 Mercaddes Mcdonald, Rolstone Ida; 2 Craig Hamilton, Maggie May IV; 3 Angela Mackenzie, Belair LS. Discovery: 1 Morven Pringle, Dunbog Gypsy Rose; 2 Morgan Thompson, Disan Hippy Chic; 3 Craig Hamilton, Tarkan II. Newcomers: 1 Emily Ryder, Zippo III; 2 Morven Pringle, Dunbog Gypsy Rose; 3 Carole Niederhauser, Be Grand. 1m15 open: 1 Ailsa Black, Cincy Z; 2 Stephen Lohoar, Dirana Van’T Heike; 3 Sandra Low Mitchell, Soistara. 1m30 open: 1 Laura Hutt, Zidane X; 2 Ailsa Black, Cincy Z; 3 Mark Turnbull, Ashton Dollipierre.