With a prize pot of more than £13,000 and Royal Highland, Royal International and Olympia qualifications up for grabs, the Scottish Senior Premier provided a real show of excellence at Gleneagles Equestrian Centre.
The three-day spectacle with tracks dictated by international designer Mark McGowan unsurprisingly attracted many of the country’s top riders, drawing a field of more than 120 horses over the duration.
Kick-starting the action, two fields of almost 40 riders apiece grappled for the honours in the Aurora Hotels Collection Royal Highland Amateur championship and the Power/Performance Royal Highland Grade C qualifiers respectively.
Making light work of the 1m20 Amateur, a total of 17 riders navigated a first round clear. But with the class won or lost on the run down to an upright first element of the final double combination, ultimately only eight riders maintained a clean jumping sheet.
Taking a day off from her full-time job as an Edinburgh-based accountant, Lea said she had full faith in the “consistent” record she has built with her 12-year-old partner.
The Kannan-sired mare, known as Gin at the Brash family’s Peeblesshire home, came to Lea from the Brendon Stud as a five-year- old.
“She’s had some time off over the winter, as it is difficult for me to juggle riding around my full-time job, which can keep me in the office for many a 50-hour week,” said Lea.
“But she’s very consistent at producing clears and she’s naturally very quick over the ground.”
Lea , who started competing at age 12, has twice previously qualified the mare for the Amateur Classic Championship at the Horse of theYear Show.
The Grade A mare, which also counts the Strathallan Grand Prix among a growing list of accolades, will now return to the Highland where Lea will have designs to better their second place from the same Aurora Hotels final last year.
Meanwhile, popular Fife rider and trainer Lisa Hood took Crailyn Clover Bay into pole position during a close-run jump-off for the Royal Highland Grade C qualifier.
“It was fantastic to take the class win,” said Lisa, who is based in Cupar with her farrier husband Gary.
Drawn ninth to go in the 11-rider jump-off,Lisa and Crailyn Clover Bay took the win in 35.73 seconds.
“He’s usually fairly consistent at producing a first-round clear but more often than not one or other of us will make a faux pas in the jump-off.
“It was brilliant that we both got it right together at Gleneagles.
“It was also a real bonus to bag a qualifier for the Highland so early on in the season,” she added. “Last year we qualified for this Highland class pretty much at the final hurrah, so now we can relax a little and enjoy some of the other qualifiers.”
For Lisa the 12-year-old gelding, which originates from Ireland and which she has owned for the last four years, is her main ride.
She endeavours to compete relatively regularly, but a busy schedule spent juggling diaries with her daughter Alana and her three ponies which currently take priority leaves little time.
Last year Lisa and Crailyn Clover Bay were seventh in the Aurora Hotels Amateur championship final at the Highland and also won the 1m10 adult open at Scottish HOYS, again at Gleneagles.
“We got a really great partnership,” added Lisa.
Showing the adults how it is done, and taking the £1,000 Grand Prix top prize, 15-year-old rider Emily Ward maintained her momentum with her prolific winner Wild Rose II.
Top of a small but competitive World Class Programme Under-23 British Championship was the Scots rider James Smith.
Fresh back from the Sunshine tour in Portugal, James piloted Leona Smith’s 13-year-old grey mare Cumina to take the Olympia ticket.
They led from the outset, going first in the jump-off and posting an unassailable time from an expertly judged round.
Aberdeenshire’s Aimee Bell pulled another top round out of the bag, following a break for school exams, with her 12-year-old bay Cameron Poe, which is owned by her mother Sally Guild, finishing in second.
Filling fifth spot after a “frustrating show” and “unlucky pole” in this class was Aimee’s sister Lucy Guild with her talented partner Titi D’Oase. Together they are former Young Riders Championship of Great Britain title holders from the 2011 Horse of the Year Show.
Lucy, who works full-time for her father’s building company in Forfar to fund her showjumping, chased this placing with a win in the Horse and Hound Foxhunter, incorporating the Royal Highland’s Foxhunter championship qualifier, on board a new ride Hugana Vant Heike.
Owned by Fiona Good, Lucy had only ridden the seven-year-old mare for a fortnight preceding the Scottish Premier, and this was their second Foxhunter together following a third place at Morris Equestrian the previous weekend.
“She’s a very careful mare, although she can be a little green and spooky,” said Lucy of the mare which was sourced originally for Fiona by Angus Lohoar.
“The jump-off really suited her as there were no particularly tight turns, which meant that I could keep moving her on forwards,” added Lucy.
“We were drawn last to go in the jump-off from around eight clears, so whilst I wasn’t going in to win, she’s naturally fast across the ground. You really can trust her to go onwards and get her legs out of the way.”
Lucy intends to build up the mare’s confidence and mileage at Foxhunter level, with the aim of Newcomer second rounds very much in mind.
To watch a video footage of Friday’s Royal Highland Amateur championships, including Lea’s winning jump off round, click here
For footage from the RHS Grade C, including Lisa Hood’s winning round, click here
Results
Friday. Aurora Hotels Royal Highland amateur championship qualifier: 1 Lea Brash, Annan VHB; 2 Danielle Greer, Felicia II; 3 Craig Hamilton, Sebastians Native. The Power/Performance Royal Highland Grade C Championship qualifier: 1 Lisa Hood, Crailyn Clover Boy; 2 Julie Andrews, Splashdance; 3 Kat Frew, Santa. 1m25 open: 1 Millie Allen, Trueleva; 2 Emily Ward, Elite K; 3 James Smith, Zeb. Winter Grade C qualifier: 1 Millie Allen, Grenoble 46; 2 Trevor Nicholson, Amadeus V; 3 Robert Atkinson, Babylon B. National 1m40 open: 1 Simon Buckley, Wordsworth II; 2 Julie Andrews, Ayrton IV; 3 Nigel Coupe, Glovers Hill.
Saturday. H&H Foxhunter (inc Sports Horse Classic Blue riband championship qualifier): 1 Sally Hopkinson, Zellweger; 2 Stephen Lohoar, Debertha; 3 Jordan Thompson, Aslan II. 1m25 Winter Championships qualifier: 1 Millie Allen, Trueleva; 2 Greg Taylor, Van De Bay Girl; 3 Kirsty Aird, Jumping Mac Flash. Bliss London 1m30 open: 1 Emily Ward, Elite K; 2 James Smith, Zeb; 3 Robert Atkinson, Duc De Lyon. Winter Grades B and C championship qualifier: 1 Olivia Dales, Chopin; 2 Millie Allen, Grenoble 46; 3 Nigel Coupe, Cordalis 7. Dodson & Horrell World Class Programme under-23 British Championship: 1 James Smith, Cumina; 2 Aimee Bell, Cameron Poe; 3 Millie Allen, Senator Antino. 1m40 open: 1 Laura Hutt, Zidane X; 2 James Smith, Zeb; 3 Julie Andrews, Ayrton IV.
Sunday. Bliss London 1m30 open: 1 Jessica Hewitt, Zardona II; 2 Sally Hopkinson, Cartouche II; 3 Kirsty Aird, Jumping Mac Flash. Blue Chip B and C: 1 Millie Allen, Grenoble 46; 2 Stephen Lohoar, Dirana Van’T Heike; 3 Sally Hopkinson, Zellweger. Winter Grand Prix: 1 Emily Ward, Wild Rose II; 2 James Hughes, U B One; 3 Olivia Dales, Casparall. 1m15 open: 1 Lucinda Stewart, Con 3; 2 Lucinda Stewart, Glow Dk; 3 Victoria Hewson, Sparco. H&H Foxhunter (inc royal Highland Foxhunter championship qualifier): 1 Lucy Guild, Hugana Vant Heike; 2 Charlotte Geddes, Chento D; 3 Craig Hamilton, Silverstone Z.