last updated on August 04, 2010 16:19

Ruth Edge dominated the North West Regional Champioships at Somerford Park Farm, Cheshire 1 - 2 Aug 2010. 

She picked up three qualifying tickets with her two horses with wins in both the medium and elementary open. The winner of the former was Ruth’s own horse Zero, a Brightwells Sale graduate who won the Brightwells Challenge last year whilst Sharone Whitfield’s Charlesfield Dante (pictured) won the latter, both horses dead-heating for the winter elementary championship earlier this Spring. Ruth was thrilled with the two boys, “it is always difficult to do much in the summer with the eventing,” said Ruth who is now off to the British Open at Gatcombe, “but I have had a fairly easy July so I’ve been able to get some concentrated work into them.”

Large entries saw the three arenas running for ten hours on the first day and seven hours on the second, the elementary open running for over six hours and the elementary restricted for over seven. The latter class was won by Kathryn Miller with her own Alexander II, a horse she originally bought to bring on and sell until she realised how sharp he was. It has certainly worked in her favour as the son of Denver won the area festival at Kingswood last year alongside a string of successes.

It was good to see so many British-breds in the line ups with well over half the first prize winners foaled in the UK. These included Tor Smith’s Westpoint Razzmatazz, bred by Westpoint Stud by their resident stallion Ragazzoni. Razzmatazz won the advanced medium restricted at the North West Winter Regionals earlier this year too. Also flying the flag for Britain were the winners of both sections of the prelim, Helen Waites and her Welsh cob Rowangarth Rhydian taking section A and Joanne Wilson and the Monte Carlo mare Kesters Mirabelle taking section B.

The Eilbergs’ swopped Hickstead for Somerford with a dash up the motorway network arriving in time to win both the advanced medium open courtesy of Maria and U-Rockstar and the psg for Michael with Torino, a winner at the recent Hartpury CDI. Maria has only recently taken the ride on the Jazz nine-year-old, brother Michael and owner Camilla Anderson having ridden him to qualify. “I took him to Hickstead so that I could get to know him better,” said Maria, “he is a typical Jazz in that he has plenty of energy but he focused well in the test and I am looking forward to the Nationals with him.”

Here is the full list of winners:

Centaur Biomechanics Preliminary
Helen Waites and Rowangarth Rhydian, 69.39%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Restricted
Lucy Pincus and Sheepcote Sandmartin, 69.29%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Open section A
Lauren Wilson and Walter, 68.69%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Open section B
Gary Foggon and Ballereno, 69.64%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Restricted
Kathryn Miller and Alexander II, 67.81%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Open
Ruth Edge and Charlesfield Dante, 72.40%

Haygain Medium Restricted
Jane Chatterton and Cranswicks Monopoly, 65.41%

Haygain Medium Open
Ruth Edge and Zero, 71.35%

Martin Collins Advanced Medium Restricted
Tor Smith and Westpoint Razzmatazz, 68.33%

Martin Collins Advanced Medium Open
Maria Eilberg and U-Rockstar, 69.21%

Jeffries Saddlery Prix St Georges
Michael Eilberg and Torino, 68.33%

Bates Saddles Intermediate I
Tracy Tomlinson and Catherston Down, 66.58%
 
For full results click here