Frost and Eilberg lead the way at Wellington Premier League

Matt Frost and Michael Eilberg led the way with multiple victories and podium finishes across the week at the Wellington International Festival of Dressage (2 June – 10 June) in Hampshire.

Matt Frost and Lenika | Kevin Sparrow

Matt Frost posted an impressive set of results over the course of the competition, competing three horses across six classes, securing three wins and a further four top ten placings. On Wednesday, Matt campaigned Keeva Dedocoat’s Lenika (Foreign Affair x Lord Sinclair) in both the Fairfax Saddes Prix St Georges and D&H Intermediate I, where he secured second and first place. In the Prix St Georges, Matt finished with a score of 70.588% and won the Intermediate I with 72.059%. Lenika also went on to compete in the Nirvana Spa Prix St Georges Freestyle to Music Gala Evening, where the duo finished fourth with 72.375%: “Lenika has only been in training with me since March, but she has an amazing temperament and takes everything in her stride. This was only our third competition together and her second ever Inter I so I was really pleased”. In the Wednesday and Thursday Stübben Intermediate II, Matt piloted Angela Ellis-Dunn’s Atterupgaards Berlucchi (Belissimo M) to two victories, scoring 69.757% and 68.971%: “Berlucchi has had a great season so far with placings at both Myerscough and Hickstead. He is certainly an over-trier, and he goes up a few gears when he enters the ring, but these were our most consistent tests to date”. Finally, in the Friday LeMieux Grand Prix, Matt finished fourth aboard his own Kerouac (Sezuan x Sorento) with 69.746%, and ninth aboard his own and Nicola Keenan’s Helga (Chagall x Hit II) with 67.319%.

Michael Eilberg enjoyed a strong week, campaigning three horses across eight classes to secure five podium finishes and a further three top 10 placings. He got underway on Tuesday by winning the Stübben Intermediate II aboard his and Nicky Hannam’s MSJ Dante VX (Dante Weltino x Quattro B) with 74.559%, finishing more than three percentage points clear of Sara Gallop in second. He then claimed two runner-up spots in the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges and D&H Intermediate I with his homebred EDH Nanouk (Negro x Dimaggio), scoring 69.853% and 72.059% respectively. “He’s turning into a really exciting horse,” Michael commented, “he’s changed so much. When he was younger, he was quite a normal horse, but he always had a lot of range in the canter and very correct paces. The biggest change has been his work ethic: every day he comes out and tries his hardest for you. He gets really excited at shows, which brings out that extra spark. He’s right on the cusp of Grand Prix work, which is really exciting for later this year”. On Wednesday, MSJ Dante VX added another convincing win in the LeMieux Grand Prix with 71.014%, “Dante is just an amazing horse. We have had him since he was a foal, and he a super horse. He is just so capable and talented with the Grand Prix work. He did one better this year to secure the win, after he finished second here last year, which was really cool. What is most exciting about him is the potential that is there for more marks still, once he gains more confidence. We had a couple of mistakes so to still have achieved the marks we did is really exciting”. EDH Nanouk topped the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges on Wednesday with 72.588%, as well as finishing fifth on 71.417% in the fiercely competitive Nirvana Spa Gala Evening on Friday evening, where riders performed the Prix St Georges Freestyle to Music in a dazzling display of dressage excellence. Michael also debuted his own EDH Saubermond (Sezuan x Dancier) in the Stübben Intermediate II on Wednesday and Thursday, finishing sixth with 66.667% and eighth with 63.088%, showing great promise for the future.

On the final day of Premier League action for the LeMieux Grand Prix, Carl Hester took the win with Daniel Bremner, Lucy Bremner and Susan Singer’s Monet X (Guardian S x Bretton Woods) on 74.094%. “I was really thrilled for his first attempt at a Grand Prix, I really didn’t know if he would be fully ready, you never know unless you give it a go! I’m very conscious of his age so we will probably look forward to going to Hartpury again later in the year but otherwise we are just taking it slowly with him. Dan [Bremner] has done such a super job producing him, and Monet really is a credit to him… he is just such a super horse”. Dan Sherriff followed closely in second place with his own I’m Bayford Hall Icognito to finish on 72.029%, and Spencer Wilton finished third riding Samantha Britton’s Woodcroft Django Mon Ami with 69.891%.

Elsewhere in the competition, other competitors posted outstanding results, including Dannie Morgan who defended his title in the Nirvana Spa Prix St Georges Freestyle to Music Gala Evening, where he took the win riding his own Fever Tree with 75.500%. Charlotte Dicker finished second with Sarah Marks and Jennie Loriston-Clarke’s Catherston Tarantella on 72.917%, while Gracie Catling finished third riding Gaynor Morris’ Fraithwens Wytske fan ter Lune with 72.459%.

In the KBIS Young Horse classes, it was Angus Corrie-Dean on his own Veyron II (Viva Gold x Fidertanz) who took the win in the Five-Year-Old Qualifiers by just over seven percent, to finish on 87.800%. “We saw Veyron as a three-day old foal on a video and just absolutely fell in love with him. We always intended to keep him as a stallion, so it has just been a waiting game watching him grow up in the fields at home”, explained Angus, “we backed him ourselves and went out and did the Four-Year Olds last year, where we made it to Somerford to finish fourth in the finals, so we are hoping to be back this year to make it into the top three! I was really pleased with him at Wellington; he just did brilliantly. He coped so well in the busy warm-up, especially as a young stallion in the middle of breeding season it can be quite overwhelming, but he handled himself so well, showed himself off and got some really promising consistent marks from the judges. Getting him out to shows can be quite tricky in between stud duties so he hasn’t done loads this year, but we are hoping to get him to the regionals at Prelim and Novice as well for this season.”

Thanks go to the organisers and team at Wellington for delivering a superbly run event, and congratulations to all riders and connections for their hard work and excellent performances throughout the competition.

Results- Top Three

Tuesday 2 June

TopSpec Medium 6

1. Nicola Naylor and Moulin Rouge, 72.500%

2. Lynn Wickes and Furstino, 69.722%

3. Katharine Lewis and SLS Maurits, 69.630%

Advanced Medium 6

1. Dannie Morgan and Freya VII, 72.454%

2. Olivia Oakeley and Nulli Secundus 11, 70.000%

3. Robert Barker and Kilian's Bartholomew, 69.537%

Saracen Horse Feeds Advanced Medium Freestyle to Music

1. Jessica Davies and Nemo II, 71.167%

2. Vikki Pengilly and Hot Couture, 69.334%

3. Fenella Quinn and Mona Lisa W.V.N, 68.445%

Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges

1. Amy Woodhead and MSJ Viva Dannebrog, 71.471%

2. Michael Eilberg and EDH Nanouk, 69.853%

3. Kate Cowell and Hidalgo II, 69.510%

D&H Intermediate I

1) Amy Woodhead and MSJ Viva Dannebrog, 73.480%

2) Michael Eilberg and EDH Nanouk, 72.059%

3) Becky Edwards and Laerke Stensvang, 70.588%

Stübben Intermediate II

1. Michael Eilberg and MSJ Dante VX, 74.559%

2. Sara Gallop and Jovano, 71.422%

3. Rachelle Hirst and MS Bollinger, 67.647%

Wednesday 3 June

KBIS Young Horse Commanded Route 4yo

1. Fiona Bigwood and BPS Bella Supreme, 90.600%

2. Lily Laughton and Special Me HH, 90.200%

3. Amy Schiessel and Genesis Santorini, 79.000%

KBIS Young Horse Commanded Route 5yo

1. Angus Corrie-Deane and Veyron II, 87.800%

2. Thomas Bobis and Light Blue de Massa, 80.200%

3. Elijah Lovell and Rhapsody VD Kwaplas, 80.000%

KBIS Young Horse Commanded Route 6yo

1. Oliver Gould and Di Mano, 85.600%

2. Elijah Lovell and Parchioness G, 85.000%

3. Emma Thomas and Piñacolada TR, 80.400%

Kingsclere Vets BD Young Horse International 5yo Preliminary

1. Lilah Gibbs and Toddington Reet Petite, 82.000%

2. Toby Hewlett and Woodcroft Shi Fu, 71.400%

Charlotte Bury Photography BD Young Horse International 6yo Preliminary

1. Annabella Pidgley and Flirtfaktor 3, 87.200%

2. Annabella Pidgley and Senegal de Fontaine, 80.400%

3. Emma Thomas and Piñacolada TR, 78.200%

H&C BD Young Horse International 7yo Preliminary

1. Annabella Pidgley and Fifty Fifty, 71.882%

2. Tom Goode and Veto, 72.122%

Fairfax Saddles Prix St George

1. Michael Eilberg and EDH Nanouk, 72.304%

2. Matt Frost and Lenika, 70.588%

3. Ben Martin and Jacko B, 69.804%

D&H Intermediate I

1. Matt Frost and Lenika, 72.059%

2. Davy Harvey and Hercules III, 70.784%

3. Judy Harvey and SP Bento, 68.971%

Stübben Intermediate II

1. Matt Frost and Atterupgaards Berlucchi, 69.657%

2. Anna Wilson and Habana Libre A, 68.382%

3. Tom Goode and Margot, 68.137%

LeMieux Grand Prix

1. Michael Eilberg and MSJ Dante VX, 71.014%

2. Anders Dahl and Esquire, 69.456%

3. Sara Gallop and Jovano, 68.877%

Thursday 4 June

KBIS Young Pony Commanded Route 4yo

1. Chloe Dawes and Figranta, 73.200%

2. Gracie Catling and Abergwilli Bore Da, 68.600%

KBIS Young Pony Commanded Route 5yo

1. Looby Chubb and Peasdown Mable, 73.200%

Equine Exceed BD Young Horse International 5yo Final

1. Lilah Gibbs and Toddington Reet Petite, 78.600%

2. Rowan Collins and Melody HC, 71.000%

Pretty Green Landscapes BD Young Horse International 6yo Final

1. Annabella Pidgley and Flirtfaktor 3, 82.400%

2. Jezz Palmer and MS Broadway M, 74.600%

3. Sophie Bass and Invisible Touch, 67.400%

Erreplus BD Young Horse International 7yo Final

1. Sadie Smith and River Rise Onassis, 79.100%

2. Jane Morris and Half Moon Belize, 72.450%

3. Charlotte Dicker and Top Diva PS, 72.217%

Stübben Intermediate II

1. Matt Frost and Atterupgaards Berlucchi, 68.971%

2. Becky Edwards and Laerke Stensvang, 67.500%

3. Sarah Higgins and Iranico, 66.470%

Friday 5 June

Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges

1. Laura Tomlinson and Ostmarks Digal, 73.039%

2. Davy Harvey and Benefit, 71.177%

3. Davy Harvey and HERCULES III, 69.706%

Nirvana Spa Prix St Georges Freestyle to Music

1. Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree, 75.500%

2. Charlotte Dicker and Catherston Tarantella, 72.917%

3. Gracie Catling and Fraithwens Wytske fan ter Lune, 72.459%

LeMieux Grand Prix

1. Carl Hester and Monet X, 74.094%

2. Daniel Sherriff and I’m Bayford Hall Incognito, 72.029%

3. Spencer Wilton and Woodcroft Django Mon Ami, 69.891%