Thompson Winfield tops Hickstead highlights

Vicky Thompson Winfield couldn’t stay away from the podium at Hickstead Premier League last week (18 – 22 June) as she led the vast charge of riders vying for qualification tickets to the LeMieux National Championships.

Vicky started the week in winning fashion riding Angela and David Jones’ Valeron sired stallion Esquire III to a Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges victory scoring 70.18%. The future looks full of promise for this relatively new combination as their debut Premier League win comes in just their fourth test together.

Continuing a successful week on board Samantha Francis’s eye catching palomino Artist, the Horsham based rider painted just the picture the judges wanted to see in both the Cavalor Intermediate II and the LeMieux Grand Prix direct qualifier classes to win with convincing scores of 70.26% and 70.16%. She then went on to complete a quartet of wins in Saturday’s Grand Prix Special, this time with Samantha Francis’s PRE stallion Mango Jacaro, scoring 68.92% from a unanimous judging panel of Anita Darken, Maryanne Horn and Fiona Wilson.

Across five busy days of competition at the premier Sussex venue, on the site of Douglas Bunn’s All England Jumping Course, no less than nine National Championship spots were up for grabs. Tom Goode with Emile Faurie’s Langley and Dannie Morgan with Lisa Morgan’s Knoxx’s Figaro each claimed a Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges win whilst three competitive Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I classes were won by Sara-Jane Lanning with Mi Amigo, Nathalie Kayal with DHI Cleverboy and Dean Skeates with Super Blue.

The Equine Construction Advanced Medium 98 direct qualifier was won by an in-form Alice Oppenheimer with Sarah Oppenheimer’s Headmore Bella Ruby. The elegant mare has stepped up a level since her success at the NAF Five Star Winter Championships and has taken to Advanced Medium with talent and ease much to the delight of rider Alice, “Princess Bella (Headmore Bella Ruby) was a superstar at Hickstead Premier League today. She won the [Equine Construction] Advanced Medium 98 with 72.2% to qualify straight through to the Nationals. She gave me such a great ride in only her fourth Advanced Medium at seven years old, she’s such a star. I’m so lucky to train these amazing horses.” Alice also enjoyed a win in Tuesday’s Inter A with Caroline Dibden’s Headmore Diffinity gaining valuable mileage at Medium tour, their winning score was 69.63%.

In the under 21 ranks, the FEI Young Rider, Junior and Pony team classes were each won by a combination shortlisted for this year’s youth European Championships. Following a hat trick of wins at Keysoe CDI and a successful trip to Compiegne CDI in May, Rebecca Swain and Bon Jovi (s. Krack C) showed their class in the Young Rider section to win with 71.23%. Gloucestershire based Charlotte McDowall made the journey well worthwhile with her own 14 year old mare Alivia, 70.41% was the reward for a polished test; whilst Bonnie Bourne and Fin C WE delivered the goods in the Pony Team competition to top the Hickstead podium.

British Dressage thanks the team at Hickstead for a successful Premier League as well as all BD national sponsors for their invaluable support. Congratulations to all competitors.

Results

Tuesday 18 June

Class 5: Intermediate A 
Alice Oppenheimer with Headmore Diffinity, 69.63%

Wednesday 19 June

Class 7: Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges
Tom Goode with Langley, 72.85%

Class 7A: Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges 
Vicky Thompson Winfield with Esquire, 70.18%

Class 8: Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I 
Sara-Jane Lanning with Mi Amigo, 71.27%

Class 9: Intermediate B 
Kirsty Mepham with Minain, 67.74%

Class 10: Hickstead National Young Horse 5 Years Q 
Lucy Jane Amy with Jaliva, 78.40%

Class 11: Hickstead International Young Horse 5 Years Q 
Dannie Morgan with Breit Fantastic, 72.60%

Thursday 20 June

Class 12: Hickstead National Young Horse 6 Years Q 
Sarah Millis with Impressive, 84.00%

Class 13: Hickstead International Young Horse 6 Years Q
Sarah Millis with Impressive, 86.20%

Class 14: Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges 
Dannie Morgan with Knoxx’s Figaro, 71.01%

Class 15: Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I 
Nathalie Kayal with DHI Cleverboy, 72.15%

Class 16: Cavalor Intermediate II 
Vicky Thompson Winfield with Artist, 70.26%

Friday 21 June

Class 17A: FEI Young Rider Team Test 
Rebecca Swain with Bon Jovi, 71.23%

Class 18: LeMieux Grand Prix 
Vicky Thompson Winfield with Artist, 70.16%

Class 19: FEI U25 Grand Prix 
Amy Schiessl with Mr Mercury, 65.81%

Class 20: FEI Junior Team Test 
Charlotte McDowall with Alivia, 70.41%

Class 21: FEI Pony Team Test 
Bonnie Bourne with Fin C WE, 68.76%

Saturday 22 June

Class 22: Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I 
Dean Skeates with Super Blue, 70.92%

Class 23: Equine Construction Advanced Medium 98 
Alice Oppenheimer with Headmore Bella Ruby, 72.24%

Class 24: FEI Young Rider Individual Test 
Millie Gover with Kamil T, 69.54%

Class 25: FEI Junior Individual Test 
Samantha Wilson with Delhurens Sunshine, 70.13%

Class 26: FEI Pony Individual Test 
Scarlett John with BKS Grand Design, 65.30%

Class 27: Prix St Georges Freestyle 
Rachael Hawkins with Don Antello, 72%

Class 28: Grand Prix Freestyle 
Isobel Wessels with Chagall, 72.88%

Class 29: Grand Prix Special 
Vicky Thompson Winfield with Mango Jacaro, 68.92%