News

Wells leads the way at Hartpury CPEDI

  • Written By: British Dressage
  • Published: Tue, 10 Jul 2018 21:34 GMT

Sophie Wells led the British domination at Hartpury CPEDI in Gloucestershire last week (5 – 8 July 2018) with three outstanding performances aboard C Fatal Attraction (pictured).

Newark-based Sophie won the Grade V Team, Individual and Freestyle tests with scores of 74.11%, 76.35% and 78.785% respectively aboard Charlotte Hogg’s Fidertanz-sired 11-year-old. The 28-year-old Paralympian also debuted her own and Jackie Walker’s young stallion Gladstone (by Cyden Moorlands Bodyguard) at his first ever international, achieving second in both the Team and Individual tests; and achieved promising results in the Premier League Small Tour classes with her new ride, Diadeem.

Sophie, who trains with Angela Weiss, is an accomplished trainer herself. Testament to that, two of her own young students also earned seriously good results on the Hartpury stage – Izzy Palmer (17) scored a hat-trick in the Grade IV with the low-mileage veteran Touchdown M (Jazz x Fundus OLD) and Georgia Wilson (22) claimed the Grade II Freestyle with her own British-bred nine-year-old Midnight (Hilkens Black Delight x Cassander).

Sophie said on Sophie Wells MBE Dressage, “[Today was the] Final day of the Hartpury Festival of Dressage for us and it was a fantastic one.... Jorge [C Fatal Attraction] danced to our new music from Tom Hunt and I loved it. We won with 78.6% with room for improvement as always. Izzy and Touchdown won on 75.4% the grade IV, and finally Georgia did an amazing job winning the Grade II with over 73%.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my girls this week, what fabulous results, with a massive amount of team work. Thank you Lewis [Coppin] for looking after the horses and running round after me too. [I’m] Very proud of Team Wells, not just in the competition arena, but the journey they are all on, it’s an honour to be involved in a small way. Thanks to everyone for the support. It means so much.”

The para classes were a huge attraction for supporters. With World Equestrian Games selection around the corner, the standard of competition was high and many familiar faces could be seen in action. Lee Pearson (44), one of the most successful Paralympians this country has ever produced, took top honours in both the Grade II Team and Individual test with the Sandro’s Dancer daughter, Styletta, earning 73.48% and 72.44% and Natasha Baker was unbeatable at Grade III.

Natasha (28) has formed a brilliant bond in a short time with her new ride Mount St John Diva Dannebrog, as was in evidence here. The pair maintained their impressive record winning the Team, Individual and Freestyle tests with European team gold medallist Erin Orford taking the runners-up spot in all three.

Another young rider making strides in the sport is Mari Durward Akhurst. The 24-year-old who hails from Amersham, realised a dream by taking her first international victory. Settling for third in the Team Test behind Sophie Christiansen and Diane Green, Mari pulled out all the stops to take the next day’s Individual with a score of 71.60% and Friday’s Freestyle with a whopping plus-73%.

Top three results of the British riders:

Wednesday

Grade I Team Test
1st Sophie Christiansen with Amazing Romance, 72.357% (GBR)
2nd Diane Green with Gunstones Pride, 70.179% (GBR)
3rd Mari Durward Akhurst with Sky O’Hara, 69.954% (GBR)

Grade II Team Test
1st Lee Pearson with Styletta, 73.4865% (GBR) 
2nd Georgia Wilson with Chico III, 71.697% (GBR)
3rd Georgia Wilson with Midnight, 70.909% (GBR)

Grade III Team Test
1st Natasha Baker with Mount St John Diva Dannebrog, 73.794% (GBR)
2nd Erin Orford with Dior, 72.118% (GBR)
3rd Amanda Shirtcliffe with New-Princess, 68.294% (GBR)

Grade IV Team Test
1st Izzy Palmer with Touchdown M, 70.825% (GBR)
2nd Nicky Greenhill with Betty Boo, 68.875% (GBR)
3rd Marcelle Ward with Dornroeschen, 68.425% (GBR)

Grade V Team Test
1st Sophie Wells with C Fatal Attraction, 74.116% (GBR)
2nd Sophie Wells with Gladstone, 69.977% (GBR)
3rd Charlotte Cundall with Bam Bam, 68.116% (GBR)

Thursday

Grade I Individual Test
1st Mari Durward Akhurst with Sky O’Hara, 71.607% (GBR)
2nd Diane Green with Gunstones Pride, 70.250% (GBR)
3rd Michael Murphy with Rohan, 68.643% (GBR)

Grade II Individual Test
1st Lee Pearson with Styletta, 72.441% (GBR)
2nd Georgia Wilson with Midnight Z, 71.265% (GBR)
3rd Suzanna Hext with LJT Engaards Solitaire, 70.382% (GBR)

Grade III Individual Test
1st Natasha Baker with Mount St John Diva Dannebrog, 73.353% (GBR)
2nd Erin Orford with Dior, 71.471% (GBR)
3rd Amanda Shirtcliffe with New-Princess, 68.824% (GBR)

Grade IV Individual Test
1st Izzy Palmer with Touchdown M, 72.244% (GBR)
2nd Nicky Greenhill with Betty Boo, 72.098% (GBR)
3rd Nicky Greenhill with King Edward, 69.829% (GBR)

Grade V Individual Test
1st Sophie Wells with C Fatal Attraction, 76.357% (GBR)
2nd Sophie Wells with Gladstone, 70.929% (GBR)
3rd Charlotte Cundall with Bam Bam, 68.548% (GBR)

Friday

Grade I Freestyle Test
1st Mari Durward Akhurst with Sky O’Hara, 73.080% (GBR)
2nd Sophie Christiansen with Amazing Romance, 70.920% (GBR)
3rd Diane Green with Gunstones Pride, 70.633% (GBR)

Grade II Freestyle Test
1st Georgia Wilson with Midnight, 73.533% (GBR)
2nd Suzanna Hext with LJT Engaards Solitaire, 73.360% (GBR)
3rd Lee Pearson with Styletta, 71.813% (GBR)

Grade III Freestyle Test
1st Natasha Baker with Mount St John Diva Dannebrog, 74.967% (GBR)
2nd Erin Orford with Dior, 74.520% (GBR)
3rd Amanda Shirtcliffe with New-Princess, 71.500% (GBR)

Grade IV Freestyle
1st Izzy Palmer with Touchdown M, 75.405% (GBR)
2nd Nicky Greenhill with Betty Boo, 72.505% (GBR)
3rd Heather Bennett with Zavailantika, 70.600% (GBR)

Grade V Freestyle Test
1st Sophie Wells with C Fatal Attraction, 78.785% (GBR)
2nd Charlotte Cundall with Bam Bam, 70.665% (GBR)
3rd Tamsin Addison with Farenheit 212, 68.645% (GBR)