Dauntsey

We have had a very successful day at Dauntsey today with Freddie Mac winning the feature class –  The Uptown Eventing Intermediate-Novice.

This was very exciting as first prize is three nights in Majorca, which not only is a fantastic prize in the eventing world but also at this level.  Freddie Mac led the dressage with a very good test, scoring 25. He show jumped really well and thoroughly enjoyed the cross country adding just three time faults across country which he could comfortably afford and hopefully setting him up well for his first CCI** at Weston Park next week.

Soltaire Justice also won his Novice section.  He scored 28 in the dressage, leading his section and much improved from last time out at Gatcombe.  Despite rolling a pole in the show jumping and adding one time fault across country he won comfortably.  This would also have been a useful run before he does his first CCI* at Weston Park next week.

Henton For Fun had his third successful weekend in a row finishing 7^th in his Novice section.  He led the dressage on a score of 30 with a lovely test.  He jumped an easy clear show jumping and felt great across country, but I took him quite steadily picking up nine time faults.  He gives me a fabulous feel and I am very excited he has gone so well in his first two Novice runs.

I was also having my first Novice ride on my mothers horse Star Time and he rounded off the day with an excellent 3^rd place.  He lay joint first after dressage on a score of 31 and was very unlucky to have the last fence down show jumping.   He flew across country just picking up 0.4 time faults, feeling very confident and happy. 

The Dauntsey team have done a first class job getting the show on the road - with 3” of rain in three days and flooding rivers it is incredible the event went ahead at all, even providing some excellent ground over all.   Another point worth mentioning is to remember how awful conditions were for their last event so the amount of work that must have gone into the course to make it happen is unimaginable, it must have been intense and I cannot congratulate the team enough for what they achieved.