Botham Cherry Picks Best Of Spoils

It all comes together for Adam Botham while Gorgia Lisi and her ‘winning machine’ head 66-strong class

- Sarah Radford

ADAM Botham cherry-picked the best of the spoils from this show, claiming the feature Blue Chip qualifier as well as both the richest and the biggest classes of the schedule.

Taking the opening day’s 1.30m open with Leonne George’s Katinka II, he went on to add the £300-to-the-winner Christmas cracker 1.20m final aboard Flipper Nouvelle. He rounded off an impressive debut at this venue by also claiming the 1.25m Blue Chip DDS Demolition Winter Championship Qualifier on his top ride Dakota.

The nine-year-old mare, who is co-owned by Adam’s mother-in law Marcine Marshall, was having “a little trip round” this qualifier track after missing out on Keysoe because of a mild colic.

She made light work of the jump-off, using her ample scope to be the sole contender to execute an inside turn to a decent oxer to take the lead.

“She didn’t even need to come out of her first round canter,” said Adam, who has been tackling some bigger tracks with the mare this year. “Coming inside two fences was enough that no one could beat her.”

The daughter of Andiamo has bounced back from a few weeks off to take the win.