Coach demonstrates winning ways to rivals

A riding instructor and a cafe co-owner take the spoils in eventing's two blue riband finals for amateurs

- JULIE HARDING

Voltaire Design Grassroots Championships, Badminton, Glos

IN a battle boasting echoes of that between David and Goliath, a 14.2hh gelding called Annandale Idris trounced the opposition to claim victory in the BE100 championships despite almost every other rival towering over him.

The son of Ewyn Dorian was piloted by Kate Raynor, who admitted: “I’m only 5ft tall, so I don’t swamp him. We followed two 17hh-plus horses into the dressage arena, though, and I was worried he would look like a Shetland by comparison, but he gave it his best shot. He’s by a Welsh section C stallion out of a thoroughbred mare, meaning that he’s got a tiny Welsh body on top of thoroughbred legs!”

On the final leaderboard, this pair ended up two penalties clear of Jane Rogers and Corrieview Merlin Magic, who were making their fifth and most successful appearance at this contest, while Katie Wood and Solitaire King were a further 1.4 penalties off the pace in third.

This trio finished on their dressage scores, as indeed did the entire top 12, but such perfection at the head of affairs disguised the fact that Glen Mac Robert Smith’s showjumping track and James Willis’s cross-country course exerted a huge influence on the 56-strong field and the cream was truly able to rise to the top.

“The beginning of the cross-country was incredibly intense,” said the winner, in part referring to the tricky nature of fence seven, the Voltaire Design Hollow, a rail-ditch-rail complex, which, looking at the analysis sheet, perhaps deserved the title of “bogey” as it was responsible for 11 spoiled scoresheets.

However, the pint-sized Annandale Idris made light of every jumping effort.

“He got better as we went round,” said Kate. “I was worried whether he would be fit enough, as he’s not had many runs, but he stepped up.”