Cotswold defies the elements

The wet weather has forced team chase cancellations, but the Cotswold provides a great venue for teams from the top to the bottom of the scale

- JANE CARLEY

Cotswold, Glos

THE second half of the autumn team chase season took a hit from Storm Babet the Grafton was in the eye of the storm, and then the Essex and Suffolk was ruled out by flooding.

Just the Cotswold stood firm, the old turf at Andoversford sucking up further onslaughts from the elements over the weekend of what has become a two-day event. Innovative mini classes use scaled-down versions of the trademark walls and hedges on the Saturday, before the big guns compete over the full track on the Sunday.

With the traditional season's climax at the Essex and Suffolk cancelled, the Cotswold also hosted the final round and presentation of the team chasing leagues.

Team Ride Away II have been locked in a pitched battle with Fox Grant Dot Com all season and the Cotswold's undulating and varied open track produced a mouthwatering clash for the sizeable crowd that the event attracts.

DEVASTATING SPEED

IN the end, it was the Rideaway squad's horse selection, which combines experienced, confident campaigners and talented newcomers, that won the day. Charlotte Alexander headed them up on what might be the ultimate lead horse, Saphir Du Rheu the former Paul Nicholls-trained chaser also events and matches his speed with nimbleness.