Milnes makes it a double

A 21-year-old stallion who refuses to be retired spearheads Charlotte Milnes’ successful event

- ELLIE HUGHES

Skipton (2), North Yorkshire

CHARLOTTE MILNES found that wins come along like buses when she topped two sections – and finished second in another – at Skipton (2).

“I’ve been waiting years for a win, so to have a day like this was a dream,” said Charlotte, who headed the BE90open on her 21-year-old “semi-retired” stallion Forinth and a BE80(T) on her mother Jo Milnes’ JD II.

Forinth was campaigned to advanced level by James Adams before joining the Milnes family’s West End Farm Stud in Yorkshire in 2013 as a schoolmaster and working stallion.

“He’s still busy at stud, but we’ve been trying to retire him from competing for a while,” explained Charlotte, who now lives in Gloucestershire but often returns home to compete. “It hasn’t worked, though, as every time he sees the lorry on the drive he says, ‘What about me?’ and refuses to be left behind.”

Both JD II and Carnsdale Show Man, who finished second at BE80(T), are more often ridden by Jo, but on this occasion she watched the action unfold from cross-country control, where she was helping out for the weekend.

“Mum works at a lot of the events in this area, so I sometimes step in and ride,” explained Charlotte. “But I’m fairly sure she will want to be back in the saddle for the next one.”

Amy Roberts’ BE90 winner, Apollo, has not always given his owner/rider a smooth ride. Soon after buying the German bred gelding as a newly backed four-year-old two years ago, Amy sent him back after he repeatedly bolted with her.