THE ground was the major talking point before crosscountry, after a very wet six months and then blazing sun in event week. Would it dry good – or tacky and holding? No one really knew.
Kylie Roddy also pointed to the weather as a possible factor.
“The horses haven’t galloped in temperatures near the 23°C forecast for Saturday, so there’ll be a fatigue factor,” she said.
The track ran anticlockwise and the intense area around the Vicarage ditch was again the focus of the jumping questions, set by Eric Winter.
“It seems like we are in that area for a much longer period than in previous years,” said Pippa Funnell, adding that she didn’t like the acutely angled log coming out of the Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay (fences 17ab and 18). “It’s ugly and horses can’t see it until the last second.”
Ireland’s Sam Watson said that the track “offers more chance of run-outs than Eric normally builds”.
He added: “It has all his normal features of slowing you down, using terrain, every lump and bump. I’ve also never known the Vicarage Vee to be so late on the course.”
The optimum time, at 11min 19sec, was 16 seconds shorter than in 2023. Usually when running in this direction, horses climb up by the Beaufort staircase and home over bumpy ground, but this year they cut left soon after passing The Lake, omitting this testing terrain.
JACKSON SETS THE TONE
Denne historien er fra May 16, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 16, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
