McLean's dash north pays dividends

The Scottish rider picks up a raft of Highland qualifiers and there's an unusual jumping test in Somerset

- SARAH RADFORD

THE Royal Highland Show (RHS) is one event Sandy McLean does not like to miss – so much so that he finished competing at the Blue Chip Championships at 11.30pm on Friday night and was in Cumbria the next morning to contest three qualifiers.

He justified his trip by winning the Johnston Smillie Accountants Grade B&C with Layla IV, also adding a onetwo in the Andrew Hamilton Coach novice qualifier with SES Jumeirah and Bingo 55, all owned by boss Matthew Pike.

“I got someone to take the horses up and I met them there on Saturday morning,” said Sandy. “It’s been quite a long weekend, with a lot of driving and not that much sleep!” He missed out on RHS

B&C qualification with SES Jumeirah, but added victory in the 1.30m open.

“He’s probably my most competitive young horse,” said Sandy, who won the Hickstead B&C qualifier with him at Arena UK in December.

Bingo, a seven-year-old who finished one second behind his stablemate, was added to the string six months ago.

“He is by Luidam out of a mare that jumped a lot of five-star Nations Cups,” said Sandy. “He’s still a bit green, but he has masses and masses of jump – you couldn’t build a fence too big for him. He’s 17.3hh, so it’s just been a case of getting him to grow into his body a bit.”