BRADLEY Green show jumper Caroline Webley dominated the top class on offer at the Cheltenham Horse Show, held on the famous racecourse in the Cotswolds and billed as 'Britain's biggest one-day horse show'.
Riders came from throughout the Midlands, Southern England and Wales to take part and Caroline was among the competitors in the Cotswold Derby, which makes use of some of Cheltenham Racecourse's permanent fences such as the Sporting Index Bank.
She jumped the first clear in the opening round of the Derby, over a testing 17 fence track that also included a Dyke, water and ditches, on the grey roan Arizona. She then guided another of Alve-church owner Joan Willetts' horses, Attorney General, into the jump-off, with a faultless opener.
Attorney General, in his second year at Cheltenham, opened the four horse jump-off over a shortened six fence track that kept in the gate, stile and combination.
The pair finished second in the Derby last year and this time pull-ed off a superb turn to the last fence to come home clear. This proved the winning round by over ten seconds, with Caroline also clinching second spot with the only other double clear on Ariz-ona.
"The course was a good one, and the ground wasn't too bad given the weather we've had lately," said Caroline. Last year's winner, Bromsgrove based Sarah Hedges, finished fifth with the fastest four faults in the opening round on Voodoo Man, with a pole off a mid course spread fence. Caroline went on to finish fifth in the 1.40m Open on another of Mrs Willett's horses, Barrister QC.
Mere Green-based Rosemary Tillson finished second in the Woodlands Equine Clinic 1.30m Open, a qualifier for this autumn's BSJA Festival of Show Jumping. She jumped a double clear on Oneida Bally Pride, a 16hh bay gelding who won the Newcomers Championships at the Festival of Show Jumping last year.
She also clinched second spot in the 1.25 Open on another horse previously ridden by Bethan Moore, Oneida Alley Cat.
"I think Cheltenham may have been Alley Cat's first show on grass," said Rosemary.
"She won the National Grade B class at the Scope Festival last year and I was delighted to take the ride. I hadn't been to Cheltenham before as I hadn't really had the horses. This season I've got the best bunch of horses I've had for a long time."
Alcester's Hilary Hool won the 1.25m Open on TLS Gamble, with Broadwas' Amanda Kent fifth on the palomino stallion Kennox Sunico, owned by Malvern's Shar-on Blin.
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