A STRONG contingent of county riders will be challenging at the second 2008 "JAS" (Jumping and Style) Championship qualifiers at the new state-of-the-art Hartpury College arena near Gloucester.

JAS, which comes under the umbrella of British Eventing, is a platform for event riders to have an indoors pre-season tune-up.

Riders of all ages use the opportunity to practice those all-important corners and arrowheads over a testing course that combines cross-country and show jumping.

Four classes are scheduled and the top 10 in each section go on to the final at Addington Manor, near Buckingham, at the end of February.

Three Worcestershire riders, Welland's Stella Baylis, Faye Hopkins, of Bewdley, and Evesham's Sarah Weaving, will all be in action in the novice qualifier at Hartpury.

Baylis, also a successful BSJA show jumper whose versatility should make her a strong fancy, rides the eight-year-old Trefeinon Icon, a horse previously evented by Malvern rider Alex Moyles.

The 39-year-old is a busy riding instructor who won at Rodbaston BE one-day event last year with Nolton Tobago and also qualified for the British Intro Championships.

Ludlow Pony Club member Hopkins will partner the 13-year-old SS Sultan, who is by well-known Warmblood stallion Maximillian Salut. The pair contested the junior novice section at Aldon three-day event in Somerset last autumn, finishing just outside the top 20.

Weaving has two chances in the qualifier. She has entered both the nine-year-old Black Velvet, fourth at Monmouth one-day event in his first BE season in 2007, and 10-year-old Mister Toby, who she started competing with last summer.

Both horses are also in the pre-novice qualifier.

Hopkins' fellow Ludlow Pony Club riders Amy Blount and Hannah Ford will also be in action at Pre Novice level.

Ford, of Far Forest, rides the seven-year-old mare Caledonian Melody, runner-up at the Sapey one-day event last season. Blount, 18 and based at Bayton, will partner Independent Missile and is also a promising dressage rider.

Also in action at this level will be Evesham's Harriet Eaton, on her promising seven-year-old mare Primitive Peaches, Wolverley's Molly Johnstone on Pollux Star, a double winner at the Abbey Dressage meeting near Tewkesbury a few weeks ago, and Clifton-on-Teme's Angela Miles, on Roly Poly.

Blount, Ford and Eaton are also among the intro entries, the first step on the competition ladder.

They will be joined by Leigh Sinton's Louise Revill on Mr Bombastique, who is by renowned eventing sire Welton Apollo.