JAYNE Ross and The Shades of Grey Syndicate’s Bloomfield Excelsior clinched a memorable end of season heavyweight double at two prestigious National championships.

Having first won at the National Hunter Show at Stafford, the pair went on to register a second win at the British Show Horse Society (BSHA) National end of season championships at Addington last weekend.

Just after standing supreme hunter for Jane Bradbury at Dublin in 2014, Bloomfield Excelsior, aka Rex, came over to England where he was left to grow and mature and he was not over-shown in his first British season last term.

With the cancellation of Royal Windsor’s hunter day in May, the Jack Of Diamonds six-year-old had a delayed start this year, but since then he has amassed an enviable tally of major wins and championships.

“A cracking heavyweight hunter, full of quality and substance; he combines great movement with a beautiful short cannon bone and he’s a real weight carried,” said Anthony Steward who assessed conformation at the hunter show.

“He is light and easy to sit in to and he does give an armchair ride,” said Jayne, after Rex had secured the national supreme hunter title after giving a flawless display under the lights at Stafford.

The huge grey gelding narrowly missed a championship double two weeks later at Addington where he stood reserve to his stable companion and winning small Hello Dolly.

Ross and Carol Bardo’s team at Moor Farm travelled a mixture of youth and experience to Addington and they were delighted with Templeogue who won the four-year-old class.

Templeogue, by Verdi, was bought as an unbroken three-year-old from David Tatlow and the quality bay gelding is continuing to fulfil all his early promise after winning on his debut at Moreton-In-The-Marsh the week before Addington.

FLOURISH

Robert Walker was another leading light of hunter showing to enjoy a real flourish of wins at the National Hunter Show and BSHA championships.

At Stafford, Walker started as he meant to go on by taking the novice championship and reserve awards riding Jill Day’s Patric’s Choice (Westcoast Cavalier) and Viewpoint (Loughehoe Guy).

“We saw Patric after Jill bought him as a foal and it was difficult to tell then whether he would make a heavyweight, but when he came in for backing he’d done a massive grow,” said Robert, who added another tricolour when the Tasset seven-year-old Pride Of Place II stood champion at the conclusion of the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) classes.

EMOTIONS

Amateur divisions were among the best supported at the hunter championships and emotions almost ran over when Christian Kwek and Kenlis Carrera were crowned National amateur champions.

Carrera was bred in Ireland by well know RDS steward Paul Gilsenan. She is by Porsch out of Kenlis Society Rose and Gilsenan’s England based brother Rory currently produces the eight-year-old mare.

Christian bought his free-moving chesnut two years ago and they enjoy winter show jumping and autumn hunting with the Bicester.

“She’s such a good model and a really versatile mare that combines good movement and presence.

She always gives a good ride and she was amazing tonight, this win means the world to me,” said Christian.

Working hunter classes were again a feature at this show. Course designer Gillian Milner set a tough course for the popular Grand Prix where fences included a skinny upright jumping out of the all-weather surface on to a grass ring.

Heading the class after producing a classy clear round was Olivia Dales aboard Chris and Jane Makin’s Pembroke Grey Mist.

This Irish sport horse, by Fintan Himself, has remained wonderfully consistent all season and he claimed an additional victory the following day in the HOYS qualifier.

“He is used to hunting and as he’s an out and out jumper, no course is too big for him,” said Dales. Paulette Cooper’s First Rate (220), who was an impulse buy at Dublin Show, claimed his first British win when he stood top of his four-year-old sport horse class before going on to take the sport horse tricolour for his producer Adam Taylor.

First Rate competed in the four-year-old young event horse class at Dublin with Gwen Scott and won the equivalent working hunter division at Ballsbridge for Louise Lyons.

Like Jayne Ross, Robert Walker continued his winning run at the BSHA championships where Viewpoint topped a strong novice lightweight line-up before claiming the supreme novice title.

Growing in stature with every outing, Viewpoint sparkled under the lights to stand overall reserve supreme hunter to Hello Dolly.

Walker clinched a second tricolour when the Tasset seven-year-old Pride Of Place topped his HOYS lightweight class before taking the open championship.

jubilation

There was further jubilation in the Walker camp when Chantilly Bojangles clinched a HOYS ticket after finishing second in his small division.

The 2015 Dublin small hunter champion is now owned by the Colosso family and Walker had just five days to get acquainted with him before Addington.

Another new ride for Walker, Camilla Neame’s Kilatal Charlie is also going great guns.

After standing champion cob at Moreton, where he bagged a HOYS ticket, the eight-year-old heavyweight cob, who finished sixth for Willie Corrigan at Dublin last August, claimed a creditable second place at the BSHA championships.

“He was still quite green when he came in, but he has improved with every outing,” said Walker.

More ribbons came team Walker’s way at Addington where Randalstown Rolex added the open cob tricolour to his impressive seasonal tally and Colebourne won the maxi classic supreme and topped the young riders’ class for his owner Miranda Wallace.

Not many riders and producers can celebrate a 100% strike rate at a National championship fixture, but Leicester based Simon and Natalie Reynolds did just that when all four of the horses they fielded won their classes.

Heavyweight cob Morrows Marksman led the way in the HOYS classes and he went on to stand reserve champion.

Next away was the less experienced Colourprint who topped the novice division and The Baroness followed as best young cob.

Star of the team was Cobswallop who topped a huge HOYS maxi class before standing supreme maxi champion and second reserve supreme of show.

“We’re all on cloud nine,” said Reynolds.

Another rider and producer, Lynn Russell, who is a huge supporter of Irish cobs, was also reported to be delighted with Jovian, who finished second in his maxi line-up.

Russell believes that riding all her cobs side-saddle is good for their education. Jovian has turned many an eye this season with his lightness and elegance of movement and he finished sixth in a strong side-saddle class.