Horse & Hound – 08 August 2019

(Darren Dugan) #1

4 Horse&Hound8 August 2019


Editedby
Eleanor Jones

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BRITAIN’ShopesofEuropean
gloryarepinnedonstrongsquads.
Talentedcombinationswill
maketheirseniorchampionship
debutsalongsideexperienced
medalwinnersattheEuropeans.
Thedressage,paradressage
andshowjumpingtakeplacein
Rotterdam(19to 25 August);
theeventinginLuhmühlen(
Augustto1 September).
Thedressageteammedals,
thefirsttobecontended,willbe
awardedon 20 August.
RisingstarLottieFry,23,
makesherseniorchampionship
teamdebutwithDarkLegend.
Thecombinationhavehadsuccess
atyoungriderlevel,andwon
individualsilverandgoldatthe
under-25Europeanslastyear.
Theyarenamedalongside
CharlotteDujardin(MountSt
JohnFreestyle),CarlHester
(HawtinsDelicato)andGareth
Hughes(ClassicBriolinca).
“I’mreallyexcited—it tooka
whileforit tosinkin,”saidLottie.
“He’sanamazinghorse,wehave
sucha greatpartnership.Two
yearsagoweweredoingyoung
riders—it’salmostunreal.”
Garethmakesa championship
teamreturn,havinghelped
Britaintoteamsilveratthe 2014
WorldEquestrianGames.
Heis “veryproud”toride
ClassicBriolinca,whohehas
ownedfroma youngsterwithwife
Rebeccaandlong-termsupporter
andfriendJuliaHornig.
“StephSharples,mytravelling
groomandheadgirl,haslooked
afterBriolincathroughouther
career,soit willbeexcitingand
emotionalforallofus,”hesaid.
“It’s great to be back on the team

Newchampionshipfacesjoinestablishedtoptalentas

Team GBR announces its championshiprepresentatives

withCharlotteandCarl,andto
haveLottie;she’sbeenoneofthe
mostexcitingstarsthisyear.”
Charlottehasa directreserve
horse,Erlentanz,andthereserves
areRichardDavison(Bubblingh)
andLaraButler(RubinAlAsad).
EventinghopesrestwithLaura
Collett(London52),TinaCook
(BillyTheRed),PiggyFrench
(QuarrycrestEcho),KittyKing
(VendrediBiats),TomMcEwen
(ToledoDeKerser)andOliver
Townend(CooleyMasterClass).
PiggyandOliverhavedirect
reserverides;VanirKamiraand
BallaghmorClass.
“Itis a veryprouddaytohave
two horses, both of whom have

beenattheyardfromyoungsters,
tobepickedfortheBritishteam,”
saidOliver.“Cooleyhascompeted
andwonatfive-starlevel,butthis
willbehisfirstchampionship,
whichmakesit asexcitingas
ever.I thinkhecouldbea very
competitivefeaturefortheteam.”
ThefourreservesareAlex
Bragg(Zagreb),SarahBullimore
(ReveDeRouet),PippaFunnell
(MajasHope)andTomMcEwen
(FigaroVanHetBroekxhof ).
TeamGBRhassecuredTokyo
spotsfordressage,paradressage
andeventing,butRotterdamis
vitalforshowjumping,whichis
stilltoqualify.
Tomorrow(9August)at
DublinHorseShowwillbe
Britain’sfinalchancetobaga spot
at the Nations Cup finals, where

ByLUCYELDER

All guns blazing as British

teams picked for Europeans

Ireland hopesto make Olympic history in Europe

IRELANDis aimingfordouble
Olympicqualificationin
Rotterdam,asitsthreeEuropean
Championshipssquadshavebeen
announced.
The“girlsingreen”—Judy
Reynolds(VancouverK),Anna
Merveldt(Esporim),Heike
Holstein (Sambuca) and Kate

Dwyer(SnowdonFaberge)—are
hopingtosecureIreland’sfirst
Olympicdressageteamplaceat
thechampionships.
ThecountryalsojoinsBritain
inhopingtosecureoneofthe
threeshowjumpingticketsto
Tokyoonoffer,asit defends the
title it won in 2017.

Thesquadis:DarraghKenny
(BalouDuReventon),Peter
Moloney(Chianti’sChampion),
CianO’Connor(PSGFinal),Paul
O’Shea(SkaraGlen’sMachu
Picchu)andShaneSweetnam
(Seabrook’sAlejandro).
Irelandsecureditseventing
place with silver at the 2018

WorldEquestrianGames,butthe
squadaimingtocontinuethat
championshipsuccessis:Sam
Watson(ImperialSkyorTullabeg
Flamenco),CathalDaniels
(RioghanRua),SarahEnnis
(WoodcourtGarrison),Clare
Abbott(EuroPrince)andCiaran
Glynn (November Night). EJ

thereis oneTokyoplaceonoffer.
Butthesidewillhopetosecure
theplaceinRotterdam,where
threespotsareavailable.
PerformancemanagerDi
Lampardhasnameda fierceline-
upforthe“crucial”competition.
ScottBrash(HelloM’Lady),
AmandaDerbyshire(Luibanta
BH),BenMaher(ExplosionW),
LauraRenwick(DublinV)and
HollySmith(HeartsDestiny)
makeupthesquad.
Thiswillbethefirstsenior
championshipforLaura,oneof
Britain’sleadingriders.
“I’mreallyexcitedandproud
tohavebeenselectedtorepresent
mycountryatnotonlymyfirst
EuropeanChampionships,but
onethatis extremelyimportantto
Britain,”saidLaura.
BritishShowjumpingchief
executiveIainGrahamsaidhehas
“fullconfidence”intheteamof
proven, successful combinations.

PiggyFrenchand
QuarrycrestEchofeature
in the eventing squad
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