It was a historic day for Newmarket rider Bubby Upton as she claimed back-to-back wins in the showcase Defender CCI4*-L section with Its Cooley Time. Together they jumped a copy book clear show jumping round to head the field and earn themselves a prime spot in Bramham’s hallowed halls of history.
Defender CCI4*-L
The day’s action got underway with the sun shining bright. Thirty-four horses remained in the running order after Saturday’s cross-country action, but the news came in of two overnight withdrawals – Tom Rowland with LB Mettaphor and Jim Newsam with Tullybee Louie – so it was 32 that came in front of the Ground Jury of Christina Klingspor (SWE), Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Les Smith (GBR).
There were audible gasps from the crowd as Selina Miles with Cooley Snapchat, in second place overnight, were sent to the holding box, followed swiftly by third-placed combination Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier. Caroline made the decision to withdraw, while Selina’s horse was passed after re-inspection.
That gave us a start list of 31 for the jumping finale to crown this year’s Defender CCI4*-L champion. Course designer Jason Abbs had set a technical test, and the feeling was that the time allowed could be a deciding factor, particularly because the scores were so tight across the top-placed riders. This was confirmed after the first dozen combinations, with faultless rounds becoming a premium.
As we entered the final group, there were two immaculate clears from Tom McEwen riding Quintus for Deirdre Johnston and Jane Knight, and Ireland’s Aoife Clark – a winner here in 2014 – with Full Monty de Lacense, owned by the Ace of Spades Syndicate, put the pressure on those to come.
Four-fault rounds from Katie Magee and Sharon Parnaby’s Cushlas Indigo, who impressed with a clear inside the time yesterday, and Lizzie Baugh riding Piltown Concord for Janette Shipley, dropped them out of podium contention, but set for a top-10 finish.
We then moved into the top four, where just 2.8 penalties separated them – their rounds needed to be clear to keep their places.
Tiana Coudray was the first of the contenders, who produced an assured clear with Kyrle Arscott, Annabelle James and her own D’Artagnan to pile on the pressure. Next up was reigning world champion Yasmin Ingham with The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Gypsie du Loir. The duo had been promoted up the order to third as a result of Caroline Powell’s withdrawal.
Yaz and ‘Gigi’ were Bramham winners last year in the CCI4*-S section and clinched that title with a clear. Could they match it this time? They started assuredly, with the athletic mare really pinging – they just caught the second part of the Defender double for four penalties but were clear the rest of the way. Sadly, the rail cost a place on the podium, but where would it leave them overall?
It was now down to the penultimate pairing of Selina Milnes and William and Angela Rucker’s Cooley Snapchat, who had one of the rides of the day yesterday. They cantered in looking a picture, with bright bay ‘Casper’ still seeming fresh after Saturday’s test. It was a super round, but they stopped the clock two seconds over the time. That added 0.8 to their total, but was enough in hand to retain their second place and keep the pressure on the overnight leaders.
If Bubby Upton was feeling the nerves, she hid it well as she cantered into the expansive Defender Arena. Beneath her was a horse who gives her supreme confidence – her ‘freak of nature’, as she calls Its Cooley Time, owned by Susan de Zulueta, Jane Dear, Susie Holland-Bosworth, The Duchess of Norfolk, Hillary Russell and Bubby herself. The knowledge that she’d jumped a clear in this very arena some 12 months previous must have given some reassurance.
Selina’s time faults meant that Bubby had just 0.9 in hand – she could be two seconds over the time, but no more. They set off and the grey gelding simply glided round, meeting each fence on the exact spot and jumping in textbook style, never looking like having a fence down. They cantered through the timing beam and it was inside the optimum – the title was theirs for a second consecutive year. As she finished, the emotion of the occasion was clear, with the Newmarket rider looking shocked and elated all in one.
“He jumps like a jumper, goes cross-country like a point-to-pointer and flicks his toes like a dressage horse – you can’t really ask for more! Of course, the line is thin with him, but I genuinely wouldn’t want to be sat on another horse going into the final day. He’s just extraordinary and makes my job so easy, so it’s a pure joy and privilege to go in there, with that kind of pressure, sat on a horse like him,” declared Bubby.
The pair haven’t had the easiest time of it over the past 12 months, with upsets at their first senior championship – the FEI Eventing European Championship at Blenheim last September – and Kronenberg in March. However, Bubby has held fast to her conviction of the gelding’s potential and talent.
“Yesterday meant so much to us all,” she said of her cross-country round. “When it goes wrong a few times on the bounce, it’s quite easy to lose faith in the whole system, but thank God I’m surrounded by such amazing people and never did that. We just made a few small tweaks here and there, but fundamentally never lost faith or belief. I really feel like this past year has been the making of us.
“I’m just over the moon and honestly quite emotional. It hasn’t come without a rollercoaster ride to get here and I honestly couldn’t be prouder of him [Its Cooley Time]. My team and I never lost belief, never lost faith – he’s always been a complete freak of nature with his talent, but it’s come with its difficulties, too. To get it all right this week has been months of work and analysis, and going back to the basics, and getting the system tweaked a bit, but what a horse – unbelievable!
“He’s now going to have a well-deserved holiday in the field and then we’ll regroup, make a new plan and go from there,” she explained.
In taking back-to-back wins, Bubby and ‘Finn’ emulate ‘Mr. Bramham’ William Fox-Pitt and the legendary stallion Chilli Morning, who took the long title in 2012 and 2013.
Wetherby Skip Hire Bramham Grand Prix
A total of 47 combinations came forward for the traditional Bramham curtain closer, the Wetherby Skip Hire Bramham Grand Prix, in front of a buzzing, knowledgeable crowd. There was a good representation from the Whitaker clan, a few event riders aiming to spoil the jumping party and then there was local rider Richard Howley. He’d been on fire this week with wins in the Horse of the Year Show Grade C Championship Qualifier and the National 1.40m Open, but now had his eyes set on another win in the Defender Arena.
The first round yielded 17 clears to go through to the jump off, but it was that man in form who went on to comfortably take the win in the end. Riding Caprice D’Elle for ESM Equestrian, Richard, who runs HK Horse with Morgan Kent at Ingmanthorpe Hall near Wetherby just a few miles away, blistered around the jump off clear with a time of 41.97. That gave him a winning margin of just 0.6 over second-placed Graham Gillespie with Crystal Graf HK. James Smith completed the podium riding Juno Rose 23.
“I believe this is the sixth time we’ve brought the trophy back to Wetherby, but it’s important we try to do our best. We’re under strict instructions to make sure we’re not away from Bramham Horse Show when it’s on and to come with the best string of horses. It’s always a pleasure to come here – it’s an amazing show, the facility is amazing, the ground is fantastic and it’s great to bring top level sport up to the north of England,” said Richard.
On his horse, Richard commented; “He’s a fantastic horse. I’ve ridden him for about six months now – he’s really competitive and consistent in his jumping, and he’s a pleasure to have.”
Saracen Horse Feeds Arena Eventing
The ever-popular Saracen Horse Feeds Arena Eventing gives competitors the chance to ride on the hallowed Bramham turf in the Obelisk Paddock, in the shadow of the main arena. Some 113 combinations came forward across 80cm, 90cm and 100cm sections to tackle a course of showjumping fences before going on to a shortened cross-country track laid out by Bramham course builder David Evans.
Our winners this year were:
- 80cm – Bobbie Hodgson and Steady Neddy
- 90cm – Izzy Whitaker and It’s Zina
- 100cm – Jill White and Lariico Gii
See you in 2027
Four days of incredible sport and a host of memories made means the Defender Bramham International Horse Trials is over for another year. Thank you to all the riders and their connections, our valued partners and sponsors, our charitable partner this year Cystic Fibrosis Care, the hundreds of volunteers who make the event possible and, of course, the spectators who turn out and make the event such a special occasion every year.
The final scores, results and all the info you need is on the Defender Bramham International Horse Trials app – just download from your preferred app store or visit the website www.bramham-horse.co.uk. You can catch up with on socials too – we’re on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.