Riding high at Thoresby Spring Carnival

Persistent and heavy rain hampered preparations, but did not dampen the BEDE Events team spirits enough to dissuade them from running.

The Lycetts Grantham Cup has been regarded as one of the sport’s most prestigious four prizes for more than a decade and Emily King delivered one of the biggest wins of career riding her own, Mr Philippe Brivois.

Emily said: “I can’t really believe it. He’s been fantastic all week and it’s his first run of the season. If he was a bit excited, I’d have completely forgiven him. He’s getting more and more established with his movements and calmer with it.

“Showjumping, he was superb and I couldn’t have asked any more from him. Cross-country he was just super. I wanted to let him travel on the good ground, but I made a conscious effort to go a bit steadier over the slightly deeper patches that we’d noticed when walking the courses.”

Taking second place on the Lycetts Grantham Cup podium was 2018 world champion and current world No 3 Ros Canter with Annie Makin and Kate James’ Pencos Crown Jewel who completed on 43.9.

The second CCI4*S section saw a back-to-back Thoresby win for Piggy March and Brookfield Equestrian.

Rounding up the wins from Friday and Saturday’s international classes, the Investec CCI3*S at the Eventing Spring Carnival came down to one second splitting two former young rider gold medallists.

Finn Healy held on to the win by the narrowest of margins to claim the Investec CCI3*S title with Amy Hawley’s Treamble, ahead of Bubby Upton and Viktor Krum.

The former Pony European team gold medallist produced a 27.7 dressage and double jumping clear in a time of 6.07 to hold onto the win, by 0.4 penalties – just one second. Both riders had been neck and neck in the dressage, with everything hinging on the cross-country.

The Warner Leisure CCI2*S proceeded as planned, amid a revised competition schedule. Rising to the top of the field, with the only cross-country clear within the optimum time, was Nottinghamshire’s own Lizzie Baugh, riding Toni Dalby Rose’s 8-year-old Shannondale Cedric.