It’s not just upcoming young rider talent on full display here at Bicton, but also upcoming young equine talent too. Today saw the completion of the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier, where four and five year old horses are invited to show off their 5* level potential.
This prestigious series offers a glimpse into the future of eventing, with each horse assessed across four key phases designed to reflect the demands of top-level competition: Dressage, Jump, Gallop and Type. Judges are on the lookout for athletic, loose moving horses with promising jumping technique and attitude.
It was tight at the top in the 4-year-old section with just 1.3 penalties separating the podium finishers. Ultimately, it was Helen West and Caunton Cosmic Diamond who claimed victory. The judges were particularly impressed with the mare’s dressage and type, which scored 22.3 and 16 respectively.
On her win, West said, “I’m a little bit shocked and absolutely delighted! It’s actually her first outing in public. You could really see how much she grew in confidence, and I think that although she was green, she showed her quality. She’ll have come on hugely from this and that’s one of the brilliant things about this series. I think it’s a fantastic way of educating and producing the young horses without any pressure on them.”
The hotly contested 5-year-old class was dominated by Isabelle Cook, who achieved an impressive 1-2 finish. Her winning ride, Kristina Cook’s Parel, is still fairly new to Isabelle’s yard and one she is particularly excited about. It would seem that the judges agree, as they awarded him a perfect score for both his Jump and Gallop efforts (40 and 5 respectively). On her successful performance, Cook comments, “I’ve not done many of these classes before and to have them both qualify for Burghley is so exciting, they are such nice young horses. To come first and second was a lovely surprise.”
Of course, both winners will receive that all important ticket to the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final which takes place at Defender Burghley Horse Trials in September.
Isabelle Cook with Parel (1) and Billy Everything (2)
Caunton Cosmic Diamond and Helen West
