Great result at Tattersalls
It was a thrilling last day at Tattersalls, with Away Cruising finishing 2nd in the CCI**!
He was lying in third place before the show jumping so had to wait until almost the end to jump. I'd given him a little jump earlier in the morning and he felt great, and it was good to have Yogi there to warm him up. He had a fence in hand to stay in 3rd place but jumped a brilliant clear, putting the pressure on William Fox-Pitt and Oliver Townend who were lying ahead of him. William followed with a clear round but two fences down for Oliver meant Away Cruising moved up a place to finish 2nd.
Away Cruising has really come into his own this season, and hasn't put a foot wrong all week. He had an early draw so we were delighted that he produced a score of 43 in the dressage which gave him the early lead and left him in 5th after the end of the dressage, with Vrolijk out in front on 38.
I've ridden Away Cruising since he was a four year old and have always felt that he will grow into a very good horse, but this week was very much a coming of age for him. I am sure he will go on and will be in his element the further he moves up the grades. He has a very long stride so it has been difficult to find courses that suit him so far, but I have tried to give him the best possible foundation so he is full of confidence when he gets to the park type of events at 3 and 4 star, where there will be much more space in which he can operate.
Jess did a great job to have the horses in the best possible shape for this morning's trot up, particularly as Vrolijk had lost both front shoes on the cross country so needed plenty of icing. Jess is devoted to the horses and the extra attention she gives them definitely pays off in moments like this.
It was very satisfying that both horses jumped superb clears in the show jumping. Vrolijk hasn't had a fence down all season so I felt pretty confident on him, it was just a shame he wasn't still in the lead! He is a pleasure to ride and I am sure will have a three day win in him. There have been so many positives this week and both horses showed how competitive they can be.
We were so sorry for Sam Griffiths and his team with the loss of the stunning Favorit Z who tragically broke his leg on the cross country course. Having been through that last year it is such a hard thing to deal with and very much puts things into perspective.
As always the team at Tattersalls put on a brilliant event. The facilities are great and we are very lucky to stable our horses in the smart permanent yards that they use for the thoroughbred sales. Ian Stark's bold courses are very educational and prepare the horses as a stepping stone up the ladder. The staff in the office have their work cut out with so many horses competing but they always make a huge effort to help in any way they can, and the Irish hospitality is a good reason to keep going back!
Photos thanks to Hannah Freeland Photography
