Emma Lawton rode Elizabeth Goda’s 10-year-old Connemara Ross Skylark into the top spot in the CCI1* with a dressage score completion. The pair led from pillar to post, making it a third win out of three runs this season.
Elizabeth bought the horse from a field of six, as a three-year-old, chosing him purely because of his name – Ross. “I was a big fan of Poldark, which was on television at the time! I wanted something to back myself and had always wanted a Connie. I started him off and Emma took over from the first lap of the school in trot.”
“When I was first asked to ride him he felt really small – he’s only 15.1hh now, and not a very big 15.1 at that,” Emma explained. “’Are you really sure?’ I thought, but he progressed up to doing the 1* here followed by a novice last season. We picked up quite a few time penalties in that 1*, so this year we’ve worked hard on his fitness, and he’s also more established.
“He’s cheeky on the ground, but when you get on him, he loves his job and is good at every phase. You wouldn’t expect him to have such good paces or jump so well by looking at him, you’d think ‘he’s just a Connie’.”
Ross lives with his owner, who hacks him a lot. “In his mind he’s going to the Olympics. After his performance today, we think we might head to the final running of Blair.”
Lucy Robinson and Georgie Rockingham’s Olaris Beech took the runner up spot and Guthrie Sheilds riding Sir Prize P slotted into third. The top five all finished on their dressage scores.
Aston-le-Walls also hosted the final trial for selection for the British Team at the Pony European Championship in Germany later this summer. Annabel Ridgway came out on top riding Akim de l’Arquerie, a 14-year-old French-bred pony owned by Project Pony. The pair finished last season with a win at Osberton’s CCIP2*S and won a novice at Farley Hall last time out.
“I knew my pony was totally capable but it’s luck on the day,” said 15-year-old Annabel. “He’s never showjumped after cross country on a one-day so I wasn’t sure what he’d think, and I put pressure on myself. He really dug deep for me on the cross country.”
Sophia Paul riding Man in the Mirror filled the runners-up spot, a couple of points off the pace, with Niamh Reir on Diamant de la Cour third.
Ian Barrett, whose daughter Elizabeth was the brains behind Project Pony, was delighted with how the day had gone. “Aston is such an amazing venue and having the showjumping at the end was brilliant. It made the riders really feel a proper championship atmosphere.”
There were five novice sections, Mark Ford and Alvescot Five Star posting a comfortable winning margin of almost five penalties, while Ella Fredericks and Upper Class Brit narrowly took their class, finishing on the same score as Hazel Towers and Torpex but closer to the optimum cross country time.
Hollie Swain riding Florissa, Yasmin Olsson-Sanderson on Global La Pomme, and Noah Brook with Master Vivaldi were the remaining winners.
Sunday sees the conclusion of the CCI4*S and the small, Olympic long-listed combination advanced class.
For equestrian followers unable to visit in person they can follow all the cross country action on Horse & Country TV, our live-stream partner.
Results can be found here
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