Samantha Felton and Ricker Ridge Pico Boo were first into the arena for the RM Williams CIC3* at Adelaide, and are currently third after the dressage with a score of 49.2.
The leader is Tim Boland on the well-performed GV Billy Elliot. The horse is a 15-year-old brown gelding by Epikur out of Hauptstutbuch Dolly (by Don Juan) and that Hanoverian breeding certainly helped with a lovely test, which scored 44.3. GV Billy Elliot is certainly a well-travelled horse, having had two trips to Europe in the last couple of years. Tim finished 17th in the four-star at Adelaide in 2011 and since then has competed at three-star level in both Australia and Europe.
Oliver Townend had a great start to his first-ever competition in Australia, and is currently in second place on Napoleon who is also owned and normally ridden by Tim Boland. Their score is 44.9, so there is not much in it. The 11-year-old horse is by APH Siegel out of Parklands Willow (Middleton Sam). Oliver certainly got a good tune out of him and was over the moon with the test. “It is so nice to be in Australia; I have never been here before. It’s nice to be eventing in such a relaxed way. Normally I am known for being a bit grumpy and a bit serious in England. This doesn’t feel like eventing to me, it feels like I am having fun and here with friends that I like – and hopefully they like me – and we are just having a good time. It’s a holiday. It might be a working holiday but this doesn’t feel like work for me over here.”
As for the cross-country course, Oliver says it is very different from what he is used to in England. “I think that the fences are not a problem on their own but at the same time with the terrain and the surroundings of the city, and the amount of trees about, it makes it very tricky the minute you start adding the pace. If you are going to be competitive and go quickly then it is going to become problematic.”
Riding just before noon in temperatures in the mid to high 20’s, Oliver was a very hot Yorkshireman when we caught up with him straight after the test, with the sweat running down his face. “It’s hot for me but it’s better than getting wet through and being freezing cold. Those flies are persistent but as long as this breeze keeps up I’ll be all right. The beer is to my liking, the wine is to my liking, I am having a whale of a time.”
Sam Felton on her second horse, Ricker Ridge Escada, scored 65.4 and are in 16th place at the end of the dressage phase.
“He held it together really well most of the test but then towards the end there were lots of mistakes. I thought he did really well, because he has had a bit of an unlucky trip and missed a bit of work after his face abscess and various things like that. We were really proud just to get him here. I thought he coped with the atmosphere really well.”
The show jumping will be held at 5:30pm today, in reverse order.
