Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar survived two days of pressure to top the Agria CCI4-L by 0.6 of a penalty, while France’s Astier Nicolas produced the test of the week to take the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S lead.
Two days of dressage at Blenheim Palace ended with the same name at the top of the Agria CCI4*-L that put it there on Thursday morning – but only just. Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar, the reigning Adelaide CCI5* champions who rerouted here from the World Championships at Aachen, head into cross-country on their career-best international score of 25.6, with 0.6 of a penalty in hand.
The 10-year-old, bred and owned by Oliver’s family in Australia, earned marks of 74.17%, 73.75% and 75.21% from the ground jury. It is a slender cushion for a first visit to Blenheim, and Saturday’s course will not respect it.
Campbell and McEwen close the gap
New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell delivered the best test of the second day to move into second with Speedwell on 26.2, including a 77.50% from one judge – the highest single mark in the class. Tom McEwen then went third with his experienced five-star ride Brookfield Quality on 26.5, meaning just 0.9 of a penalty separates the top three.
McEwen, the busiest rider here with five horses across the two classes, also sits fourth on The Fieldmaster (29.2), the ride he moved into provisional second with late on Thursday afternoon. Gemma Stevens is fifth on 29.6 with Chilli’s Jester, full brother to her Burghley winner Chilli Knight and under 30 at four-star for the first time.
Agria CCI4-L — top 10 after dressage
| Rider | Horse | Score | |
| 1 | Oliver Barrett (AUS) | Sandhills Briar | 25.6 |
| 2 | Jesse Campbell (NZL) | Speedwell | 26.2 |
| 3 | Tom McEwen (GBR) | Brookfield Quality | 26.5 |
| 4 | Tom McEwen (GBR) | The Fieldmaster | 29.2 |
| 5 | Gemma Stevens (GBR) | Chilli’s Jester | 29.6 |
| 6 | Clarke Johnstone (NZL) | Sparky Lad | 30.0 |
| =7 | Sarah Hedges (GBR) | Igna | 30.1 |
| =7 | Alexander Bragg (GBR) | Jaeger Master | 30.1 |
| 9 | John Westmore (GBR) | Oughterard Quality | 30.6 |
| 10 | Dani Stewart-Richardson (GBR) | Londonlook TN | 30.8 |
With five penalties covering the top ten, a single time fault could reorder the whole leaderboard.
Olympic champion swoops in the young horse class
Tom McEwen’s pathfinding mark of 27.2 with Brookfield Danny De Muze had survived a day and a half of the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds. It took an Olympic champion to beat it properly.
Astier Nicolas and Hitchqote du Coudray scored 23.5, a full 3.4 penalties clear, with two judges awarding 77.92%. The Frenchman, individual silver and team gold medallist at Rio 2016, rides the gelding for a group including Etienne and Mathilde Grivot and S.A.R.L. Ecurie Brillantissime.
Bubby Upton has the neatest line of the week: she sits equal second on 26.9 with both her rides, Auckland 7 and Sancerre de Tiji, owned in partnership with Caroline Owen. Auckland 7 had led at Friday lunchtime before Astier’s test. McEwen drops to fourth with a horse who has jumped double clear in all nine starts this season and took the seven-year-old world title at Le Lion last year.
GFS Saddles CCI4-S — top 10 after dressage
| Rider | Horse | Score | |
| 1 | Astier Nicolas (FRA) | Hitchqote du Coudray | 23.5 |
| =2 | Bubby Upton (GBR) | Auckland 7 | 26.9 |
| =2 | Bubby Upton (GBR) | Sancerre de Tiji | 26.9 |
| 4 | Tom McEwen (GBR) | Brookfield Danny De Muze | 27.2 |
| 5 | Izzy Taylor (GBR) | Barrington Boy | 27.4 |
| 6 | Kitty King (GBR) | Kilcoltrim Cooley | 27.8 |
| 7 | Sammi Birch (AUS) | Rosa’s Party | 28.3 |
| 8 | Katie Magee (GBR) | Cushlas Indigo | 28.4 |
| =9 | Hazel Towers (GBR) | Torpex | 29.1 |
| =9 | Therese Viklund (SWE) | Sella | 29.1 |
Two siblings, one dam, two classes
Among the quieter stories of the day, breeders Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard have both of the horses they have ever bred in action at Blenheim, out of the former racehorse Winsome Wendy. Ros Canter rode the grey nine-year-old mare Armscote Explorer in the young horse class on her Blenheim debut, while full brother Ditchford Explorer contests the CCI4*-L with Ben Way. The two are stabled next to each other.
Mel bought the dam from her father-in-law, racehorse trainer Peter Pritchard. Winsome Wendy was no star on the track but proved an excellent eventer, and Mel loved her enough to keep her rather than sell her on. Both offspring, by Cevin Z, inherited her easy temperament – Mel describes Ditchford Explorer, known at home as Billy, as rather Labrador-like, following her round the field and picking up buckets. Ros was pleased with her mare’s level, mature test, though the flying changes are not yet established on a straight line.
Coming up
Saturday is the day the week turns. The GFS Saddles CCI4*-S eight- and nine-year-olds showjump in the Palace Arena in the morning, and the Agria CCI4*-L cross-country runs through the parkland and over the water complex on the River Glyme from mid-morning, with the leaders out in the afternoon. Sunday brings the second horse inspection, the CCI4*-L showjumping finale and cross-country for the young horses.
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