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Stokenchurch based showing supremo takes treble at Hickstead

| June 25, 2019
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Jayne Ross wins the Alltech Small Show Hunter Championship aboard Church Rock Cashel. (Photo by Spidge Event Photography)

A showing supremo based in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire made it a hat-trick of wins in the Longines International Arena at the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting held from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd June 2019.

Jayne Ross claimed the top spot in the Alltech Small Riding Horse Championship riding Casino, the Alltech Small Show Hunter Championship with Church Rock Cashel and the Alltech Supreme Hack Championship with Forgelands Hyde Park.

The Stokenchurch based rider is no stranger to the main arena at Hickstead, but despite her long and fruitful history with the venue, Ross insists that it never loses its magic.

It is the best arena to ride in for any of us,‘ she says. ‘Us showing riders are very lucky to be allowed onto that hallowed turf, so I try to make the most of it every time I’m in there. It’s great fun.

She certainly made the most of it this week. Two of her winners – Casino and Forgelands Hyde Park – are making their mark as consistently successful members of her string.

Forgelands Hyde Park won at the Longines Royal International Horse Show last year, so he’s been in this atmosphere before,‘ says Ross. ‘He’s very mannerly, and he’s also quite a showman, so he really enjoyed the sun and the crowds.

Casino, she explains, has several years worth of class wins at the Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International, but this is actually her first championship win. ‘She’s been reserve two or three times – she’s always the bridesmaid, so it’s lovely for her to finally get top spot this time,‘ she added.

But her Small Show Hunter Champion, Church Rock Cashel, is a newcomer to the West Sussex venue.

He’s only a young horse – just a six-year-old – and it’s his first visit to Hickstead. He loved it, so now he’ll be back for the Royal International,‘ says Ross. ‘It can go one of two ways when a young horse gets into this arena. They can be overawed by it, and become a recluse, and then you need to help them along – or they can play to the crowd, which is what this horse did.

The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting took place from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd June 2019 at Hickstead in West Sussex. With international show jumping alongside national competition, showing championships and scurry driving, it is one of the biggest shows in Great Britain.

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