Mufasa roars to victory

Lottie Tutt continued her run of success in the Star of the Future classes, claiming today’s TDA Telecoms 7 Year Old title with Billy Mufasa. The win came just 24 hours after winning the Billy Stud Auction Six Year Old final on Friday afternoon with Billy Dynamite.

Billy Mufasa is owned by Hickstead Director Lizzie Bunn, who was delighted to see the mare win in the International Arena.

Only four combinations made it through to the jump-off, with Lottie and Billy Mufasa producing one of only two double clears in the class. Their time of 37.81sec was enough to put them ahead of the runners up, Max Routledge and Ascadina PPZ (38.26sec).

“Billy Mufasa is lovely to ride, she’s really careful,” said Lottie, who is a stable jockey for The Billy Stud. “Lizzie is very competitive as an owner, so I knew I couldn’t just go steady as I had Max to come after me! The plan was just to keep her moving and jump clear, which is easier said than done sometimes, but today it worked out.”

Lizzie bought Mufasa at the Billy Stud Auction as a four-year-old, and Lottie had produced her up through the age classes. The ride has now been taken over by Pippa Funnell – though with Pippa competing at Burghley, Lottie took the ride over for this show. “Pip has done such a good job, she’s very nicely schooled after a few months of being ridden by her,” said Lottie. “She’s a very exciting horse for the future.”

Earlier in the day, Lottie Adams and Evotion won the Go Low Carbon 1.10m Amateur Championship.

Lottie describes her mare – who is also called 'Lottie' in the stable – as her best friend. The pair have now secured two wins in the International Arena, having also taken the 1.10m Amateur championship at the Royal International.

Lucinda Stewart won the Hickstead 1.20m Amateur Championship on her own Cancun 11. She has had the 14-year-old gelding since he was six, and has produced him herself up through the levels. “We’ve been here for the past two years for this September Tour, so it’s lovely to get a win in the main arena,” she said.

The 1m classes are often the best subscribed, with hundreds of riders coming forward for the initial qualifiers. In the Spidge Photography 1.00m Open Championship, the best of these qualifiers came forward for the final in the International Arena. Twelve riders jumped clear in the first round, with just five of these producing a double clear – the fastest of which came from local rider Jessica Guy and Carrick Quidams Lilly.