Eventers' Challenge champions score in Douglas Bunn Challenge

Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze secured their second major Hickstead title of the season, when claiming Saturday’s Douglas Bunn 1.35m Challenge on the penultimate day of the All England September Tour.

The win came just six weeks after the pair won the Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge at the Agria Royal International Horse Show.

The Douglas Bunn 1.35m Challenge features many of the iconic Hickstead fences that are in the Al Shira’aa Derby, but set at a lower height. Four-star eventer Cooley Park Muze’s cross-country prowess, combined with Gemma’s experience at top level eventing and showjumping, made them a perfect pairing for this challenging class.

Drawn last to go, Gemma and the nine-year-old Cooley Park Muze produced a perfect clear – just one of three in the whole class – in a time of 86.32sec. It put them 1.75sec ahead of Fraser Reed and Calcort II, who had been drawn second to go and held the lead right until the very end of the class.

“He’s a fantastic jumper with an amazing brain,” said Gemma. “He jumped a beautiful clear in a 1.30m here the other day, and today he has won this.”

The next plan for the pair is to go to Blenheim, and in the longer term Gemma thinks he could be a serious team horse.

A fellow event rider secured the win in the All England 1.10m Amateur Championship, with Polly Jackson Griffin winning on board Socrates Van De Brouwershoeve.

Despite being drawn first to go in the 10-horse jump-off, Polly set too strong a target with the seven-year-old gelding, crossing the finish in a time of 32.76sec. The runner-up spot when to Billie Thornton and Cavaldi, who were just 0.11sec in arrears.

“It’s been 20 years since I’ve ridden here in the Eventers’ Challenge,” said Polly, who is now switching disciplines to concentrate on showjumping. “It’s lovely to come back here, and it’s special in that arena.”

The 1.20m Amateur Championship saw a repeat of week one of the tour, with Scotland’s Sandra Low Mitchell and the nine-year-old mare La-Di-Dah winning for the second time in a row.

A year after winning the Six Year Old title at the September Tour, Katie Speller and Z7 Pink Panther won the All England Seven Year Old Championship.

“He’s just one of those horses where you know that when you get on him and go in the ring, you’re going to have a good chance,” Katie said.

In runner-up spot were Lottie Tutt and Billy Hellman, with Holly Smith and No Limit D taking third.  

Despite it being the first time Chinook Pommex Z had jumped on grass, he gave Amy Inglis the win in the All England 1.30m Open Championship.

Only three combinations made it through to the jump-off, with first-drawn Amy setting a time of 42.90sec. Steven Franks produced the only other double clear, but crossed the line exactly one second slower to take second.

“I’ve had him about four or five months, and he’s just improving all the time,” said Amy of the eight-year-old by Cicero van Paemel. “I can’t ask any more of him. Each time he goes in the ring he gets better and better, and I’m really excited for the future with him.”

For full results, click here.