Ruth and Applejack II who is owned by Sir David and Lady Frances Hart capitalised on their high scoring dressage test and made up for the four faults accrued in the show jumping with a fast clear round to stay at the top of the class. ‘I thought the pole in the show jumping was going to cost me and I was going to be cross with myself but he was fantastic cross-country,’ said Ruth. ‘He doesn’t have a lot of Thoroughbred in him but makes up for it by being so easy to ride. He is also taking me a bit more and not wasting so much time getting away from the fences and so is up on the clock,’ said Ruth who will be taking the horse to the National Eight and Nine Year Old Championship at Blenheim in September. The pair also won the Barbury Castle two star event recently.

At the halfway stage of the class Ruth and Applejack who is an eight year old by show jumping sire Calvados were not however invincible. Several combinations had the opportunity to grasp the championship title but failed to do so. The opportunity for William Fox Pitt and Gaucho to take the lead ended with a run out at fence 19 while Matt Ryan and Bonza Kingscanyon retired after a run out at the second element of fence seven. They were one of several combinations to be caught out here.

With each phase proving influential the outcome was never a foregone conclusion. Twenty of the 69 finishers rode clear rounds in the show jumping arena and time faults round the track designed by Jon Doney also proved significant in this phase. However as always round the Gatcombe cross-country course a fast time was necessary for those wanting to stay in the frame.

Kelso based New Zealander Caroline Powell and Thornfield Jones made their long journey south worthwhile with the fastest clear of the day. Added to their clear round show jumping this meant they jumped up from 25th after dressage to third place overall. Likewise Paul Sims and Power of Dreams put in a fast clear to move up to the runner up position just 0.5penalties behind the leaders. The result was literally a dream for Paul who only six weeks ago got back in the saddle after five months off due to a blood clot in his chest. ‘The team at the yard and his owner Kim Belton have done a fantastic job in getting the horse prepared,’ said Paul. ‘I knew he had a chance of doing well. He has always been a good jumper and today the further we went the faster he got. He was just Mega.’ The nine-year old who is by the show jumping sire Heartbreaker is another who will be heading to Blenheim. ‘I have really high hopes for him,’ said Paul who has ridden him for four years.

Ruth was also one of the high risers of the class with Elite Opposition. A double clear for the Fleetwater Opposition gelding took them 31 places up the leader board while Lucinda Fredericks and The Navigator jumped up 45 places to finish in the top ten.