A win for the A team

A ridden by Antoinette McKeowen gained the highest marks for conformation from judge Ros Jones and full marks in the final section (type and suitability) from judge Sue Benson as well as high marks for dressage and jumping. Bred in The Netherlands A , by leading dressage sire Jazz out of a mare by former leading dressage sire and German team stallion, Donnerhall, was bought by Antoinette as a three-year-old. ‘He was just so athletic and as brave as brave that I didn’t see him as a dressage horse and thought he would get bored just doing that,’ said Antoinette. ‘He has lovely temperament and such good manners and he really feels like a proper event horse’.

Sammi McLeod and the Irish-bred Shannondale Santiago (Harlequin du Carel/Clover Hill) was second – the same place he gained in the four-year-old class at Gatcombe last year while both of Bill Levetts’ rides in third and fourth also gained their tickets to the finals at Burghley. Third place went to the Dutch-bred roan Athleet V who was fifth in the four-year-old final last year while Alexander NJ by Furore stood fourth in the 36-strong class.