BEF Futurity Eventing Championship results

The Lycetts British Eventing Young Horse Championships at Osberton played host to the BEF Futurity Eventing Championship finals this month, with breeders travelling to the Nottingham venue to showcase their young horses. Top scorers from the eventing section of this year's BEF Futurity Evaluations were invited to the Championship to compete in the finals judged by Val Henson and Michael Trickey.

The horses who qualified for the championships did so by scoring 85% or above at the BEF Futurity Evalutions, held at sixteen venues throughout the UK this year. The Evaluations aim to identify young, British bred sports horses or ponies destined for careers in endurance, eventing, show-jumping, dressage or eventing and may even find the Olympic stars of the future.

The thirty-two entries invited to the championships were divided into four classes; foals, yearlings, two-year-olds and three-year-olds. The first and second placed horse from each class was then invited to the main ring to decide the overall champion.

Madeline Gardner's home bred black, three year old colt, FHS Diamond In The Rough, was awarded the champion title having qualified for the championships at the Solihull 2 Futurity evaluation where he received a higher first premium. This promising three year old is by the KWPN stallion Solitair, out of a thoroughbred Strong Gale mare, Whatacarryon.

FHS Diamond In The Rough (pictured) is the second youngster Madeline, who runs the Fishers Hill Stud, has bred from Whatacarryon, who raced in her youth. Madeline also has a 4 year old mare out of Whatacarryon, Whatapallaver, who she has been competing in 4 year old eventing classes this season, never finishing outside the top 10. Madeline said "I am really pleased with Diamond In The Rough, I hope to sell him to an eventing home where he can go out and do well and combine competing and stud duties. I am very keen to raise the profile of the stud and quality horses such as Diamond In The Rough will help me to do this. He is such a lovely horse, we backed him in a week and he is now out hacking and is starting to jump".

The Reserve champion title was awarded to Cheryl Savage's two year old gelding, Major Turn, who Cheryl bred from her Irish Sports Horse mare Dun To A Turn. He is by the popular Thoroughbred eventing sire Major League and scored a Higher First Premium at the Plumpton College Futurity. Cheryl has owned Dun To A Turn since she was 5, and daughter, Hannah Savage has evented her to Intermediate level. Cheryl said "she has a great jump and came 7th in the 1* event at Gatcombe. She will go back to Major League again as we are so impressed with Major Turn." The Savage's plan to keep Major Turn and Hannah intends to event him once he is old enough. Major Turn has also been placed at in-hand shows.

Top foal at Osberton was Jenny Gray-Wallis', Little Lion Man who qualified for the Futurity Eventing Championship at The College 1 Futurity with an Elite premium. Jenny bred the colt foal, from her mare Pembridge Copycat, who she has owned since a five year old. Jenny said "Pembridge Copycat is a proper all rounder, we have competed in Novice eventing, she has show jumped to newcomers and has also been successful at advanced medium dressage. She is now 16, and having had Little Lion Man she will shortly come back into work". Little Lion Man is by The Stallion Company's popular eventing sire, Grafenstolz. Little Lion Man will stay with Jenny and when he is old enough he will be broken in and go eventing. Jenny has spent 6 years working as head girl to British Junior eventing team trainer, Jill Watson.

Best yearling at the Championship was the colt, RCA Red Rock for owner and breeder Marianne Ames. He qualified with a Higher First Premium at the Writtle Futurity. Marianne works full time in the family business, Richard Ames Equestrian, breeding and producing event horses. Marianne said, "We weren't sure whether to leave RCA Red Rock as a stallion or to have him gelded, so a friend suggested taking him along to the Futurity for some helpful expert advice. He has done very well and as he is also easy to handle, we will leave him entire for the time being". RCA Red Rock is out of Welton Lady Rose, whom Marianne evented up to two star level. He is sired by Grafenstolz, who has had a successful year with 6 Elite scoring eventing youngsters out of a total of 27 of his progeny entered.

Marianne also took second and third place in the foal class at Osberton with her two Elite Futurity scoring foals, Patrick and Billy, also both by Grafenstolz. Patrick is out of Summers Mist who was Marianne's pony club horse that she competed in jumping competitions and went on to be successful at 2* eventing. Billy is out of an Animo mare Temple Polly, who was bred for show-jumping, and is a brilliant mover. Patrick and Billy will both be left entire for the meantime and are both for sale. Marianne said "they are for sale, but I'm not actively advertising them. If they are not sold I will break them in once they are old enough and start competing them."

Second place in the yearling class went to Vienna Bayles' gelding, Lets Dance who qualified for the final with an Elite Futurity premium. He is by Lucinda Broad's Advanced eventing Thoroughbred stallion, Revolution and out of Vienna's homebred mare Elli, by Ladys Tralee Raj. Let's Dance has also been placed in Hunter Breeding and Sports Horse classes this year. Third out of the yearlings was full time paramedic, Nicola Jooste's, Solomon. He is by the Hobgoblin Stud's dressage stallion Milennium and out of Wanstead dark Secret, a part-bred New Forest, by the Polish warmblood stallion Duet.
Gold Rush X, stood second in the two year olds section for owner and breeder Karen Neild. Gold Rush X is by Blue Hors Romanov and out of Karen's homebred Irish Draught cross mare Gold Digger. Third place went to Deborah Fielding of the Picanini Stud and Alison Thompson's Picanini Lizzianthus, a filly by Contido out of Pencader Tilly Trotter, by thoroughbred stallion, Supreme Chance.

Runner up in the three year old class at Osberton was also from the Picanini Stud, going to the filly, Picanini Akoko. She is out of the same dam as Picanini Lizzianthus, Pencader Tilly Trotter and is by Primitive Faerie Tale. Owner and breeder Deborah Fielding set up the Picanini Stud 8 years ago and breeds three or four foals a year. Jannimesa Primitive Engagement took third place in the three year old class for Nicola Stevens. This stallion, by Primitive Proposal was bred by Mr & Mrs J Hird, he is out of Louella Diamonte, by Criminal Law.

Jan Rogers, head of equine development for the BEF, said: "We are grateful to the team at Osberton for providing the Futurity with this opportunity to present its' top eventing horses at a national young horse eventing festival".

"The Futurity is showing itself to be an assessment system which British breeders value, because it enables them to demonstrate, long before a horse is able to compete, that it has performance potential. It is serving as a valuable marketing tool for British breeders and we are delighted that so many people want to be part of it".

The BEF Futurity Evaluations were held at 16 venues throughout the UK and young horses go home with a BEF Premium (grade), a stylish rosette and a detailed, informative score sheet. An attractive certificate to keep and frame follows on after the event. All results are published on the fully searchable Futurity site. For more information, visit http://www.britishbreeding.org. Dates for the 2012 Futurity venues with be launched at the Breeders Awards Dinner in January 2012 and entries open on 1 June 2012.