Woodhead, Frost, Moody and Hester prolific at Myerscough Premier League

The first Premier League Show of 2020 has reached its conclusion after five days of top flight competition at Myerscough College in Lancashire (4 – 8 March 2020). Amy Woodhead, Matt Frost and Becky Moody achieved multiple wins whilst Carl Hester and the British bred Hawtins Delicato delivered an outstanding Grand Prix of 80.40%. Streamed live for the first time by Horse & Country TV thanks to their new partnership with British Dressage, H&C subscribers were able to follow the action throughout the show.

Amy Woodhead (27) travelled home to Grimsby with a clutch of red rosettes for her rides aboard two of the Mount St John Stud performance mares. With MSJ Top Secret, a nine year old Totilas x Dacaprio mare, she enjoyed two wins, taking Thursday’s Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I and Friday’s Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges on 69.87% and 72.98% respectively. She later added Friday’s Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I to her haul, with Mount St John Kom Fairytale, a nine year old Fürst Heinrich x Weltmeyer mare.

Delighted owner Emma Blundell, who owns both mares, took to Facebook to say; “[A] Great start to the 2020 season with three wins and direct qualifiers to the BD Nationals at PSG and Inter I at the first Premier League show of the year! I cannot thank Amy Woodhead and her team enough for their care and the beautiful training and harmonious riding that was an absolute pleasure to watch. What an exciting start to the year!”

I cannot thank Amy Woodhead and her team enough for their care and the beautiful training and harmonious riding that was an absolute pleasure to watch. What an exciting start to the year!

Fresh from success at Wellington’s Winter Regional Championships, Matt Frost made a worthwhile journey north from his Gloucestershire base to Lancashire. The 39 year old claimed Wednesday’s Equine Construction Advanced Medium with hot prospect Helga (Chagall x Summer Hit) who he co-owns with Nicola Keenan, and later won Saturday’s PSG Freestyle with Summerhouse Delano (pictured).

Matt and ‘Del’, a 10 year old Dayano x Jazz gelding who Matt owns himself, have competed together since June last year. They made the step to Small Tour in October and have consistently earned percentage scores into the 70s. Their victory at Myerscough was in convincing style on a score of 73.12% ahead of Darcas Lever and Flying Dream II in second with 70.68%.

“Brilliant end to Myerscough,” said Matt on Facebook. “Del [Summerhouse Delano] won the PSG freestyle. We had a great show and I’m so delighted to have an amazing team of horses coming through the different levels.”

We had a great show and I’m so delighted to have an amazing team of horses coming through the different levels.

The standout performance of the five days was without a doubt, Carl Hester and Hawtins Delicato who were the runaway winners of the LeMieux Grand Prix. The pair’s 2020 campaign has got off to a robust start, hitting 80% in January at their local venue, Hartpury, and again breaching 80% here at Myerscough on Sunday. Twelve year old ‘Del’, who's owned by Carl alongside Lady Anne Evans and Ann Cory, looks to have developed over the winter months which was reflected by a sublime Grand Prix test, simply beautiful to watch. The Diamond Hit x Regazzoni gelding is looking confident in his mind, and strong and supple in his body. Carl took to Facebook to say; “So proud of Del (Hawtins Delicato) finally getting consistency, a great start to the season with a win at Myerscough Premier League with an 80% score.”

So proud of Del (Hawtins Delicato) finally getting consistency, a great start to the season with a win at Myerscough Premier League with an 80% score.

Lisa Marriott and Valucio took second on 68.27%, Anna Ross and Cleverboy third (67.60%), closely followed by Becky Moody and Carinsio (67.47%) and Nikki Barker with Durable (67.37%) completing the top five.

Becky Moody made an impression at the FEI levels aboard Julie Lockey and Hannah Moody’s Full Fusion BS, a talented 10 year old Blue Hors Zack daughter. They won the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges on Thursday with 71.18% and Saturday’s Inter I Freestyle with 74.92%.

Irish rider Shauna Fitzgibbon dominated the FEI Pony classes with a 67.60% win in the Pony Individual and 68.65% in the Pony Team, with Mollie Whitham with DZL Royal Sunrise and Demi Howard-Cartwright with Fin C We switching between second and third over the two days. Shauna and her ride, the 14 year old gelding Damocles LL, are in the UK preparing for their first CDI at Keysoe this week.

British Dressage thanks all the class sponsors as well as the team at Myerscough for putting on a fantastic event. Congratulations to all the winners listed below and to all those who competed over the five days.

The winners

Wednesday 4 March
Class 1: TopSpec Medium 75
Darcas Lever and French Noir MFS, 72.09%

Class 2: Equine Construction Advanced Medium 96
Matt Frost and Helga, 71.84%

Class 3: Advanced 102
Beth Bainbridge and Guess Van De Moerhoef, 70.00%

Class 4: Shearwater British Dressage Young Horse 6YO
Darren Hicks and Wodcroft Django Mon Ami

Thursday 5 March
Class 5: Advanced Medium 92
Ryan Todd and Mount St John Di Romantica, 69.82%

Class 6. Equine Construction Advanced Medium 98
Fenella Quinn and Ghita Fille de Zita S, 69.82%

Class 7: Fairfax Saddle Prix St Georges
Becky Moody and Full Fusion BS, 71.18%

Class 8: Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I
Amy Woodhead and MSJ Top Secret, 69.87%

Friday 6 March
Class 9: Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges
Amy Woodhead and MSJ Top Secret, 72.98%

Class 10: Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I
Amy Woodhead and Mount St John Kom Fairytale, 71.58%

Class 11: Shearwater British Dressage Young Horse 4YO
Greg Sims and Waverley Fairchild

Saturday 7 March
Class 12: Shearwater Young Dressage Horse 5YO
Sam Duckworth and G Star

Class 13: Haygain Intermediate II
Kate Cowell and Samba Dancer, 69.69%

Class 14: Pony Individual Test
Shauna Fitzgibbon and Damocles LL, 67.60%

Class 15: Prix St Georges Freestyle
Matt Frost and Summerhouse Delano, 73.12%

Class 16: Intermediate I Freestyle
Becky Moody and Full Fusion BS, 74.92%

Class 17: Grand Prix Freestyle
Nathalie Kayal and DHI Homerun, 69.45%

Sunday 8 March
Class 18: Pony Team Test
Shauna Fitzgibbon and Damocles LL, 68.65%

Class 19: LeMieux Grand Prix
Carl Hester and Hawtins Delicato, 80.40%

Full results

Photo © Kevin Sparrow