Another beautiful sunny day for Upton House as our fabulous summer continues to roll on. Held on the National Trust Estate with acres of rolling undulations and great views across the valley it is a destination event for so many of the top horses based in the UK. The spring three day horses generally come back out at Upton and the Tuesday OI sections were rammed with some of the world’s best combinations. Upton always step up and do as much as they can to the ground which is not easy when we are currently in our driest year for 130 years according to media reports. To come off the back of two of the wettest years in recent memory is just bizarre but ground conditions apart, it is fabulous to have a proper run of great weather!
So the bright green strip of the cross country track made it quite clear that plenty of water had been applied and the same could be said for the showjumping area. It’s a funny showxjump track at Upton, it resembles a somewhat pony club approach with a very plain course, devoid of bright fillers and no fence decorations at all. If they spend the majority of their budget on watering the track then they definitely have the balance right!
A busy day for the team with both Tim and Jonelle trotting down the centre line at 08.36 am. They had 5 rides apiece and due to the high number of multiple riders most of them were split into morning and afternoon groups. Tim had Chio 20, Global Quest (George) and Happy Boy in his first bunch whilst Jonelle had Faerie Usain (Maude), Chilli’s Midnight Star (Ollie) and I like it de Rohan (Kiki) as her trio.
Tim’s dressage kicked off with Chio who was having his first start since Royal Jump and he wouldn’t be a morning person and scored a 35.2. Jonelle started with Maude who also wouldn’t be an early riser out of choice and she picked up a 33.2. George and Happy did pretty similar tests for 32.3 for both whilst very green at the level Kiki did her best for a 34.1 and Ollie finds the open intermediate level very easy for a 29.
Helpful jump stewards funnelled the crew through the showjumping so efficiently Jonelle had jumped all three of hers before she realised that she had jumped Ollie 30 mins before his time which meant owners Nikki and Mel missed him completely! Jonelle was very apologetic but could at least report that Ollie had jumped very well. The track ended with a treble which was deemed very long by several of the riders and a few tried to put two in the one stride at the end. Kiki is pretty careful and she was not at all sure the one was doable so popped in a short one and took the C out by the roots which she was very offended by as she doesn’t like making errors. Maude has a bigger stride and wouldn’t be as careful as Kiki but she made a great job of the track for another clear to add to her current tally.
Chio found the treble very ‘normal’ by his standards but both George and Happy gave Tim a ‘moment’ as they debated the merits of not standing off on the one but they both made the right decisions and did so with scope to burn. George did pick up 4 penalties but since it’s his first start since Boekelo last October he can be forgiven for feeling a little ring rusty.
Chio ate up the track which cris crosses the entry and exit routes of the venue and loved the challenge it presented. It’s quite a bold course with some decent ditches and an impressive first water with an upright hanging white log with a good drop into the water behind it. George was happy to be back out again and Tim was really pleased with his round for several reasons, first and foremost it seemed that, as he put it, “George’s leg didn’t fall off!” which relates to the hairline fracture George picked up in March. Of course George has had the best of rehabs and no vet of Christiana Ober’s calibre would allow him to compete without 100% clear x rays but its funny how these things stick in your mind in the start box count down!
Tim’s ride on Happy also saw him come back smiling as Happy dances to his own beat and you never quite know just what you are going to get at a one day after a break since Kentucky. He has a somewhat inscrutable expression on his little black face which would make him a most excellent poker player but doesn’t always make Tim’s life easy. He is not above gawping into a ditch or running off a corner or an angled brush but today he was simply lovely and gave Tim a superb ride which saw Tim come back beaming which was nice to see.
Maude loves these open galloping tracks and jumped a very genuine clear round, Ollie is in cruise mode at this level and enjoyed his spin and was happy to be back out after Royal Jump. Jonelle thought that Kiki might be taken surprise by the big trakhener at 5 but was ready with a good positive ride in but the upright hanging log into the water was deemed very suspicious by Kiki. By her third approach she had decided that no crocodiles lurked on landing and happily went on her way around the rest of the course and learnt a huge amount in the process.
Time for a break for Tim and Jonelle as they both had a gap of around an hour and a half before their next batch of horses. Tim headed off to the catering truck to pick something scrummy for lunch and Jonelle concocted one of her ‘protein rich’ meals as she continues on her amazing health kick journey which has seen her get back to her pre Otis weight. It’s not without penance I think as I watched her grill a bagel in two halves, spread it with Marmite and then add chunks of sliced chicken on top. No butter, no dressing and no mayo! That is not a meal for the faint hearted!
Tim’s afternoon rides were Jarillo (Milo), making his return to competition from Kentucky and new ride Brookfield Future News (Mathew) who for various reasons hasn’t had a start since Blenheim last September. Milo posted a solid 30 and Mathew and Tim got to know each other a little better in their first gig between the boards for a 33.
Jonelle had two very different rides in terms of experience. Grappa Nera (Grape) was delighted to be back for a first run since Badminton whilst Faerie Good Golly was tackling her 4th intermediate. Grape was Grape for a 36 which was actually pretty civilised and Golly had begun to think her day would never start but made the most of the afternoon sun for a 29. Grape’s over enthusiasm in the jumping saw her pick up 4 faults and Golly jumped another super clear with her ‘superwoman’ focus on every top rail.
Both Mathew and Milo jumped experienced clear rounds in the showjumping and they both cruised around the cross country to end Tim’s day with another classy couple of trips around Upton. Grape always loves her cross country and Golly absolutely delights in it so Jonelle also ended a long day with another super couple of rounds.
Tim headed off to stay up country for the night whilst Jonelle drove a truck home as her Upton was finished. The girls had the big truck to prep and turn around to head out to Jardy on Wednesday with Gloire de Marchenval (Louis) and The Highlander (Ivar) and Tim had Indy du Loir in the novice early Wednesday morning followed by Garcon (Tibo) in the intermediate.
Indy was second after dressage in his section with a very smart 26 but picked up 12 jumping faults which meant he somewhat squandered his advantage. He is a very good cross country horse though and he sauntered around the course with consummate ease for a clear.
Tibo is a good looking horse and he finds all the phases pretty easy. He did a nice enough test for a 32 and followed that up with a smart double clear for his first start back since Bicton and gave Tim a really nice set up for his trip to Jardy.
So the Didi heads home tonight with Tim’s two rides and he will drive overnight to Jardy which is pretty close to where this time last year we were heading for the Olympics. Jardy was our reserve stable base and it’s Tim’s first run there since the days of ERM.
