Pippa Funnell leads the winners on first day of HOYS 2011

Pippa Funnell and Billy Balou. By
Roberto Cubeddo

Eventing superstar Pippa Funnell, a former Horse of the Year Show rosette girl, celebrated her first ever victory at the show by taking the EquestrianClearance.com Senior Newcomers Championship on the Billy Stud and Carol Toliver’s Billy Balou.

"All those years I worked here handing out rosettes, I never thought I'd be receiving a winner's one,” said twice European Eventing Champion and Rolex Eventing Grand Slam winner Pippa, who celebrates her birthday at the show on Friday. "And I almost got William to ride Billy Balou here because I've been so busy eventing I haven’t had a chance to get him indoors."

Seven- and eight-year-olds
The first of the young horse classes at the show, the Seven-Year-Old Championship, was won by Ireland's Trevor Breen riding Martin and Pascal Coffey's homebred stallion Oldtown KC. Trevor, who recently relocated from Co Tipperary to Buckinghamshire, was the fastest of three double clears in his jump-off. However, despite it being run over the same course, which had been raised, the Addington Manor Eight-Year-Old final produced no double clears from the three through to the jump-off. After the first two to go both had a stop at the second fence and further fences down, Cornwall's Sammie Jo Coffin was able to win the class with an eight-fault score on her own Willem de Lux.

Change of plan
Ayrshire's Aileen Craig recorded her first HOYS win by heading the British Showjumping Amateur Classic with Billy McKenchie’s Quiberon D. Her win came courtesy of a change of route after Ami Measor had taken the earlier lead on Belle Fleur using the same tactic.

"It wasn’t in my original plan," said Aileen. "But a friend told me I had to do it to win the class."

On her last visit to HOYS as a pony rider, Charlotte Jose, 16, won the Squibb Demolition Pony Foxhunter Championship with her mother Maxine's Edenside Blue Eyes.

"It'’s the best way to go out of ponies," said Charlotte, who is jumping Cappagh Supreme in the Leading Pony Show Jumper of the Year final on Sunday. "It's still not quite sunk in yet, I am struggling stop myself from crying!"