Personal notes: Bolesworth's getting bigger

John Whitaker wins the Bolesworth
Classic Grand Prix on Argento

I had a fabulous time last week at the Bolesworth Classic, it was so worth the 300-mile round trip I made to get there. In the four years it's ran, the show has got bigger and better each time and is establishing itself firmly on Britain's major event calendar. This year over 1,000 horses and ponies were entered.

Bolesworth was blessed with good weather for the first three days, but, as forecast, the heavens opened on the final day. However, this did not make the show's £6,000-to-the-winner Grand Prix any less spectacular and John Whitaker claimed first with Keeley Durham's Argento.

Four weeks of wins
John's been having an amazing run over the past month with Argento, or Archie as he is known at home. He won the Mattie Brown at Newark, the Grand Prix at Wolverhampton and the Suffolk Show international trial before coming here.

John's daughter Louise, who'd won the Rehabilitation Unit 1.40m at the beginning of the week, partnered Mandy Hall's Dazzle II to the Charles Britton leading rider of the show prize. And I am sure Archie's reaction to Dazzle as she walked past his stable was an effort to try and get her to join him in some post show, erm, celebrations.

"Oh, he's completely obsessed with her," John told me during my interview with him for Horse & Hound.

Louise Whitaker and Mandy Hall's
Dazzle II

On site owners
I was so pleased that Keeley was at Bolesworth to see her stallion win. She hadn't made it to Suffolk to see his victory there, contrastingly in baking sunshine. It's so nice to see the pride on an owner's face when their horse does well and I wish they could get more recognition. Owners, and sponsors, are the backbone of our sport. Where would we be without them?

We're going to Barbados
Talking of owners, the Springs Equestrian Partnership also had reason to celebrate in Bolesworth's hospitality marquee.

This year, Bolesworth had twinned with the Mullingar International in Ireland and the two events they had been running various points tables. One of these was to win a Caribbean holiday, courtesy of Caribbean Ireland Properties, for the horse-rider combination with the most points accumulated over both events' 1.30m and 1.40m classes.

Keith Shore and Zegreanne Z

Keith Shore was chasing this, having had good results with the Springs Equestrian Partnership's Zegreanne Z in Ireland. He did the same at Bolesworth and secured the prize with a win in the Colour Supplies 1.40m and a second in the Sovereign Horseboxes 1.30m.

The Springs Equestrian Partnership's Tony Scholes was keen to buy his jockey a celebratory pint and I hope he enjoyed every sip of it. From what I gather, Tony not only invests horsepower in big names like Keith, but also helps out the underdog, particularly those who cannot afford decent horses of their own.

Made up for
Scottish young rider Jemma Kirk, another twin-show rider, was beaten to the holiday by Keith, and instead saved Tosca for the HJ Lea Oakes small Grand Prix. She made up for the day off with a victory in this competition, having taken the small Grand Prix at Mullingar, too.

Jemma Kirk and Tosca

Jemma's another one who is on a bit of a role at the moment. With both Tosca and Wexford regularly picking up money, some of the senior competitors on the circuit may want to keep an eye on her if she's riding against them.

A Big Night Out
Every year they have ran, the organising committee have tried to ensure that there is good evening entertainment on site. This year, the main nighttime fixture of the week was the Big Night Out, a ticketed event with a charity auction in aid of the Alder Hey Children's Hospital Imagine Appeal, dinner, live singing from the X-Factor's Ruth Lorenzo and a disco. The whole evening was started off with a mini-major relay in the main arena, while revellers enjoyed a glass of fizz.

I shared a table with show officials and, as it was the eve of the final day, conversations of how the show had gone so far were inevitable. 

Michael Murphy and Magic Monkey,
who partnered Tim Page (Wyoming)
to win the mini-major relay

Commentator Matt Millin, who had stolen a spring roll from just about every who passed him in the dinner queue, compared it to how the old Formby Show used to be. A big marquee at the side of the ring, where the public could come and sit and eat in the same place as the riders. It makes the show have less of a 'them and us' feel, combined with the fact that once you're in, you don't need a pass to go anywhere on the showground.

I get a real feeling of being at an international show at Bolesworth. A few people have said they think it should become a CSI, but does it really need to? It's got big jumping, amateur jumping, novice jumping and pony jumping already, plus trade stands are on the up every year. Yes it would be lovely to have another CSI in Britain, but at what expense to the show? FEI fees, increased security, trot ups and separate stabling for international competitors will all increase the expenditure of a show that's already a success.

Over dinner I was also able to find out about some of the things I hadn't witnessed at the show, such as muck heaps being removed on a daily basis from the stables, showers being supplied in the lorry park, a fast-food wagon being situated by the stables and the quick removal of rubbish from the showground. These touches make all the difference. 


Silly time
Inevitably, after a few pre- and post dinner drinks, the silliness started. Judge Val Turner caused stomach aching laughter at our table by thinking the auction prize of an X-Box and two games was actually a nest box and two hens! She confessed she had no idea what and X-Box was.

The commentator Steve Wilde was the brunt of taunts, due to what he thought his a "very nice and rather expensive tie".

The mauve tie was patterned with pairs of pheasants, which unfortunately looked like bras from a distance. Having explained that no, they weren't bras they were birds, he was then told "they must be pairs of tits then!" We shall have to see if they tie materialises again...


Final night
I was delighted to be asked to join Nina Barbour, whose family own the Bolesworth estate, her family and staff from the show from event for dinner in Bolesworth Castle after the show had finished.

The view from there is superb and the castle itself is the main focal point from the showground.

I was glad to hear organisers Alan Beaumont and Alison Sharp discussing plans for next year with Nina, as this is one show that will definitely have a place in my diary. Well done to all involved and keep up the good work.

For full results from the show, click here

Report on the competition action in Horse & Hound, 16 June 2011