VOTE FOR YOUR CHAMPAGNE MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Your nominations have been coming in from all over for the best moments of 2023/2024 – riding and training performances, career milestones, and other feats. Our judges have considered your submissions and whittled them down to the top 12 – now it’s your turn… to vote for your own champagne moment of the year.
Just review the candidates below and hit ‘VOTE’ to choose your favourite. It’s that simple! The three champagne moments with the most votes will be invited to the National Dinner & Dance at Hatherley Manor in Gloucestershire on Saturday 29th June – the winner will be announced on the night.
VOTING CLOSES ON 31ST MAY
CHAMPAGNE MOMENT OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST
GEOFF AND HARVEY BARFOOT-SAUNT
Father and son riding in the same race… twice
Didmarton on 9th March was not the first time 53-year-old Geoff and 16-year-old Harvey had ridden in the same race – that milestone occurred on Harvey’s 16th birthday last May – but it was the first time they’d taken on each other twice in the same afternoon. Father and sons riding together are rare enough but the pair have now gone head-to-head five times, and the score stands at Geoff 3, Harvey 2.
RACHEL BARTLETT
First winner for a decade with a homebred
Rachel has long been a fixture on the Wessex pointing scene, riding with some success herself before turning to training. She is a true amateur – she owns all her horses and many are home-bred. Dorset Diamond, who gave her a long overdue winner at Badbury Rings on 18th February is out of Bobbys Choice, who had given Rachel her previous winner… at the same fixture 11 years ago.
Will Brown
First winner (a week after a nasty fall)
At Charm Park on 3rd March, 19-year-old Will was dragged 50 yards after being unseated from his mount. Luckily, he escaped injury and walked away unscathed. Exactly a week later, at Dalton Park, he showed there were no ill-effects when scoring for the first time – on his 22nd ride – on Arthur’s Seat. Will works for Kevin Ryan during the summer, and trains pointers during the winner, sharing the rides with sister Pippa.
BEN DURRELL
‘Losing his claim’ at 48 years old
48-year-old Ben has ridden two winners this season, taking his career total to six, meaning he can no longer claim 5lb when riding in Opens. Ben is the father of leading conditional Tristan, who also used to ride in pointing, and returned to the saddle – after a three year break – when his son turned professional, as he missed the buzz of pointing.
Katie Featherstone
First competitive winner (after six seasons)
At Charing on 10th March, Katie rode her second winner on Imperial Acolyte. However, her first – at the same course five years earlier – had been a walkover. Katie is in her sixth season riding and is another true Corinthian, owning and training the horses she rides and never having more than 1-2 at a time. Since her win, she has also been a good second on her other horse, Secret Cargo.
RHIANNON FLETCHER
First winner on first ride
Rhiannon, 19, works for Max Comley and has had a dream start with her first pointer – gift horse Oscar Montel – who gave her a debut success with her first runner as an owner when taking the Lord Ashton Cup at Cocklebarrow, then provided her with a winning first mount at Friars Haugh on 11th February, making the long journey from Gloucestershire to Scotland worthwhile.
Hugh Lillingston
First winner on first ride
It’s unusual that a maiden wins a Conditions, and more unlikely still that the jockey in question is having their first ride. But that’s what happened at Larkhill on 23rd March, when All Loved Up took the Novice Riders race for 19-year-old Hugh, who is the son of Mount Coote Stud’s Luke and grandson of Alan, the first amateur to win the champion hurdle. No doubt more success will follow.
MARTIN MCINTYRE
100th P2P winner
Martin – known to many as ‘Fly’ – travelled to Lockinge from his Devon base on Easter Monday to ride two horses for Bea Coward – they both won, and Rocky Creed became his 100th winner between the flags, to go with 17 under rules. Martin has been riding in Britain since 2011 and has a season’s best of 23 – one of the top jockeys in the country, he often ‘flies’ beneath the radar.
Jo Priest
Training double with two novice riders
Herefordshire-based Jo kicked-off her season in style at Chaddesley Corbett on 3rd December when saddling Hidor De Bersy and Thatshalfthebattle to win on their first pointing start for novices Vicki Sollitt and William Badlan, neither of whom had ridden their mount in a race before. Jo trains at the historic Caradoc Court yard and has always enjoyed plenty of success from her small string.
JEMMA SARGENT
First winner as a trainer
Jemma saddled L’Air Du Vent to win at Larkhill on 25th February, a first training success from her only horse, who she rode herself in points last season. Jemma is a barn manager for Joe Tizzard, looks after the horse in one of his satellite yards and does all the work with him in her breaks. Her victory celebrations after the race were infectious.
VENETIA THOMPSON
First winner on first ride
21-year-old Venetia waited until Corbridge on 20th April for her first ride, but made an ideal start to her career in the saddle when scoring on Lucky Lucarno. Venetia – who works part time for Rebecca Menzies – has been competing on the British Eventing circuit for the past four years and confessed afterwards that the victory was a surprise and that the pace was much faster than she is used to in eventing.
ABBIE WILLMOTT
Emtidaad winning after six-hour journey
Over Easter, Abbie had a dilemma – travel six hours from her Haverfordwest base to Kimble on Saturday 30th March, or under an hour to her local venue, Lydstep on the Monday? She chose the former and her decision resulted in a third, followed by a win from Emtidaad. It was a first winner for Abbie from her new yard, 200 miles from her home, and due reward for her hard work.