FOR a class that was dominated by British entries, it was probably no surprise that CCI3*-L victory went the way of British rider Will Rawlin with his own and Caroline Leng’s Camee De Muze. Leading from the outset on a score of 26.7, the only competitor to go sub-30, the combination added nothing in the jumping phases to win the class.

Rawlin only took the one horse over from his base near Marlborough, and the 29-year-old had a hugely positive experience.

“We’ve had a great time, the event was well-run, the ground was great and I even had some downtime, where I was able to watch a movie or two, which is always nice!” he commented.

The eight-year-old gelding was bought last June and jumped double clear in the seven-year-old Championships at Cornbury last year.

“He’s a jumping machine and comes out on springs on the final day of a three-day - he’s one I wish was a little bigger, as I think he’d be capable of going five-star and I wouldn’t mind riding into the arena on the final day of a big one!”

Previously campaigned by Lauren Innes, Camee de Muze has jumped double clear all season, recently picking up fifth place in the CCI3*-S at Cornbury Horse Trials.

“His dressage has improved greatly and he was really rideable in the arena on Thursday,” said Rawlin, speaking of his win.

“He ran at this level in Bicton earlier in the year and it was tough and hilly, so I didn’t want to over-face him on similar ground conditions again before the end of the season, so this was perfect.

"He finished full of running, nine seconds under the time and came out so fresh on Sunday, jumping an amazing clear in spite of the awful weather.”

Planning for next year, the Frank Timmreck-bred Camee de Muze will be aimed for the Bleinheim eight/nine-year-old class, with the aim of going there and being really competitive.

Standings

In second place after the dressage phase, Ireland’s Daragh Byrne and Teacher’s Pet earned a score of 30.5 penalties between the white boards, but unfortunately for them, two refusals on course dropped them down the leaderboard in the final placings.

Beatrice Montgomerie had three horses in the class, with the highest placed after dressage being Buenos Quality on a score of 31.8 penalties, but after two early refusals on course, they decided to walk home.

Sian Coleman and Kilroe Frolic put in a solid test to score 33.2 penalties from the Ground Jury of Marie Hennessy (IRL) and Emma Flegman (AUS) to leave them in fifth place going into the jumping phases.

Two foot-perfect rounds saw them jump to take home eventual second place. Coleman had a good weekend at her local event, finishing third in the CCI2*-L. She was also well-placed in the CCI3*-S class, before its abandonment due to the weather before the final phase.

The only other competitor who managed to finish on their dressage score was Ted O’Leary and Master Swatch, who finished in fourth on 36.5 penalties. This combination were a member of the Irish junior squad at the Europeans last year and won the CCIJ2*-L at Millstreet International in 2023.

Another notable performance in this class came from Emma Hosey and her own Borris Kings Quality, a nine-year-old by Kings Master. They added only two time penalties to their dressage score to finish in fifth place, their first time at this level.