A fault free day at the office for Gemma Tattersall riding the Pebbles Syndicate’s Quicklook V meant they held the ascendancy in the Land Rover CCI4*-L and took the top spot on the podium along with the £2000 first prize. It’s been a tough spring for Gemma and was open in her web blog with everyone but Bramham would appear to have turned a corner for the Horsham rider. As well as this victory with ‘Pebbles’, she currently has her two Chilli Morning sired young horses in the top ten in the Equi-Trek CCI4*-L section ahead of the final show jumping phase.
With the top 15 running in reverse order adding to an already close climax, the pressure was on the Olympic duo as a number of combinations who sat in the club house having put in foot perfect rounds and left almost no margin for error.
Local rider Nicola Wilson gave the loyal crowd who’d endured some heavy rain storms to see their favourite rider much to cheer as her faith in young Diarado-sired JL Dublin was more than answered with a classy clear to take the lead on 25.1 for owners Deirdre Johnson, James Lambert and Jo Lambert. Emily King, next round with her loyal partner Brookleigh, owned by Jane Del Missier, showed their talent and experience with another crowd-pleasing round, adding noting to their dressage and showjumping tally of 24.0.
Then it was the turn of Laura Collett and Dacapo to impress with a truly class round to finish on a dressage of 23.3, meaning Gemma had just 1.7 time penalties in hand.
But the Olympic duo needed none of their reserve as their experience and partnership shone through. There was a slight sticky moment at fence 11, the Bramham Park fences where Pebbles just left a leg on the second element but Gemma never moved and they never looked back and sailed home, Gemma jubilantly punching the air through the finish as her stop watch told her she’d made the time.
Afterwards she said; “Bramham is definitely one of my favourite events and Quicklook is definitely one of my favourite ever horses. She’s not run at this level since the 2017 European Championships as she had an injury so to come here and finish on my dressage score is brilliant. I definitely couldn’t afford to do anything wrong; she probably jumped one of her best ever rounds this morning, she just felt on springs. I had two great rides around the long format so was feeling confident ahead of cross country but I must admit I did get the jitters before I went! I have had a bit of practice of this going last or near the end with the ERM classes but I thought ‘I’m on a good horse, we’ve got a good partnership, just enjoy it’.”
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