Friday 29th of March 2024
News

Eventers dominate at Writtle College Futurity

Eventers across the age groups scored elite premiums at the Writtle College Baileys Horse Feeds/ British Breeding/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity on Thursday 25th August. Four eventers took home elite premiums as did a dressage two-year-old.

Classictop Up & At It © Kevin Sparrow

Classictop Up & At It © Kevin Sparrow

Classictop Up & At It © Kevin Sparrow

Classictop Up & At It © Kevin Sparrow

Heritage Arrakis © Kevin Sparrow

Heritage Arrakis © Kevin Sparrow

Words of Love © Kevin Sparrow

Words of Love © Kevin Sparrow

Hilltopstud Fransjesca © Kevin Sparrow

Hilltopstud Fransjesca © Kevin Sparrow

Diamonds Caw Ever © Kevin Sparrow

Diamonds Caw Ever © Kevin Sparrow

 

An elite Futurity premium indicates that the horse has the potential and outlook to perform at international level.

Jane Townshend’s eventing yearling, Classictop Up and At It (Up With The Lark x Roviris) scored an elite premium of 9.25 at Writtle to not only head the scores at the venue, but also to become the highest scoring yearling at the 2016 Futurity.

Jane said:

“Classictop Up and At It went beautifully at the Futurity. He has been getting better and better at home and we went to Writtle thinking he had a chance of an elite premium. To be the best yearling in the country is just wonderful.”

Classictop Up and At It’s dam, thoroughbred, Beseeka Dawn Fox has a very good Futurity record, her offspring have produced two elite and two higher first premiums. Jane added:

“Beseeka Dawn Fox is in fourth in the Futurity dam rankings, she is very consistent and produces athletic youngstock.”

Jane plans to take the yearling to the Osberton young horse championships at the end of the month. Classictop Up and At It has also had wins and been placed at county level showing, including a win in the hunter yearlings class at the Bath and West Show earlier this year.

Three-year-old colt, Heritage Arrakis (Heritage Orion x Carnival Drum) took an elite premium of 9.18 in the eventing section.  His owner and breeder Jane Marson of the Heritage Coast Stud was delighted, she said:

“To have gone back to the Futurity and received another elite premium – with an even higher score than last year – is very exciting. Heritage Arrakis will be broken in and produced for the equine bridge and young event horse classes next year. I have his full brother, Heritage Apollo who is now 6 and I am competing at British Eventing affiliated BE100 level.”

This is the second elite Futurity premium Heritage Arrakis has earned. In 2015 he scored an elite premium of 9.08. He was bred from Jane’s mare, Carnival’s Dancing Dream.

Lynne Crowden’s two-year-old colt, Words of Love (Woodlander Wavavoom x St Moritz) took home an elite premium of 9.10.  This followed up the elite Futurity premium of 9.33 he earned as a foal.

 

Lynne said:

“He is spectacular and a really good horse. He will go for stallion licensing and I will be shocked if he doesn’t license. He possibly could have shown some better trot at the Futurity but he is a big two-year-old with lots of physical developing to do. He is not dissimilar to Wild Child which is interesting as this must come from Wavavoom.”

Woodlander Wavavoom still has a Futurity average score of 8.86 which includes some 40 progeny.

Eventing foal, Hilltopstud Fransjesca (Fransje x Diamond Chin) took an elite premium of 9.08 at Writtle for her owner and breeder, Verity WoodsVerity said:

“I wasn’t expecting Fransjesca to go elite. When I heard the score of nine being read out in the ring as we were finishing exhibiting her I was trying to contain my excitement.  I did think she was a nice, correct foal, but this is great.”

Fransjesca was bred from Verity’s mare, Mango River, this mare has bred total of seven foals and she is now retired after having Fransjesca. Verity continued:

“All of Mango River’s offspring have gone on to competition homes. I kept her son, Hilltopstud Decorus who I compete at elementary level dressage, another one of them was sold to America. Fransjesca is for sale and I am hoping to find her a nice competition home.”

Fransjesca is by the stallion, Fransje.

Barbara Heaton Smith followed up two elite premiums at the Keysoe Futurity with an elite score for her colt foal, Diamonds CAWever (Diamond Hit x Ring of Ford) at Writtle College Futurity for a score of 9.04 in the eventing section.

Diamonds CAWever and his full brother, CAWrus Boy were born by embryo transfer. A delighted Barbara said:

“CAW Blimey, their dam is 20 now, so we decided to go for embryo transfer this time. She has been a brilliant mare for me and is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement.”

Diamonds CAWever is the fourth foal from CAW Blimey and has earned the fourth elite premium amongst his siblings.

Barbara is hoping to take all her young horses to the Osberton Young Horse championship next month, she added:

“I am not sure if it will actually be possible to get all four of them there on the same day. In the long-term I hope to keep and professionally produce them for eventing. My goal is that they all go on to realise their competition potential.”

Barbara is principal of the College of Animal Welfare and so each horse she has bred has the CAW prefix in their name.

For more information, visit www.britishbreeding.org.

You may also like…

Join us on Facebook




Follow on Twitter