Having taken the lead after the dressage, Janou was aware other riders were chasing her heels, including Pippa Funnell on Billy Walk On who finished 1.1 penalties behind in second to claim the best seven-year-old prize. Pippa was also third on MGH Grafton Street with Kitty King riding the consistent Vendredi Biats into fourth.
Janou said:
“It was fantastic to win, especially as [his owners] Gerry and David came along to watch him. They are hugely supportive and it was lovely that they were there too. Bicton is like our second home and we are always here schooling during the winter. It’s lovely to win at our local event.”
Tom Jackson headed the CIC1* class with the six-year-old mare Santana II jumping a double clear and finishing on the optimum time to win on their dressage score of 42.1 and Millie Dumas took the lead after the dressage riding the nine-year-old mare Catheryn but 3.6 time faults across country dropped them down to second.
The mare will have one more run this season in the six-year-old championships at Osberton. Kent-based Tom who also headed a novice class with the gelding PSH Romeo said:
“She’s done very well this season, but there is no point in doing too much with her. We came to Bicton’s spring event and liked it so much that we decided to come back. I’m glad we did as apart from a small blip with one of the five horses I ran, they all went very well and we came home with a huge haul of prizes, like a year’s supply of horse feed, vouchers and champagne.”
Coral Keen, who is based near Devises in Wiltshire, scored a brace of wins with her homebred Total Belief winning a novice section and Cascadelle the intermediate. She said:
“Total Belief is a lovely horse who always tries her hardest and wants to please. I’ve taken her slowly as I want to make sure all the foundations are very firmly laid but she has a great future ahead of her.”
Cascadelle, who last year won back to back one star classes at Gatcombe and Waregem, kept a clean sheet after the dressage to take the win from dressage leader Tom Jackson on Courvoisier. He added showjumping and cross country time penalties to his leading dressage score dropping him down to tenth. Coral said:
“They have done such a super job on the ground that I could take the handbrake off today. Cascadelle is only a seven-year-old but she’s developing into a really good horse and is a hugely exciting prospect for the future.”
The open intermediate went the way of Blyth Tait riding Xanthus III with Phoebe Locke claiming the under 21 section on Cooley Challenger.
BE100 winners were Kirsty Johnston on Lux Zen, Emily Young-Jamieson riding Shannondale Carlina, Abbie Hughes on Gecole M and Emma Jane Matthews on Newgate Times. Jess Rimmer was the under18 BE100 winner on Irish After Shock.
Bicton Arena manager Helen West said:
“It was a super event and we were pleased to see so many top names riding here. We’re also very grateful to all our sponsors who include Rathbones Investments, Equine H, Exeter Racecourse, Everys, Gain Horse Feeds, Devoucoux, Horse Heaven and Redpost Equestrian and Kastner Volvo providing the courtesy cars. They all helped ensure the riders were rewarded with some great prizes.”
