Perfect show for Jackson – not a pole down all week

As the annual four-day Horse of the Year Show came to a sun-lit climax at Chemin Le Roi, Jackson and her 10-year-old steed, Follyfoot Arkadia, proved outstanding.

First, Jackson played an impeccable hand in Guernsey’s senior team defeating the Caesareans. Then, in the closing prestigious Masters Championship based on the Hickstead Championship, she held off the strong challenge of Eleni Falla on Hasta La Vista II to take the BSJA Trophy.

Jackson, 25, said the day matched her efforts of the same show in 2019 when she jumped a double clear in the team match, only to see the England team triumph.

The Masters lived up to the billing and after Jackson, going off second, posted a fast 35sec. she could only stand back and watch.

Eleni Falla took Hasta La Vista II to within two seconds of that time and in the second part of the event – tackling four fences in ascending height up to 1.20m – Jackson proved the versatility of her classy mount to go clear.

‘She jumped lovely and was very neat. She hasn’t knocked a pole down all show,’ said the rider of a horse which has famous genes courtesy of the famous stallion Arko ridden by Nick Skelton at the Olympics.

‘She is a very special horse. I am lucky to have her,’ said Jackson who has now owned her for four fruitful years.

Earlier, on the final afternoon, Guernsey had done the double over the Caesareans.

Guernsey’s senior quartet of Sarah Jackson, Paullette and a Kelly King and captain Eleni Falla, had led after day one, albeit by a meagre four faults.

By the time the four Caesareans had completed their second rounds two days later, Guernsey knew what they had to beat – a total of four faults.

Then, after the necessary fence height hike for the home team, Jackson stylishly took Follyfoot Arkadia clear with not a sniff of an error.

‘The [permitted] time is really tight and I made sure I didn’t get any time faults,’ said Jackson.

Being 11sec. inside, demonstrated class.

‘I prefer going first, rather than last,’ admitted Jackson, who had to watch her colleagues build on her work.

Paullette King and Cobrina Cruise achieved her own clear but picked up two time faults, cutting the room for manoeuvre for the last two to go, Kelly King and Eleni Falla.

Kelly clipped the third but to her relief it stayed in place.

Yet, she consequently picked up 12 faults and six time faults over the remaining nine fences to drop out of the scoring equation.

One more rider to go and the arena fell silent as the captain took stage and with everything now hanging on her.

They need not have worried, Falla and Mistro, otherwise known as Bert, produced a solid clear round nailed the home win by eight faults to Guernsey’s two.

Jersey’s juniors had gone clear on Thursday but in the concluding round they were to pick up a total of 19 faults which was comfortably outside the Sarnians, who registered three clears from their four riders.

Fielding two debutants it was one of those newbies, 10-year-old Alexa Lambourne, who initially went clear on the grey Miss Montana.

Another newcomer to the series, Ruby Tetlow, unfortunately clipped the final three fences aboard, but after seeing Jersey’s Max Bonney go clear, Georgia Rihoy and Ella Gidney, the captain in her final year, both produced smooth, untroubled rounds.

Earlier on day four, club stalwart Barry Bartlett handed over the spoils as the senior show jumper of the year competed over 1.10m and featuring nine entries.

Five of them made a jump-off in which Eleni Falla’s Hasta La Vista II stamped her authority on the race against the clock with a fine clear in a rapid 49.45sex.

Sian Staples’ Chica B was the only other combination to go clear, but 60.65 was well off the pace as she acknowledged at the finish.

Falla also filled third on Mistro 1 which had an early fence down.

In senior terms Saturday had proved another successful one for Eleni Falla who filled two of the three top spots in the Senior Open Grand Prix at 1.10m.

The Redhill Little John Memorial Trophy was taken home by Falla aboard Mistro 1 and, for good measure, she also claimed third on Hasta La Vista II.

Splitting the Falla mounts was Sian Staples on Chica B.

Falla had earlier been denied silverware by Jackson’s Follyfoot Arkadia at the top end of the Senior Open Championship at one metre.

Falla was riding To Panga in this class in which Jersey’s Sue Le Moucheux took third place.

The Senior Intermediate Open contested at 85cm brought a fine win for Laura Duquemin on Alfie McCrannagh, Jodie Travers claiming second and Samantha Vaudin third.

Indeed, it was a day where the glory was spread around, there being no fewer than seven separate winners to emerge from the senior action in the Airport Field.

The juniors were in action in the main arena and, again, there was a good sprinkling of honours with no one rider or combination picking up more than the one trophy.

But the prestigious Pony Open Grand Prix over 90cm fences was won by Sian O’Hanlon on Oliver de Carel with Maiya Queripel, who had won the Junior Keen Open final on Moneypenny B, steering the same mount to the runner-up spot.