Lily Attwood underlined her reputation among British showjumping‘s rising talents by landing the Thistledown Cup at the Horse of the Year Show on Friday October 7th.
The two-round Longines ranking competition proved a serious test for all 30 combinations, as they faced a test of power-jumping, combined with a need for speed in the latter stages of this £23,600 prize fund class. Slightly different from the other showjumping classes, competitors of the International Jumping Thistldown Cup must carefully navigate the second round, as three points are added to their overall score should they knock a fence down.
For Lily, she could celebrate finally cracking the code for victory at the NEC, Birmingham, following what she estimated as “six or seven” runner-up finishes during previous visits to HOYS.
In the end, she enjoyed a comfortable winning margin on 12-year-old gelding Karibou Horta, landing a first prize of just under £8,000, while second place went to Sweden’s Angelie von Essen with Daniel, and Ireland’s Commandant Geoff Curran finished third with Glengarra Wood.
“I have 100 per cent faith in my horse,” Lily said. “He is very powerful, and he actually jumps better with a bit more engine and speed, and it paid off today.
“It is everyone’s dream to win a purple rug here and go down the centre-line. I have been second six or seven times here, and to finally get a win is really special.
“I’ve had him a couple of years now. He is very consistent, very sharp. I try and pick horses for courses, and I try and take them where they are going to thrive, and he came here very fresh and ready to jump.”
Lily has been a mainstay at major international competitions throughout this year, and she added: “I have learnt more than I could have ever hoped for in one season.
“To be surrounded by the best riders in the world in competitions, often as your team-mates, jumping those courses, it really motivates you.”
