Diamond day for Chandler

Emilie Chandler heads a star-studded advanced and Harry Meade continues his comeback from a serious head injury by scoring a double

- JO PRESTWICH

Weston Park, Shrops

EMILIE CHANDLER jumped a beautiful double clear to win the advanced with Maria Doel’s Gortfadda Diamond. A 26.1 dressage left them in fourth and adding 11.6 cross-country time-penalties put them half a mark ahead of runner-up Wills Oakden, whose two rounds with Macgregors Cooley and Oughterard Cooley were the fastest in the advanced and gave him second and sixth respectively.

It was a hot class, with the likes of Tom McEwen’s Toledo De Kerser (who led after the dressage but rolled a pole for fourth), Ros Canter’s Allstar B (eighth) and Nicola Wilson’s Bulana (15th with a steady run across country) making the most of the good going to get a run in.

The Irish-bred Gortfadda Diamond is by the Irish Draught/ thoroughbred Watervalley Cool Diamond out of the thoroughbred mare Panda, who was placed in point-to-points and is from the family of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Garrison Savannah and Grand National-placed Zongalero.

Ali Wilkes and Social Butterfly float to intermediate section A glory.

“I adore the horse,” said Emilie, who took over the ride after former rider Mark Kyle broke his ankle in 2017. “He’s an out-and-out eventer, a real character, and what a treat to take him round a track like that today heaven except for that weather!”

The horse finished last season in the five-star at Pau but didn’t show jump after picking up an overreach, so Emilie is hoping for another chance to do a five-star.