Tinker hits another milestone

Mark Edwards adds a landmark success with his homebred and a teenager makes a winning return from injury

- Mark Edwards

MARK EDWARDS is so familiar with success, it’s not often a win evokes a celebratory air punch – but he took a jubilant victory in the eVet CSI2* 1.45m grand prix, ticking off one of this season’s main aims with Flying Tinker II.

The 12-year-old home-bred, who was sold to owner Marlene Edwards a few years ago, had also won Thursday’s grand prix qualifier, bringing his tally to seven victories out of the nine classes he’s jumped in the past three weeks.

“He’s a super horse. That was a first international grand prix win for him, which was one of our main aims for him this year, so I was really pleased to do it today,” Mark said.

Course-designers Raf Suarez and Colm Quinn erected a demanding track that elicited just four clear rounds from 60 starters, with many collecting time-faults.

“There were a lot of places you could pick up an easy four faults and the time allowed was really tight – although I enjoy going at a good speed, so that didn’t really worry me,” Mark said. “A couple of the distances were a little bit short, which I thought would suit Flying Tinker [who is only 15.3hh].

“It probably did ride a lot tougher than it walked and it was very technical, although all those international stairways set you up for classes like this.”

Fifteen riders were permitted through to the second phase, in which Mark was joined on a clean sheet by 19-year-old Jennifer Billington (Flipper Darco Uk Z), Chris Smith and the eight-year-old Messarado Blue, the youngest horse to make the jump-off, and last year’s victors Carmen Edwards and Happy Valerie.