Allsop flies to championship double

A new combination land a brace of new titles and a former eventer "goes from zero to 100" finding his forte in a new sphere

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IT’S been less than 12 months since Maisie Allsop took over the reins of 15-year-old Connemara Vaughann De Vuzit but they have now secured two national titles, adding the 148cm championship here with seven seconds to spare.

Maisie, 15, jumped one of just three first-round clears from 37 starters, then delivered a well-judged pathfinding clear in the jump-off.

Second-to-go Lucy Capper and Capability Brown bettered their time, but it was at the expense of the second part of the double, allowing Raphaela Dawson to slip into second place with a steady round on 10-year-old Maifield Another Sunrise, who has recently stepped up to bigger tracks.

“I thought it was quite tough in the first round. It wasn’t big but the oxers were very wide and some of the lines were tricky – especially with the setting sun in the evening, which was shining on some of the fences,” said Maisie, who won the 148cm class at the London International (LIHS) with Vaughann, less than two months into their partnership.

“I didn’t have many expectations of winning as the European team have just come back from winning gold and a lot of them were in it. Normally I’m quite confident in these kinds of classes because Vaughann is so careful, but there was so much trouble with fences and time. It was good to jump a double clear.”

Hollie Gerken is another rider whose form has remained undimmed this season and she looked on target for another successful Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) when claiming the top two spots in the STXUK pony Foxhunter masters.