Cornet returns to the top

An exciting youngster steps up after a patch of four fault-itis and an "amazing" horse makes a remarkable recovery from multiple fractures

- SARAH RADFORD

SOME strong combinations battled for the remaining spots for the Events Through a Lens talent seeker inc seven-year-old championship but none could match Nicole Pavitt and Cornet Of Follyfoot, who were back at the top of their game.

“Normally he’s the most consistent horse but recently he’s had a patch of four faultitis,” said Nicole, who has also qualified the seven-year-old for this year’s newcomers and Foxhunter finals, all on the winning ticket. “Today he really felt back to himself.”

Nicole was second to go of 16 through to the jump-off, and followed a very fast opening bid by Chloe Winchester and Korlenski, who were the quickest of the class but tipped the penultimate fence.

Lauren Caroline and Be Cuick One, also a sevenyear-old, and Max Routledge (Ascadina PPZ) were 0.20sec apart in second and third, more than a second off Nicole’s lead.

“Because he is careful and has a big stride, you can go one fewer in places where other people can’t, that has always been my advantage with him,” said Nicole.

Each qualifier has four tickets for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), one of which must go to the highest-placed seven-year-old, which can make bids strategic.

“We’ve tried to qualify for the talent seekers this year twice before — at Chard we had the fastest time by several seconds but had the last fence down. There were 30 in the jump-off and the highestplaced seven-year-old was fifth or sixth, so I could have been five or six seconds slower and still qualified,” Nicole said.

“What was nice about Coombelands was that they put all the seven-year-olds first in the draw, so you knew what you had to do.”

Sally Jobson-Scott’s gelding won the newcomers final at HOYS last year with Nicole’s sister Louise, as Nicole had broken her collarbone. This year Nicole has the Foxhunter final, a title she has never taken, as a particular target with him.