Posted: 20th August 2020 | Back to news feed
Judy Harvey and her bright prospect SP Bento came out on top in the Equi-Trek Elementary Gold with a cracking score of 72.24% at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury.
The talented, Brightwells Sales graduate showed super balance, temperament and scope and Judy is enjoying every step of his progress.
After collecting her spoils at the prize-giving, she said: “I’m just thrilled with him today, I was really chuffed with his way of going.
“He’s maturing well but has really struggled with the test (Elementary 59) in the past. But we’ve worked with him in lockdown to be more through and established, and he really coped well today. He’s come on so far.
“Also, I felt the lack of arena walks would be to our advantage as he’s not a spooky horse and it may have caught some others out,” she added, which just goes to show her confidence in the seven-year-old chestnut son of Benicio.
“I’m sad his owner Jos Rosenberg couldn’t have been here to see him but it’s one of those things. She’s such a great supporter and when she offered funds to buy something, I knew Bento was the one I wanted,” said Judy who first set eyes on him at the Brightwells Sales as a three-year-old.
“I often feel I should have probably hung my boots up years ago and even more so as I lay worrying in the lorry last night about this test in particular. But he’s such an easy horse and makes it such a pleasure.”
Added Tom Janion, Managing Director of Equi-Trek: “The Equi-Trek Elementary Gold was a fantastic class and well done to Judy on her win today at Hartpury.”
Based in Buckinghamshire Judy is a BD List 1 and FEI4* Judge and has high hopes for SP Bento who came third in the 2019 Shearwater Six-Year-Old Young Championship and, next stop, would like to qualify him for the Seven-Year-Old Young Horse Championship at Keysoe in October.
The 16-strong Equi-Trek Elementary Gold was a competitive class with the top four achieving scores above 70%. Tahley Reeve-Smith and her own Woodcroft Valentino, also seven, took the runners-up position with their 71.66% whilst Alejandro Farina and Walwin completed the podium on 70.41%.
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