Ballard managed to head the 1.10m Amateur and the 1.00m Open Championships with the extremely reliable and fast Miss Cartair, a seven-year-old, chestnut mare. This was the first competition that the pair had competed in and it looks as though they have formed a formidable partnership.

In the 1.40m Open, the presence of one of Hickstead’s most feared Derby fences – the Devil’s Dyke – caused a few upsets and only eight combinations made it through to the jump-off. Quickest of these were Tim Davies and Valentinj O, who made the trip from Suffolk more than worthwhile by collecting the £500 first prize.

It was only the second time the nine-year-old Valentinj O has jumped in the main arena at Hickstead, the first being in July when he finished third in the Templant Events Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

“It was really useful to be able to jump round some of the permanent fences here, and get a few days of experience of jumping round Hickstead when it’s not so busy,” said Tim, who got Valentinj O as a four-year-old and has produced him up through the levels.

Another person who had a great day three at Hickstead was former jockey Leesa Long. She managed to win the All England 1.20m Amateur Championship riding Tammys Girl.

So after an exciting day three at hickstead, day four had a lot to live up to and the hero this time was Tim Davies, a winner from the previous day.

Davies, again riding Valentinj O, won his second award of the All England Jumping Championships, when he claimed the All England Grand Prix title to add to his success the day before.

With eight riders through to the jump-off, competition was fierce and four riders jumped double clear. Second to go Philip Spivey got round in a time of 60.20sec, only to be bettered by Jay Halim and VIP II, who finished on 59.65sec. Henry Turrell stepped up next with a clear in 54.42sec on Brian Lear’s Urlanmore Aldi – but then Tim shaved almost a second off the time to claim the £2,000 first prize.

“This is all down to him,” said Tim, paying tribute to Barrett Watson’s bay gelding. “In the first round, I completely missed my timing over a fence and he got me out of trouble to clear it. He just wants to clear his fences, and the more you let him run, the better you go. He is an absolute gem.”

Tim and Valentijn O are also riding high in the British Showjumping International Stairway series, and hope to qualify for October’s Horse of the Year Show.

He was not the only rider to score multiple wins at this show. Local rider Louise Pavitt was the winner of the All England 1.30m Championship riding Tiore, while Leesa Long continued her winning run at Hickstead with victory in the All England 1.10m Open Championship on Tiamo II.

Pictures Courtesy of Julian Portch. The top picture features Tim Davies on Valentinj O and the bottom picture features Louise Pavitt and her five-year-old winner Sussex Caretino.

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