Smart moves paying off as Chivola shines

AS a racehorse, Chivola did not look as though he was going to be a superstar. But put him in the show ring and this five-year-old gelding has proved he does have star quality after all.

He returned from Hickstead having clinched the championship in the Retraining of Racehorses/Tattersalls show series and has also qualified for the Racehorse to Riding Horse class at the Horse of the Year Show.

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North Yorkshire trainer Bryan Smart liked the look of the horse, even though he did not see a great future for him on the racetrack and offered to buy him from his owner. "Then the owner decided to give him to our daughter Beth to do intermediate show riding with when she's a bit older," said Vicky Smart, who is riding him in the meantime.

The Smarts sent the horse to show rider Simon Charlesworth last year so that he could gain some experience in racehorse classes. Back home at their racing yard near Sutton Bank, Vicky has continued to work with him and he has been going from strength to strength.

They won the retrained racehorse class at their first show at Barton in Lancashire, followed by another win at Hambleton Show, then qualified for HOYS at Vale View Equestrian Centre and had further success at the Yorkshire Sport Horse Show prior to Hickstead. "Forty-two had qualified for Hickstead so it was a big experience for him," said Vicky. "He won his section and then had to go through to the main arena just before the Derby. He's only five and still immature but he handled it all really well."

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Three of the horses in the running for the championship had all been trained by Bryan Smart at some point.

Next year, Vicky plans to ride him in open hack classes but first of all they will be competing at next week's Great Yorkshire Show. The Retrained Racehorse class is being sponsored by Mark Johnston Racing.

JEROME Harforth from the Stanley Grange Stud, Great Ayton, took top honours at the Three Counties Show, Malvern, with Liz Mansfield's yearling Rotherwood Just a Peep and took supreme in the riding pony breeding and NPS Silver Medal.

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Jerome also took reserve supreme in the same section with Mrs Welby's 12-year-old mare Ainthorpe Countess by Willowbay Symphony out of Ainthorpe Elegant, bred by Derrick Champion with a foal by Turton Tom Kitten. He also had success in the two/three-year-old section with Daphne Du Pree's Charn Secret Fairytale.

Craig Elenor, from Thirsk, had a win and reserve champion in the riding horse breeding, showing the yearling Thriller and also had placings with Wayfaring Song of Summer.

Nicola, Philip and Katy Tyler, from Pickhill, took the brood mare and reserve champion in the Dartmoor section showing the seven-year-old Springwater Alight with her winning foal April Flutter by Shilstone Rocks Atlantic Gale, while Springwater Mimosa, a winning foal last year, took the yearling section.

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Matthew Cooper, from Cottingham, took his Horse of the Year Show ticket in the mountain and moorland working hunter riding the 11-year-old Welsh C mare Starcrest Mel Aur by Starcrest Sovereign.

Claire, Peter and Sarah Emmerson, from Stokesley, won in the HOYS lead rein mountain and moorland class with Thomas Tuer riding the six-year-old gelding Twyford Tailor Made. The stable also had a second place in the 128cm show pony class with Holly Aitken riding Rosamar Dark Prince.

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