Golden Button Challenge 2010

Golden Button Challenge

News - Carl evans

15.1.11

It’s as easy as three, two, one for Zoe

Zoe Gibson achieved one of her sporting ambitions when beating 47 rivals to win today’s Ledbury Hunt Hayes Golden Button Challenge.Leicestershire-based Gibson, who was third in 2008 and second last year when riding Piper, partnered Tempo and scored comfortably from Dorset’s Catherine Atkinson on Ace and William Fox-Grant on Ferrari.

Gibson took golden buttons for being the first home and the first woman, and there were also buttons for Fox-Grant (veteran and non-thoroughbred), John Ellard (fifth, young rider and first Irish rider), Matt Sheppard (tenth, Ledbury – he also took the World Wide Web Trophy, given by the Ridley family, for the leading Ledbury subscriber or farmer).

Zara Phillips, the Queen’s granddaughter, who was present with her fiancé, rugby player Mike Tindall, presented the prizes having acted as starter for the event.

After receiving her trophies, Gibson said: “I really wanted to win this, because I know you might only have a few precious years when you have the right horse.“Sadly Piper had to be put down a couple of months ago, so I switched to Tempo, who I bought as a four-year-old. He’s now rising eight and has won the Harborough (Hunts Club ride), but he hadn’t done the Melton or the Golden Button – I felt this event would be too much for him with so many horses, but he front runs well so we gave it a go.“We led at the second, and later I thought I might have over-cooked it and done too much too soon, but I knew he would jump clean and is bold enough.”

Of the 48 starters, 21 completed the course, and riders were generally full of praise for the ground and the course.

Hard-luck stories centred on Peter Mason, who was lying second on Run For Moor, five lengths behind Tempo, when falling at the final fence.

The fifth-last, a set of timber rails, also caught a number of riders out, including local teenager Charlie Bishop and Ireland’s Paul Scallan, who were both vying for the lead with the winner until crumpling at that obstacle.

All loose horses were reported to have been caught safely, but the Hayes Golden Button Challenge inaugural winner, Yvonne Goss, went to hospital with a shoulder injury, while Ireland’s Denis Murphy suffered a broken collarbone.

Quotes from the day

Mega moment for tempo-setting Zoe
“Mega – I’m so delighted,” said Leicestershire’s Zoe Gibson after she had ridden Tempo to victory in the postponed 2010 running of the Ledbury Hunt’s Hayes Golden Button Challenge.
Asked to sum up the secret of her success in this and other hunt rides, Gibson said: “You need a fit horse, one that wants to jump the fences, and an awful lot of luck.”Despite recent snow and ice hold-ups, she added: “I cantered Tempo in the snow, and took him to the gallops at Newmarket once a fortnight. You can’t bring a horse to an event like this if it’s not fit.”
Gibson had been placed in the Hayes Golden Button Challenge on Piper, a horse she described as, “My horse of a lifetime”, although he was put down two months ago after a hind check ligament injury compounded other injuries.
Of her passage to victory on Tempo, Gibson said: “I was in a front-line melee of about 20 horses going down to the first, then led at the second, and he jumped the third [a hedge and ditch, and one of the biggest on the course] beautifully. All the fences jumped beautifully.“I had a few fairly long take-offs which weren’t quite as planned, but we got there.“Another horse [Charlie Bishop on Frenzi] came alongside about eight out, but we were soon back in front – I was a bit worried about the final set of rails [five out] because if you get them wrong at that stage of the race you are in trouble, but he jumped them well.“At the second-last I saw a loose grey [Los Galacticos – who had fallen five out when in contention] and was worried it would take me out, so went for a slightly barmy stride and just got there.
“I didn’t look behind after that because I rode such a rubbish finish last year [when runner-up] compared to Paul Carberry, so I didn’t look behind but just concentrated on getting home as best we could. I didn’t realise we were clear.”
Gibson, who lives in Nossington, Leicestershire, and follows the Cottesmore and Quorn hounds, plans to ride Tempo in the Melton Hunts Ride later this month if he recovers from his exertions in winning the Hayes Golden Button Challenge.

Quotes from other riders

Catherine Atkinson, who rode runner-up Ace, lives in Cattistock, Dorset where she works with pointers and breakers. Of Ace she said: “He’s rising seven, so hopefully I’ve got a good few more years of fun with him.
“I probably should have pushed on earlier because he finished incredibly well – on another occasion I might have kicked on sooner. Going to the third fence I was just behind the first barrage of horses, but then I got a bit closer and was never out of the first eight after that. He jumps so well it makes you feel safe, and he handled all the fences.
“I’ve ridden in points, but never done anything like this. I’d certainly like to do it again – it was awesome, just brilliant.”

William Fox Grant, who was third on Fox Grant Ferrari, said: “I’ve got a golden button! I’m thrilled. There was a fair bit of chaos over the first few fences, but the course rode beautifully and it was the best ground ever. At one fence a horse fell right in front of me and I thought, ‘oh, no, here we go’ but my horse landed and jumped clean over the faller. I could never get to the winner, but my horse had a tie-back [breathing operation] ten weeks ago and we missed a bit of work. It’s been a brilliant event and well run.”

John Ellard, the leading young rider, is an Irishman based locally with the Ridley family. Ellard who finished sixth on Gothic Love, said: “I broke my ankle in this event last year, so it’s great to get round. She walked through the third, but otherwise she winged everything. It was some spin and the feeling you get over some of the hedges is awesome.”

Peter Mason, who fell at the final fence on Run For Moor when lying second, five lengths behind winner Tempo, said: “I wouldn’t have caught the winner. I got upsides on one of the turns with half a mile to run, but she kicked on and I couldn’t get back to her.”

Matt Sheppard, who finished tenth on Fenn Edward, said: “I had a super ride, absolutely brilliant, and I’ll never do it again – I’m over my mid-life crisis. I went the same pace all the way round, threw him at everything and he was superb. The horse was awesome.”

Charlie Bishop, 17, who is about to become an apprentice jockey to trainer Mick Channon, fell five out on Fenzi when in contention with the winner, said: “He was just looking around and hit the rails – he’s better over the hedges. It was brilliant. I’d like to ride in more events like this, but I don’t want to be a jump jockey.”

County Wexford-based Paul Scallan, who rode Los Galacticos, also came down at the rails which claimed Fenzi. Scallan said: “I was upsides in front when the rails caught us out. I still enjoyed it, and want to come back next year to win it.”

Jason Medcroft, who with Matt Sheppard and Charlie Bishop represented the Ledbury Hunt and won the team prize, said: “It rode well, but you need a brave horse.”

Lucy Holland, who rode side-saddle last year when a non-finisher, completed in eighth on this occasion. The Bicester-based rider said of her spin on Guilsborough Gorse: “It was lovely to get round – you have to find your way through a fair number of loose horses, but my horse gave me a brilliant ride and the course rode well and quick. It is lovely old turf.”

Brother and sister Dougie and Milly Taylor, from County Meath, finished 13^th and 14^th respectively – and Dougie had borrowed his horse, Ar Aghaidh Leat, only 24 hours earlier from racehorse trainer Conor O’Dwyer. Dougie, who had a stop at the fifth, but turned and jumped at the second attempt, said: “The course is unique, absolutely brilliant – we’ve got nothing like it in Ireland,” while his sister said: “I wanted to finish in front of Dougie, but he passed me going to the second-last. We’ve had great fun and would love to do it again.”

Point-to-point rider Sam Drinkwater, who rode Primitive Joy, said: “He walked through the third. He’s a hunter, but with all the other horses around him he got half scared and fell.”

Ben Pauling, who fell at the ninth on Golden Flight, said: “I went at the same jump, a set of rails, two years ago. He jumped excellently to that point, and I was sitting in third, about ten lengths behind the leaders and ten lengths in front of the fourth feeling confident. The course is hedge, hedge, hedge, rails, and it just catches some horses out. Other than that it was brilliant fun and I can’t wait for next year.”

Land owners key to the Hayes Golden Button Challenge
Following the fifth running of the Hayes Golden Button Challenge, Ledbury Hunt joint-master David Redvers expressed special thanks to the landowners who allow the event to be staged across their fields.
“We couldn’t do it without them and we are extremely grateful,” said Redvers. “Their kindness enables us to raise money not only for the Ledbury Hunt, but also the Gloucestershire Air Ambulance, the Dolphin Centre in Newent and the Injured Jockeys’ Fund.”
Redvers also thanked Zara Phillips for acting as starter and presenting the winners’ prizes, land and property agents Hayes for sponsoring the main event, and Heaphys for their support of the human running race.

He added the hunt was grateful to Richard and Mindy Hammond for sponsoring the helicopter from which the 2010 running was filmed, and made a special mention of all the volunteers who give their time for free, especially Challenge secretary Louise Daly and all supporters who acted as fence stewards, horse catchers, car park attendants, bar and catering staff and drivers for vets and medical back up.