County teenager earns second spot

There was a top class en-try with competitors coming from all across the country.

The event ran championships for both amateur riders, currently not listed on the British Show Jumping Association rankings list, and Veteran competitors (women aged 45 or over and men over 50).

The Broadway rider's success came in the Amateur section, where she made the final of the top 1.20m championship after coming through two qualifying competitions at Addington.

She rode her Dutch bred mare Murante and the pair were one of just five combinations to go clear in both of the opening two rounds.

That took them through to an exciting timed jump-off, where they had the difficult task of being first in.

"It meant Victoria didn't have anyone to watch in the jump-off and find out how the course was riding," explained her mother Jan Sadler.

"Murante jumped amazingly over an up to height course. Victoria decided to go for a fairly steady clear, knowing that her horse is big and covers the ground well."

In the end the pair's faultless performance proved good enough for a highly creditable second place, after they were just overtaken by the only other rider to go clear, Oxfordshire-based Rachel Hendry.

"The winning combination really went for it over a track that had gone up to 1.30m or 1.35m by that stage," Mrs Sadler continued.

Murante has already qualified for next year's Discovery and Newcomers regional finals, which ultimately lead to a place at the Festival of Show Jumping and the Horse of the Year Show respectively.

"Victoria will now aim for the Blue Chip Performance qualifiers, a class that is the equivalent of Foxhunter and leads to a final at the Solihull staged Blue Chip Championships next spring," added Mrs Sadler.

"She already has a place in the Blue Chip Power final, after finishing fifth in a qualifier at Addington near Buckingham."