AN AYR showjumper has been crowned national champion.

The 2018 Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships at Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool recently came to a close and the event proved to be one of the highlights of the national showjumping calendar once again. Following six jam packed days of showjumping, six new National Champions were crowned.

Julie Priestley, Equine Brand Manager at Dodson & Horrell, was in attendance for the six days and commented “We have enjoyed every minute of the past six days of competition. It was a pleasure to meet so many members at the event and the atmosphere was fantastic throughout the competition. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who took part. I would also like to thank Aintree Equestrian Centre and British Showjumping as well as their team of volunteers for putting on a wonderful show.

"We are already looking forward to next year!”

Lucinda Stewart scooped the 1.10m National Amateur Championship on her own 9 year-old dark bay gelding Cancun II. The pair set a blistering pace in the jump off and their time was to prove unbeatable.

Ten of the forty-one starters made it through to the jump off and the in-form Lucinda and Cancun II left all of the fences standing in 36.11 seconds. This time left them with over a second in hand.

“The Championships have always been part of the plan for Cancun II this year as we have come second the last two times”, said Lucinda.

“This win is really special for us and we did a lot of work coming into the show. The horse has been on form all year and Mark McGowan’s technical tracks suited him.”

For a full list of results and further information about the Dodson & Horrell National Amateur & Veteran Championships, please visit www.aintreeequestriancentre.co.uk.