GUERNSEY have put themselves in the best possible position to beat Jersey and take the junior Team Trophy at the BSJA Horse of the Year Show. Competing on the all-weather surface at the Chemin Le Roi showground yesterday, the young Sarnian quartet of Tiffany Gervaise-Brazier, Penny Freeman, Shelley Tostevin and Jodie Travers all completed clear rounds. Jersey on the other hand go into Sunday’s concluding run with 13 faults.

‘I’m very pleased, they all rode fantastically,’ said Guernsey’s chef d’equipe Sian Staples.

‘They all had to be on the ball and it’s tight in there. It’s like jumping indoors as the fences come up quickly.

‘I’m very confident for Sunday. This is one of the best teams that we’ve had in years and they all jumped under pressure.

‘They work well together as a team as well.’

Fourteen-year-old Freeman on Kilrea Boy, who is proven performer at this level, set the greens on their way with a perfect round that was then matched by Tostevin and Travers. The pressure was then on captain Gervaise-Brazier with Crystal Sword to keep the standard up and the 14-year-old made no mistake.

‘It was quite nerve wracking as I was the last to go so I was under quite a lot of pressure,’ said Gervaise-Brazier.

‘I thought it was really good and I thought the course was really good as well. We had some tough competition and we all ended up with clear rounds so we could not be in a better position.

‘Let’s see how it goes on Sunday. I’m really pleased with the team.’

It was a different story though for the visiting team as they got off to the worst possible start as Josh Baudains was eliminated for two refusals at fence nine. It was a tough call on the young rider as the number for the fence had blown over in the wind and he clearly did not know whether to jump over it or not.

Katherine Moon got them back on track with a clear run before 13-year-old Rebecca Myles had a run that she would rather forget as she had falls on fence three, five and eight for 12 faults. Jersey skipper Emma Pallot got a consolation clear on their last run.

One Caesarean who did have a good day though was 11-year-old James Duffy.

The Victoria College student riding Master Bailey won the first class of the day, the nursery stakes for 128cm-and-under ponies, which he followed up with gold in the nursery two-phase class.

‘I’m very pleased,’ he said.

‘The course was a bit windy but he [Master Bailey] went really well. In the second win, it wasn’t so windy but it was longer.’

From a home point of view, 11-year-old Sarah Jackson who starts at the Grammar School next month, also had a good day on her pony Whinfell Tom Kitten, as she took the 128cm open.

‘I had a good ride,’ she said.

‘He was really fast and he jumped all the jumps clear. I was pleased with him.’