THIS weekend sees the Dauntsey Park BE one-day event after its welcome return to the British Eventing calendar last year.

Olympic greats Matt Ryan and Andrew Hoy lead the entry list, with five rides between them, in sections that range from Intermediate Novice to BE100 level.

The Wiltshire entries will be led by four-star internationals such as West Littleton’s Harry Meade and Tristram Owers and other names to look out for include Claire Horner, Kathryn Harris, Lucie McNichol, Lucienne Elms, Robert Stevens, Jayne Wilson and Hodson-based former Pony European double silver medallist Ella McEwen.

One of the highlights will be a BE100 regional final, which leads on to the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Grass Roots Championships, due to held alongside the famous Badminton three-day event for the second year running next April.

The ‘Grass Roots’ finals are the ones every amateur rider wants to qualify for but they have to fight hard to earn a place through a series of regional heats held countrywide.

Wiltshire’s Car Burkey, Gill Horton and Jo Clarke will all be hoping to return to the venue, after making it there in 2010, with their rides Domino Dancer, Pendragon VI and Orions Brite Spark.

Riders will tackle a bold, galloping cross country course which crosses the River Avon and is designed by Eric Winter, highly praised for his course at this month’s Blenheim three-day event.

The event, which has a new entrance only through Great Somerford, will be signposted from the A429 and B4042 and will also stage a special ‘Puissance’ competition on Sunday n Several Wiltshire riders will be hoping to prove they have some of the best young horses in Britain this weekend.

They are among the qualifiers for the Lycetts British Eventing (BE) Young Horse Championships, at Osberton House near Worksop (Friday-Sunday).

Little Cheverell’s Clayton Fredericks leads the local entry in the Six Year Old CIC* Championship, where the Australian Beijing team silver medallist’s rivals will include fellow Olympians such as Dan Jocelyn and Jeanette Brakewell. Fredericks has two rides – the stallion Mr Big Cat, a horse in his first BE season that he jointly owns with Deborah Clarke, and Alice and Tim Page’s Mr Sydney Rocks, already a winner at Chatsworth and Gatcombe this year.

French born Leonard Goerens, now based at Crudwell and who won the title in 2006 on Flying Machine, also has two entries in the shape of Brechfa Cai and Somerley Park winner Time Machine.

Membury’s U21 international Laura Collett has entered brand new ride Dassett Courage, Lower Stanton St Quinton rider Kitty King has the in-form Zidante and Swindon-based Neil Spratt rides Crown Consort.

Bishopstone’s former Badminton winner Rodney Powell is in the Seven Year Old Championship on Conair and among the Four and Five Year old entries are Angela Mace, Alexander Peternell, Polly Williamson and Hannah Mace.

n Hodson 19 year old Tom McEwen scored a great win at the South of England International Horse Trials at Ardingly, as venue that appears to be a favourite.

The teenager, who has just started studies at Oxford Brookes University, won the Open Intermediate Under 21 section on the ex-racehorse Old Dry Party, a new ride this season.

The pair was also second at the same level at the first one day event to be held at the South of England this season, back in April.

“Tom was thrilled with his test in the opening dressage phase this time – he said it was the best this horse has ever done,” said his mother Ali McEwen.

“The judge came out and remarked that she’d seen the horse earlier in the year and how well he was now going.”

The duo cruised round the cross country course to come home just two seconds over the optimum time and add .8 of a mark to their score.

“Tom said it was one of the biggest cross country tracks he’d seen – he originally wasn’t going to go cross country, but pull put after show jumping,” Mrs McEwen added.

“But he decided to go and cracked on, and went so well. The ground was decent and that helped.”

McEwen also recently finished second at the Pontispool one day event on the eight year old Diesel, a horse the family discovered as an unbroken six year old and have produced since. He will now tackle his second two star international – he jumped a double clear at the Barbury Castle CIC** back in July – at Osberton in Nottinghamshire this weekend.

Membury’s Laura Collett, team gold medallist at the 2010 Young Rider European Championships, was sixth in the South of England CIC** after jumping a double clear on Noble Bestman.

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