Barbury's JCB Champions Challenge: Zara Tindall expects jockeys to see "just a distant rear view" of her eventers team
Former world and European Eventing champion Zara Tindall and leading Jump Jockey Bridget Andrews will be team captains of this week's Barbury International Horse Trials' Eventers versus Jump Jockeys JCB Champions Challenge.
This unique and fun horse race between the country’s top riders, will be held on Saturday, July 8 at the St. James’s Place Barbury International Horse Trials in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.
The race will feature two teams with an awesome line up of some of the best Jump Jockeys and event riders in the country, competing against each other over a specially designed course in Barbury’s main arena.
Zara Tindall took the Eventing World Championships in 2006 and went on to be voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year the following December. She was part of the silver medal winning British Eventing team at the London 2012 Olympics.
It's a return fixture for Zara - she captained the eventers in the inaugural running of the JCB Champions Challenge in 2014. This year her team members are:
• Jonty Evans - represented Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics riding Cooley Rorkes Drift and delivered an excellent performance to finish 9th
• Dan Jocelyn - rode in the 2004 Athens Olympics and is a current member of the New Zealand High Performance Futures squad
• Holly Woodhead - notched up many successes at young rider level and went on to represent Great Britain at senior level in the 2015 European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle
A former Champion lady amateur rider, Bridget Andrews became a conditional jockey in 2015 and is now one of the country’s most successful female jump jockeys. Since joining the powerful stable of trainer Dan Skelton, Bridget has been riding plenty of winners and is certainly one to watch for the future.
She will be the first woman to captain the Jump Jockeys in this event with her will be three multiple Cheltenham Festival winning riders:
• Nico De Boinville - 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup and 2016 Champion Chase winning jockey
• Wayne Hutchinson - 2015 Hennessy Gold Cup and multiple Cheltenham Festival winner and stable jockey to Barbury based Alan King
• Harry Skelton - Cheltenham Festival winning jockey and a rising star of the weighing room. Harry is the son of 2016 Olympic Show-jumping hero, Nick Skelton and stable jockey to his brother Dan
Commenting ahead of the JCB Champions Challenge Bridget Andrews said: “I hope the Eventers can ‘lay-up’ with the Jump Jockeys as we are hungry to regain our JCB Champion Challenge Crown at Barbury!”
Zara Tindall responded: “The Eventers are ready and plan to put on a real show for visitors to Barbury and the Jump Jockeys should expect to see just a distant rear view of us!"
The JCB Champions Challenge is on Saturday, July 8 at the St. James’s Place Barbury International Horse Trials. The four-day eventing and equestrian spectacle takes place from 6-9 July.
Advanced discounted tickets and hospitality are available to book at their website until 6pm before each event day. Tickets will then be available to purchase on the gate. Thursday: Free entry, Friday: £10pp, Saturday and Sunday: £20pp. Under 12’s go free.