Dream double for Tom McEwen
Tom McEwen scored a back-to-back win in the Smith & Williamson British Intermediate Championship at the Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing. Tom and Barbara Cooper’s elegant grey Dreamaway ll, an eight-year-old by Verdi, led the dressage and were never headed, putting up the third fastest cross-country time of 8.4 penalties.
Harry Meade rode an exemplary round on Nigella Hall and Alexandra Robinson’s eight-year-old chestnut gelding Red Kite to rise four places to second and Tom Rowland was third on Naomi Watkins’ Very Good Tempo ahead of Oliver Townend, fourth on the jumping-bred Arklow Puissance.
Only three riders finished with time penalties in single figures: Flora Harris was fifth on My Lucky Day with 7.6 and sixth-placed Katie Corteen was fastest of all, with just 4.4 penalties on Forteland Tiger Tot.
There were 22 clear rounds from the 39 starters, with a double of angled hedges, the Smith & Williamson Corners at 6ab caused surprising trouble as horses seemed to back off them.
Izzy Taylor, third after the first two phases on the grey Fonbherna Lancer, retired after two refusals and Ben Way, the last to go who was challenging for the lead on Ringwood Madras, also faulted with an awkward jump over the first and a stop at the second.