Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing is set to return to Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire from 04 to 06 August 2023, showcasing 5 National Championships.
The organisers are looking forward to welcoming new horse and rider combinations to The Festival as well as returning winners, campaigning for a double victory!
Last year’s winners of the Magic Millions British Open, Tim Price and Vitali, are returning to retain their title, while Tom McEwen and Luna Mist, winners of the Evelyn Partners British Intermediate Championship in 2022, have stepped up a level and are sure to be putting pressure on Tim and Vitali.
2022 winner of the TopSpec Challenge for The Corinthian Cup, Amy Barlow, hopes to return to glorious Gatcombe with a new ride, Lisnaught Lady Cruise, in the Dodson & Horrell Novice Championship, while Andrew Downes, winner of the RoR/NTF Retrained Racehorses Championship hopes to bring home the gold riding his 2022 winner Gold Nugget.
The Magic Millions British Open Championship will be run at the Advanced level. The Evelyn Partners British Intermediate Championship will also be run over an Advanced track but with Intermediate technical questions, which will be ideal for horses running their first 1.20m track.
The Dodson & Horrell Novice Championship will run over an Intermediate track but with Novice technical questions, again making it ideal for horses running their first 1.15m track, which is also shared with the OI section (sponsored by BiowaveGO).
The TopSpec Challenge for The Corinthian Cup will be over a straightforward Novice track shared with the ROR/NTF Retrained Racehorse Event Championship and the ON section (sponsored by Bredon School), allowing young and inexperienced horses to take advantage of the unique atmosphere and terrain at Gatcombe Park.
And there is much to celebrate at this year’s Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing. Not only will the event mark its 40th anniversary, the support for this ever-popular Gloucestershire gem is expanding, with two of the event’s prominent partners extending their sponsorship for an additional three years.
Long-standing partners Evelyn Partners (formerly Smith & Williamson) has sponsored the British Intermediate Championship for over 10 years. The coveted Intermediate Champion title has been claimed by the likes of Olympic gold medallists Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend.
“We are delighted to, once again, sponsor the Intermediate Championship at The Festival and wish all the competitors and organisers a safe and successful three days of competition,” commented Joss Dalrymple – Group Head of Private Clients, Private Client Tax Services at Evelyn Partners.
The British Novice Championship has been sponsored by heritage feeding company Dodson & Horrell for nearly a decade. Previous winners of this illustrious title include five-star event horse Cool Mountain ridden by William Fox-Pitt, and winner of a trio of four-star events, Seigneur Medicott, ridden by Bettina Hoy (GER). This Championship is ridden at Intermediate level and is a real stepping stone for horses aiming for the top of the sport.
Sam Horrell, Managing Director of Dodson & Horrell, said, “We are delighted to be continuing our support of The Festival, and we look forward to working with Peter Phillips and his team ahead of another fantastic event at Gatcombe Park. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the competitors the best of luck.”
“The Festival could not run without our family of partners and we are all grateful to Evelyn Partners and Dodson & Horrell for extending their long-standing support for these highly contested Championship classes. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with them over the forthcoming years,” added Event Director Peter Phillips.
