WINTER CLASSIC 11–15 October
Winter Classic, Aintree International Arena, Merseyside
LAURA STEPHENSON’S 21-year-old Catherston Connor opened the winter classic season on fighting form, topping the leaderboard to take the AW Jenkinson Natural Flake grand prix.
Ten combinations had made it through to the second round, where the tone was set early – the horses who jumped second, third and fourth finished in second, third and fourth place.
Laura shook up the line-up from seventh-to-jump, with her gelding giving the fences plenty of air to cruise home 1.37sec ahead of rider Chris Smith and owner Tom Dunning’s Harthill Mexico. Joe Davison and Iggy Pop IV took third, making it a one-two-three of greys at the top of
