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Prize-money for Hickstead’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup competition will be £9,000 this year, thanks to a new sponsor of the class — the Old Lodge Stud in Sussex.
The Queen’s Cup was the UK’s only international women’s jumping class.

But in February, Hickstead sparked controversy when they announced that, after 59 years, it would be downgraded to a national class and would also be open to male riders.

The class is now open to the top 20 riders on the British Show Jumping Association’s international trials points list.

Old Lodge already sponsors classes at Addington and the young riders class and young horse breeding championships at the Royal International Horse Show.

Its spokesman Corinna Duncan said the stud was “very excited” to be involved with the Queen’s Cup.

She also said the stud has designs on winning this year’s Queen’s Cup with Geoff Luckett already qualified for the class. He will ride one of two of Old Lodge’s horses — Brickfield Boy or Little Lefanie.

The winner of the first Queen’s Cup (then the Princess Elizabeth Cup) in 1949, Iris Kellett, took home the princely sum of £30.

The final winner of the cup in its old format — Tina Fletcher in 2007 — landed £6,000.

Hickstead owner Douglas Bunn has welcomed news of the sponsorship deal, saying: “We are happy Old Lodge has seen the enormous potential of this competition in its new format and decided to add it to the formidable list of classes that have its support.”

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum claimed the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping title for the second time in her career today with a magical performance from Shutterfly.

America’s Rich Fellers created a huge sensation when finishing second with Flexible, a horse who has achieved success against the most incredible odds, while Germany’s Heinrich-Hermann Engemann and Aboyeur W slotted into third.
Britain’s only representative, Michael Whitaker, finished ninth with Suncal Portofino.
Course designer Rolf Ludi built tracks asking huge questions about the rider’s ability to be accurate and the horse’s willingness to stretch themselves to their limit for this 30th anniversary fixture.
But Shutterfly proved more than equal to all of these questions, even when Meredith left the 15-year-old gelding with a lot to do at the triple combination in Sunday’s opening round but the horse just opened up his jump a little more to bring her home clear.
The second round track was shorter but the questions were still big with few able to master the awkward distance to the final fence. Last in to the ring, Shutterfly was like a piece of precision equipment and the crowd rewarded the German partnership with a huge roar as the horse and rider executed the last distance on a perfect four strides.
“I’m very proud to win my second world cup title,” said the rider who previously topped the line-up in Las Vegas in 2005. “Shutterfly showed he was in great form over three days and at 15 he is not young — he was super and he never had a rail down.”
American rider Rich Fellers was a surprise second with Flexible, an Irish-bred 12-year-old stallion by Cruising.
“You don’t know what they can do until you ask them, and when I asked him this week to jump higher and go wider he just kept saying ‘OK’,” the delighted American explained. Their success was all the more incredible because Flexible had previously been operated on for a blocked artery in a foreleg, as well as breaking his shoulder in a freak accident.
Results
1, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 4/0/0 – 4

2, Flexible (Rich Fellers) USA 2/4/0 – 6

3, Aboyeur W (Heinrich-Hermann Engemann) Ger 5/0/4 – 9

=4, Ideo du Thot (Beat Mandli) Sui 4/8/0 – 12

=4, All Inclusive NRW (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 4/4/4 – 12

=4, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Ger 0/8/4 – 12

=7, Esplanade (Peter Wylde) USA 3/12/0 – 15

=7, Tresor (Steve Guerdat) Sui 10/0/5 – 15

9, Suncal Portofino (Michael Whitaker) GBR 8/5/5 – 18

10, Ninja la Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) Swe 15/0/4 - 19

GENEVA — The international equestrian federation has unveiled a strategy of increased testing and holding riders responsible as part of its fight against doping following the fiasco at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
“Athens was really a bad moment for the sport,” said FEI spokeswoman Malina Gueorguiev. “It was a big problem and it was very spectacular.”
Three gold medalists were stripped of their titles four years ago.
The federation is eager to restore the sport’s reputation when the eventing, dressage and showjumping events are staged in Hong Kong in August.
The FEI approved its anti-doping strategy of more tests and better communication with riders and veterinarians after a week of meetings.
“For human athletes, we are not facing any serious problems: For the horses every medication is forbidden in competition — that is the bottom line,” Gueorguiev said.
Officials will take urine samples from the three leading horses in each discipline and conduct further random tests.
A strict liability rule makes riders responsible for any positive test by their horses and gave a clearer definition between doping and medication.
“Horses do need treatment. Sometimes it might be that the horse is scratched, they apply some cream and there it is, a positive case,” Gueorguiev said.