An off-track Thoroughbred sired by Bernardini finished on the podium this weekend at the year's first five-star three day eventing competition. Sophia Hill piloted the 12-year-old Humble Glory to a third-place finish in Australia's Adelaide Five Star, his first attempt at the sport's top level.
Three day eventing is a sport that encompasses three separate equestrian events – dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. There are only seven eventing competitions in the world rated at the five-star level: Kentucky, Badminton, Burghley, Australia, Luhmühlen, Pau, and Maryland.
Humble Glory raced under the name Camon Houdini and was trained by legendary Australian female conditioner Gai Waterhouse. He raced a handful of times both on the flat and over hurdles, but was never especially successful on the track.
According to Equestrian Life Magazine, Humble Glory, aka “Hughie,” arrived at Sophia Hill's barn in July of 2017 as a sales project for a friend.
“About a week after he arrived, I was blown away by his combination of scope, honesty and bravery,” Hill told Equestrian Life. “I thought he was a pretty nice horse and so I bought him from my friend with the view to selling him myself. Within three months, he had his first 95cm eventing start and won. He went so fast up the levels… within 18 months, he won the Young Rider Championship (equivalent to three-star level) at Adelaide.”
By late 2019, just over two years after coming off the racetrack, Humble Glory had recorded his first victory at the four-star level. After COVID and a spell due to injury, this weekend's five-star was Humble Glory's debut at the top level. It was also the first time the Adelaide five-star had been run since 2019, also due to ongoing issues stemming from COVID.
Hill and Humble Glory recorded a 40.9 in the dressage, but they were the only combination to complete Saturday's cross-country course clear and inside the time, moving up from 14th to fifth ahead of the show jumping competition. Another clear round in the show jumping boosted the pair to finish third overall.
“He's never had a cross country jump fault and he's an amazing galloper,” Hill told Equestrian Life. “He usually always makes the time, even when other horses don't. He's just a really good jumper; he wants to be clean and wants to do the right thing. The biggest struggle for him is being uphill in the dressage, because he's just not built that way.”
Read more at Equestrian Life.
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