The victory is the third for Pavitt who won on Our Duchess in 2012 and Tia Semilly in 2014, earning her a place in the hall of fame as the only rider to have ever won the Newcomers title so many times. No stranger to a jump-off, this time Nicole took an uncharacteristic approach and, rather than her riding with usual reputation-making speed, she opted for a steady and stunning clear, putting pressure on competitor Adam Botham - the only other rider to make the jump off. The risky tactic paid off, as Botham rolled the last pole racing to the finish, handing Nicole the victory once again.
The win follows a short partnership to date for Nicole and HC Cornet, as she was only given the ride by, owner of HC Sport Horses, Tamara Czartoryski in March of this year. Even more impressively, prior to being with Nicole the seven-year-old gelding had only jumped in the ring 3 times, around 1.10m tracks. ‘He’s going to be a superstar, a grand prix horse at the very least’ said Pavitt.