Unexpected win for Isabel

5:12am Saturday 4th October 2008

Isabel Djivanovic has made a good start to her bid to qualify for the European Junior Eventing Championships next year.

The 17-year-old from Sutton Veny won the first of five trial events for the championships at Ardingly on Sunday.

Djivanovic took victory on Elegant Grey and also came fifth on Pilots Pleasure, a horse she has owned for a month.

The young eventer said she was surprised and pleased with the performances of both her horses.

She said: "With Elegant Grey I was just hoping to have a nice easy run. I wasn't expecting him to win because he's not a very good show jumper, but he just decided to show jump well and turned out to be better than anyone else.

"Pilots Pleasure I wasn't expecting anything at all of because it was his first competition at that level.

"The second of the five trials will be held in March next year, at the beginning of the new season.