Above: Tom McDermott and Cachassini II. Photo credit: Australian Jumping.
We have passed the half-way mark in our Championships! The weather was kind today and the jumping was even better. Many of the start lists for the range of finals scheduled over the weekend have been finalised and we can’t wait to start naming the champions of the various Series and Championships for 2022.
Here is a recap of the action today as it unfolded across all three arenas in play.
RACING HEARTS – AUSTRALIAN YOUNG RIDER CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 2) – 1.30-1.40m
The first class today on Flemings Nurseries Arena 2 was Round 2 of the Racing Hearts Australian Young Rider Championship. Thirty-five combinations were on the start list, which saw eight of them go clear, to set up a thrilling jump off. Taking the win in a double clear performance and a time of 45.96 seconds was the 2021 Australian Junior Champions, Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina. They seem to have encountered little difficulty with moving into the Young Rider ranks. Also double clear in second was the Victorian combination of Tilley Fair and Oaks Constantino, stopping the clock in 48.79 seconds. Third place went to the NSW combination, Alexandra Gostelow and Tulara Cristo in a time of 49.48 seconds. With the top five places all going double clear, Sunday’s final is sure to be one of the highlights of the championship. Congratulations to the winner and all the placegetters.
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Clemency Hughes | Diamond B Corvina |
| 2nd | Tilley Fair | Oaks Constantino |
| 3rd | Alexandra Gostelow | Tulara Cristo |
| 4th | Ginger Jilly | Diamond B Vancouver |
| 5th | Kendall Richards | Bonita Aurelia |
| 6th | Conor Reed | Alpha Activity |
| 7th | Chase Naylor | Misty Blue Ego Z |
| 8th | Anneliese Wansey | Kolora Stud St Patrick |
| 9th | Chris Holland | Elsa |
| =10th | Emily Baldwin | Twins Ava |
| =10th | Jessie Rice-Ward | Dinero |
Above: Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina
AUSTRALIAN YOUNG RIDER TEAMS EVENT – 1.30-1.40m
Held in Conjunction with the Racing Hearts Australian Young Rider Championship, the Victorian team has won the Young Rider teams competition from Queensland, NSW and Western Australia.
Victoria were clear winners, finishing on a total of 5 points, while Queensland and NSW had a close tussle for second with Queensland claiming the spot with 16 points just pipping NSW on 18. Fourth place went to Western Australia who finished on 22 points, however, they did not have the luxury of a discard score today. The placings and team members are listed below:
| PLACE | STATE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | VIC | Tilley Fair Hayden Parker Conor Reed Kendall Richards |
Oaks Constantino Tulara Spangenberg Leopoldo MVNZ Bonita Aurelia |
| 2nd | QLD | Fuschia Criss Chris Holland Chase Naylor Cody Tincknell |
Dual Diamond Elsa Misty Blue Ego Z Screwdriver |
| 3rd | NSW | Bella Du Plessis Clemency Hughes Jess Rice-Ward Sally Simmonds |
Monte Carlo MVNZ Diamond B Corvina Dinero Oaks Kingfisher |
PRYDE’S EASIFEED – AUSTRALIAN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 2) – 1.50-1.60m
The next class we saw was Round 2 of the feature event of the Championship, The Pryde’s EasiFeed Australian Senior Championship. All 24 combinations in today’s start list were looking to finish as high up the results table as possible, to ensure the best starting position in Sunday’s final. There were only four clear rounds, giving rise to an exciting jump off, where three went double clear. The quickest of these was Tom McDermott and Cachassini II who repeated their victory in yesterday’s Round 1. Their time of 38.07 seconds was almost 2.5 seconds faster than second placed Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova with a time of 40.51 seconds. In third place were Izabella Stone and Tulara Stolzette (42.75 seconds). With the pair of wins, in the qualifying rounds, Tom McDermott and Cachassini II will go into Sunday’s final in the box position on zero penalties. All the placegetters are listed below:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Tom McDermott | Cachassini II |
| 2nd | Sam Overton | Oaks Cassanova |
| 3rd | Izabella Stone | Tulara Stolzette |
| 4th | Mattea Davidson | Checkamour D |
| 5th | Amber Fuller | CP Aretino |
| 6th | Josh Collins | Cornel |
| 7th | Frida Lindgren | Big Dream Z |
| 8th | Ally Lamb | Eagle Rock |
| 9th | Gemma Creighton | Dada Des Brimbelles Z |
| 10th | Tom McDermott | Cooley Gangster |
Above: Tom McDermott and Cachassini II
AUSTRALIAN YOUNG SENIOR TEAMS EVENT – 1.50-1.60m
In conjunction with the Pryde’s EasiFeed Australian Senior Championship, the Queensland team of riders have won the teams competition over both Victoria and New South Wales. This repeats their Victory from the 2021 Championships. Queensland started the competition today, carrying 4 penalties, however, a pair of clear rounds saw them only advance to a total of 8. NSW started the day on zero, however faults from all four combinations saw them advance to a total of 12 to be placed second. Victoria started the day carrying 10 penalties and had a total of 5 rails added to place them in third on 30 points. The placings and team members are listed below:
| PLACE | STATE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | QLD | Mattea Davidson Olivia Hamood Sam Overton Clem Smith |
Checkamour D Jane Fonds DVD Oaks Cassanova Oaks Conjuror |
| 2nd | NSW | Josh Collins Amber Fuller Tom McDermott Amanda Madigan |
Cornel Nopal Van Tallaert Elegance De La Charmille Diamond B Vivienne |
| 3rd | VIC | Brook Dobbin Russell Johnstone Ally Lamb Andrew Lamb |
Gina MVNZ Daprice Eagle Rock Denison Park Spartava |
HORSELAND – AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 2) – 1.25-1.30m
The last class today on Flemings Nurseries Arena 2 was the second round of the Horseland Australian Junior Championship. A total of 49 combinations presented for the class and some high-quality jumping saw 14 clear rounds, setting up an enthralling jump-off which had the big crowd on the edge of their seats. After the jump-off, there were still six combinations who had left all the rails intact, meaning that the winners, in a time of 44.95 seconds were Cody Tincknell and James Continue. It was a great performance by this combination finishing over 5 seconds clear of their nearest rivals. Second place went to Claire Zylstra and Harvey B with a time of 49.98 seconds, while a time of 50.67 was enough for Elissa Stephens and Vertigo to claim third. The final of this Championship will be held on Sunday morning. Congratulations to the winner and all the placegetters:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Cody Tincknell | James Continue |
| 2nd | Claire Zylstra | Harvey B |
| 3rd | Elissa Stephens | Vertigo |
| 4th | Isabella Lloyd | Phantom Vortex |
| 5th | Ella Silk | Redgum Conan |
| 6th | Molly Lawrence | Carabel P |
| 7th | Ella Hayward | Edena DP |
| 8th | Olivia Hewitt-Toms | Celerity Park LM Star |
| 9th | Tilley Fair | Bella Bonita |
| 10th | Gemma Silk | Oscar Boscaiola |
| 11th | Chloe Versteegen | Tinkas Bay |
| 12th | Olivia Hewitt-Toms | Lushious Lexie |
Above: Cody Tincknell and James Continue.
AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR TEAMS EVENT – 1.25-1.30m
Run in conjunction with the qualifying rounds of the Horseland Australian Junior Championship, the team from Queensland has won the State Junior teams competition from Team Victoria and Team NSW
After a great performance yesterday where three of their team members finished in the top four places, Team NSW started the day on zero penalties, however an elimination and five rails today gave them a total of 20 for the competition and third place. Both Queensland and Victoria started the day on a score of 7 and both state teams advanced by two rails today, to finish tied on a score of 15. A countback was done and when total times were taken into account, Queensland were declared the winners, with Victoria as close behind in second as possible. The placings and team members are listed below:
| PLACE | STATE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | QLD | Olivia Hewitt-Toms
Hannah Overton Simone Sorensen Cody Tincknell |
Celerity Park LM Star
Chironic Dominant Visage Viva Blue Barabadeen Sir Lancelot |
| 2nd | VIC | Jack Barker Cecilia Clements Tilley Fair Elissa Stephens |
Tulara Colchic Southern Stars Ferrari Bella Bonita Da Vince |
| 3rd | NSW | Ella Hayward Charlie Magnier Jett Newman Charly Robinson-Smith |
Edena DP Quinn Z Wanda Martango |
ICEPAK – AMATEUR SERIES (ROUND 2) – 1.20m
The first class today on Tulara Warmbloods Arena 3 was the second round of the Amateur Series, with this round sponsored by Icepak. There were 51 combinations on the start list and 24 of these went clear to qualify for a jump-off. After the jump-off, there were 11 double clears, but in the end, it was experience that shone through. With a scintillating jump-off round which took just 37.39 seconds, the win went to Stuart Abrahams and Vainquer. In second place, over 6 seconds slower was Louise Abey and Sail On By (43.65 seconds). Third place went to the winners of yesterday’s first round Jane Powell and Sorento who stopped the clock at 44.64 seconds. The final of this Series is scheduled for Saturday. Here are the placings from today’s class.
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Stuart Abrahams | Vainquer |
| 2nd | Louise Abey | Sail On By |
| 3rd | Jane Powell | Sorento |
| 4th | Kelly Lees | Ohio Silver |
| 5th | Hannah Hardy | Great Gatsby |
| 6th | Taliah Daniels | Lamperds Stella |
| 7th | Gaby Herbosa | Kaloona Virago |
| 8th | Giorga Gall | Along Came Polly |
RUBY SERIES (ROUND 2) – MINIMUM 1.25m
The next class on Arena 3 was the second round of the Ruby Series, which was run as a speed class. Despite taking a rail, the win went to Queensland’s Courtney Scott and Quinzella Z with an adjusted time of 65.49 seconds. In second place was Young Rider Sally Simmonds and Chio MS in 66.09 seconds also taking a rail. Carly Overton and Pabello were third, completing the course clear in 68.46 seconds. The top 50% of entrants have qualified for Sunday’s Ruby Series final. Placings from today’s class are as follows.
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Courtney Scott | Quinzella Z |
| 2nd | Sally Simmonds | Chio MS |
| 3rd | Carly Overton | Pabello |
| 4th | Conor Reed | ES Casello |
| 5th | Charlie Eason | Oaks Coolangatta |
| 6th | Emma Smith | Oaks Abracadabra |
| 7th | Rebecca Jenkins | Festa D |
| 8th | George Johnson | Wallaroo Carina |
| 9th | Tess McInerney | Yalambis Fair Diamond |
| 10th | James Paterson-Robinson | Bolong Park Cervarchi |
ORANGEVILLE PERFORMANCE HORSES – OPEN – 1.10m
One of the few non championship/series classes on the program, an open 1.10m sponsored by Orangeville Performance Horses, was the third class on Arena 3 today. It was a single round class with 49 combinations on the start list, which produced 18 clears. The win went to Chelsea Hair and Cassie, who had a time of 63.47 seconds. In second were Danni Hampton and Wynara Bronze Medal who stopped the clock at 63.56 seconds, while 64.03 was enough to secure third place for Sarah Weiss and Twins Delux. Placings in this class were as follows:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Chelsea Hair | Cassie |
| 2nd | Danni Hampton | Wynara Bronze Medal |
| 3rd | Sarah Weiss | Twins Delux |
| 4th | Ebony Beecroft | Finch Farm Tarantino |
| 5th | Grace Overton | Vertical Valley Bella Boop |
| 6th | Jake Tomlinson | Vinchino |
| 7th | Fuschia Criss | Amazena |
| 8th | Kristy Haworth | Busy Bee |
RACING VICTORIA – OFF THE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 1) – 1.10m
The final class of the day on Tulara Warmbloods Arena 3 was the first round of the Racing Victoria Off The Track Championship. This championship is the exclusive domain of thoroughbred horses what were previously involved in the racing industry. It was a single round class, with the win going to Sophie Stott and Allwest, clear in 61.95 seconds. Second place went to the combination that were placed second in the Amateur class earlier today, Louise Abey and Sail On By, who stopped the clock in 64.49 seconds. In third were Alice Lawrence and Mucho Mucho Deniro in 64.50 seconds. There will be a second round of this Championship tomorrow, before a final on Sunday. Placegetters today were as follows:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Sophie Stott | Allwest |
| 2nd | Louise Abey | Sail On By |
| 3rd | Alice Lawrence | Mucho Mucho Deniro |
| 4th | Alice Lawrence | Mr Ali |
| 5th | Katie Clark | Katelle Grand |
| 6th | Brad Cunningham | Stellaluna |
| 7th | Charley Beecraft | Wonder Flash |
| 8th | Jamie Conan | Trespasser |
CHASE EQUESTRIAN – IVORY SERIES (ROUND 1) – 0.80m
There were three classes conducted today on Arena 4 to complete today’s program. First up was Round 1 of the Chase Equestrian Ivory Series. Kaya Zielinski and Lady Of Diamonds were successful, prevailing after a 24 way jump-off, going double clear with a finishing time of 32.33 seconds. Susanna Verco, over from South Australia and Ruben filled second place, after a 35.99 second jump-off. Sunday Borrack and gelding Tane Mahuta came in third, stopping the clock in 36.59 seconds, A second round is scheduled for tomorrow morning before a final on Sunday. The placings from today were as follows:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Kaya Zielinski | Lady Of Diamonds |
| 2nd | Susanna Verco | Ruben |
| 3rd | Sunday Borrack | Tane Mahuta |
| 4th | Hannah Lionnet | Maple |
| 5th | Kirra Nicholls | Calveston Mighty Joe |
| 6th | Ella Alexander | Tarcoola Leo |
| 7th | Jemima McCormack | Copabella Charm |
| 8th | Lisbeth Height | Sommerwaters Petite |
YANDOO EQUESTRIAN SERVICES – PEARL SERIES (ROUND 2) – 0.90m
The second round of the Yandoo Equestrian Services Pearl Services kept spectators entertained during the middle part of the day on Arena 4. A 33-way jump-off saw 14 double clears, with the fastest going to Kate Pannell and Valhalla Rising, completing the jump-off in 31.05 seconds. Second place went to Eliza Abrahams and Vivarchi RM in 31.42 seconds, while the winners of the previous class, Kaya Zielinski and Lady Of Diamonds topped off a good day for them by finishing third in 31.85 seconds. There is a third round of this Series scheduled for tomorrow, before a final on Sunday. Today’s placings were as follows:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Kate Pannell | Valhalla Rising |
| 2nd | Eliza Abrahams | Vivarchi RM |
| 3rd | Kaya Zielinski | Lady Of Diamonds |
| 4th | Lorna Clifford | Ngahiwi Possum |
| 5th | Nakita Willis | Bella |
| 6th | Harrison Wessel | Keltern Flash |
| 7th | Charli Hill | Isle Of Jarroe Valley |
| 8th | Liz Hoy | Quintana KWL |
JPR EQUESTRIAN – OPAL SERIES (ROUND 2) – 1.00m
Today’s action wrapped up with the second round of the JPR Equestrian Opal Series. Like the Peal Series, there is a third round scheduled for tomorrow, with a final on Sunday. Today’s class was won by Zara Adnams and Dingmac Disco King, which followed on from their win in the first round. In this single round class, they finished the course clear in 49.47 seconds. Another Zara, Zara Young along with gelding Aveden Indigo were second in 50.46 seconds. Completing the podium, in third place were Olivia Curtain and the mare Xcella, stopping the clock at 50.75 seconds. Adnams is yet to take a rail in this series and we will be interested to see if her fantastic riding continues through the rest of the series. Placing today were as follows:
| PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
| 1st | Zara Adnams | Dingmac Disco King |
| 2nd | Zara Young | Aveden Indigo |
| 3rd | Olivia Curtain | Xcella |
| 4th | Eliza Abrahams | Vivarchi RM |
| 5th | Olivia Curtain | Indi’s Mr Zorba Jones |
| =6th | Rodney Mitchell | Cera Cascaletto |
| =6th | Tayla Anderson | Rimondi D |
| 8th | Rebecca Wright | Sparkling Midnight |
It was a very interesting day of jumping and all is now in readiness for the first of our finals starting Tomorrow.