Keen Jeffree clearing hurdles for national team selection
Eager riders wanting to make the national team selection competed in the Ballarat horse trials while at Boneo Park the showjumping season drew to a close.
THE Melbourne international Three-Day Event is only a few weeks away, and one of the final warm up events for the Queens Birthday Horse Trials is the beautiful and testing Marcus Oldham, Friends of Ballarat, Trials.
Young Sam Jeffree is a man on a mission, and at just 22, is well on his way to achieve his plans to make an Australian team.
Riding Woodmount Lolita he followed up his decisive win in the four-star class at the Wandin Horse Trials by leading right from the dressage phase at Ballarat to win from David Middleton who rode the second and third placegetters, WEC In the Swing and WEC In the Money.
Getting a really good dressage score counts more and more if you want to win a horse trial and Lily Wickenden’s score of 29.8, added to two good jump rounds helped her win the three-star class on Fuerst Sensation.
Yona Lloyd was hot on her heels in second place with Ballahowe Ayurvedic just two points behind.
In the two-star class, Chelsea Priestley won with Southern Sandro Stern.
A busy Sam Jeffree took out second and third on Wimborne Conjuror and Equus Helenik, he also rode the sixth placegetter Santoro.
There are so many good horses rising through the ranks, that one-star classes always have divisions to cope with numbers.
Sara-Jane Vaughan won the first division with Solitaire Park Exclusive Alibi and Tessa Newton took the second riding Ashmead Her Highness.
The EA 95cm class was also divided with the winners, Jasmyn Beesley’s Jazdan Spellbound and Eliza-Jayne Sinclair’s Warrior of Fire.
There was also an EA95 class for riders under 21, won by Emma Hercules’ Treasured Nadal.
Three full divisions of the young horse EA 80cm section show just how popular horse trials are and how happy riders are to be competing again.
Winners were Rohan Luxmore’s Neat and Tidy, Lucy Kolomanski’s Vinnie and Lauren Line’s Fluff.
— FRAN CLELAND
STUCKEY IN FINE FORM AS SHOWJUMPING SEASON ENDS
THE Victorian Showjumping season slowly drew to a close with the May monthly Showjumping competition at Boneo Park last weekend.
Great weather, wonderful facilities and excellent tracks from course designers Gavin Chester and Ed McNair provided riders with an exciting weekend of competition.
Tori Stuckey from Whittlesea riding Finch Farm Cab Sav was in excellent form.
Stuckey and Finch Farm Cab Sav won the 1.35m jump off class from Amanda Leyshan and Viva Unique.
The combination then jumped a sensational round to win the 1.30m speed class finishing five seconds faster than second place David Middleton and WEC In The Money.
Middleton is usually found eventing and has represented Australia, but for this show he turned his hand to straight showjumping with his team of home bred horses and had some amazing results.
Middleton rode WEC In The Swing to win the 1.25m speed class beating himself and WEC In The Money to second place. He then rode WEC In The Breeze to take out the 1.15m jump off class once again relegating his other ride WEC In The Swing to second place.
Middleton and WEC In The Breeze also took out the 1.20m jump off class from Tim Wilson and Vivarchie.
Last but not least, Middleton rode WEC In The Swing to win the 1.10m speed class from Lily Wickenden and EA Berlin.
Thirty-three horses started in the 1.04m speed class but it was Michela Agnoletti riding Skipcellos Sky High who could not be caught, finishing five seconds faster than second place Clementine Mann and Vanilla.
Stuart Brennan rode SV Little Lady to win the 1m jump off class from Lola Moran and Trafalgar Twist.
Clementine Mann had a tasty ride when she not only won the 95cm jump off class riding Vanilla but took second place riding Peppermint.
The 90cm speed class was won by Gabrielle Howell riding Widow Maker from Zara Yunghanns and Snowy River Nutwood.
Other winners across the weekend included Ava Kennedy and My Silver Fox, Jules Fulkerson and LH Voltaren, Lucy Coventry and Gangitano Zoe and Emmy Bailieu and Tiki Taane.
— LIZ RICHARDSON
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