Hazel Shannon and WillingaPark Clifford jump into the lead at the Australian International Three Day Event
© Michelle Terlato Photography
By Equestrian Life
In 2018 Hazel Shannon and WillingaPark Clifford made history, becoming the first combination to win the Australian International Three Day Event twice. Now sitting at the top of the leader board at the end of the CCI5* Cross Country phase of the 2019 Australian International Three Day Event, if Hazel Shannon and Clifford can retain their lead in tomorrow’s Show jumping phase, Clifford will become only the fifth horse in history to win three 5 stars at the same venue.
With less than 1 penalty separating the top three combinations at the conclusion of yesterday’s dressage phase, competition was set to be fierce on Qantas Cross Country day and the 19 strong field of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading event riders did not disappoint. As a huge crowd gathered in the Adelaide Parklands, excitement built in anticipation of dressage leader Emma Bishop and CP Issey Miyake’s round. As the trailblazers on the 5* cross country course, this combination set out with determination and jumped with confidence and style around most of the Mike Etherington-Smith designed course. Unfortunately, fence 27a saw Emma’s dreams of a 5* win came to an abrupt end when she parted company with CP Issey Mikaye. Fortunately both horse and rider were unhurt.
As the second last combination to set out on course, Hazel Shannon and WillingaPark Clifford set a blistering pace from the moment they left the start box, showing their immense experience and strong partnership as they made even the toughest combinations on the CCI5* course appear simple. As commentators Spencer Sturmey and Sarah Kellard Smith commented, WillingaPark Clifford has cat like agility and wastes no time as he skips around the course with his ears pricked. Still full of running and enthusiasm as he finished the course 11 seconds under the optimum time, the crowd was delighted to see this plucky thoroughbred and his humble rider complete the course in fine style. However it was not long before the results showed 15 penalties had been added to Hazel’s score for missing a flag at 11b, and for a nervous period of time it appeared that the crowd favourites would drop down the leader board. A review by the Ground Jury saw the penalties removed, and Hazel Shannon and WIllingaPark Clifford now lead the CCI5* class as they head into tomorrow’s show jumping phase on 30.7 penalties.
Less than a rail behind the leaders, New Zealand’s Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding finished the cross country phase on 34.10 penalties after being the only other combination to complete the cross country course clear of both jumping and time penalties. Having finished second in the 5* at Adelaide last year with four rails down in the show jumping, Amanda will be determined to post a better result in the final phase of this year’s event and retain or improve her final placing. Amanda and Just Kidding were in outstanding form on Cross Country today, establishing a great rhythm and jumping confidently through all the questions the course posed.
Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding added no penalties to their dressage score to finish the day in second place
© Michelle Terlato Photography
In third place after the cross country phase, fellow New Zealanders Diane Gilder and Your Attorney impressed in their 5* debut and added just 5.2 time penalties to their fifth placed dressage score to finish the day on 38.6 penalties. Lauren Browne and Sky’s Da Limit moved from third after the dressage to fourth after cross country with 8.0 time penalties, finishing the day just 0.4 penalties behind Diane Gilder and Your Attorney. It is interesting to note that the top four placed horses after the cross country phase are all thoroughbreds.
Stuart Tinney’s imported Leporis, the youngest horse in the field at just 8 years old, showed the selectors that he is one to watch as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics draws closer. With a super jump and ground covering gallop, Leporis jumped confidently around the course to finish the day in fifth place, adding 8.8 time penalties to his fourth placed dressage score.
Local favourites Megan Jones and Kirby Park Impress started the course in a determined manner, taking the inside line to the combination of angled brushes on the main arena and establishing a great rhythm and gallop from the start. Unfortunately a fall towards the end of the course meant Megan’s Adelaide dream was over, however Megan was quickly back on her feet and unhurt.
With 12 of the 19 combinations completing this year’s track clear of jumping penalties, it was an exciting day of cross country action around the redesigned course. Three 5 star debutantes jumped clear; third placed Diane Gilder, tenth placed Michael Dagostino and twelfth placed Sarah Clark, to the delight of the Adelaide crowd.
Earlier in the day, the CCI3*L cross country phase created plenty of change to yesterday’s dressage leaderboard. Overnight leaders Tim Boland and Menlo Park were clear, however 13.6 time penalties saw them finish on 41.90 and in 15th place heading into tomorrow’s final phase.
Second after yesterday’s dressage, Western Australian combination Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture collected 20 jump penalties and 6.4 time penalties — leaving them on 55 and in 23rd place.
Gemma Tinney and Diabolo were third after yesterday’s cross country, and they backed it up with a clear and fast round to finish the day on their dressage score — and on top of the leaderboard on 29.6!
Teegan Ashby and Waitangi Password were clear and under time to finish the day in second on 32.4, while Samuel Jeffree and Woodmount Lolita were also all clear for 32.6 and third place.
With 16 combinations going clear and under time, the CCI3*L leaderboard is tight — in fact, the top 10 are all under 40 penalties, making for a very exciting showjumping day tomorrow.
The CCI4*S leaderboard saw a similar shake up this afternoon, with dressage leader Madison Crowe and Waitangi Pinterest incurring 9.6 time penalties and finishing the day in third position. In second place after dressage, Shane Rose and Easy Turn added 20 jumping penalties and 10.4 time penalties to their score, dropping them to 7th place. Andrew Cooper and Riverbreeze are the class leaders heading into the show jumping tomorrow, adding nothing to their 7th placed dressage score of 34.3 penalties, ahead of Queenslander Matthew Gaske and Thymes Too in second place on 36.4 penalties.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s action: Equestrian Life will be live streaming the World Cup Qualifier Show jumping commencing at 12:55pm, followed by the CCI5* Show Jumping phase. Tune in to Equestrian Life’s live stream via our Live TV page or Facebook page.
To rewatch the action from today’s cross country phase, visit the Equestrian Life Facebook page.
READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE
