Tatura, Tamworth events mean a busy weekend of jumping

ABOVE: Eliza Abrahams and Rocket Rod won the 90cm class for off-the-track Thoroughbreds.

THE 2022 Victorian State Indoor Showjumping Championships has been run for the first time in three years.

One of the state’s most popular showjumping events, it was held at the Tatura Events Complex from Friday to Sunday, with David Sheppard building the courses in the indoor arena and Bruce Harding the one on the grass outside.

The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid but luckily sponsors held tight and the 10th running of the championships was a success.

Organisers – the Goulburn Valley Showjumping Club – has always been innovative and hardworking and it shows.

“We aimed to make this show as enjoyable for competitors as possible with classes for a range of riders,” spokesperson Andrea Hare said.

“We had 47 sponsors to whom we are incredibly grateful … and the response from the competitors post show has been fantastic.”

There were two off-the-track classes, with the horses’ breeding identified by the riders wearing a blue armband on the day.

Lou Abey won the 1.05m off-the-track class on Saturday riding Sail On By and the “future talent Thoroughbred” rug on Sunday with Soomayya, a mare that went through the Racing Vic RESET program with Lou as her trainer.

“Lou is over the moon and said Racing Vic RESET will be too,” Andrea said.

The new “People on Ponies” jumping classes were well supported. Friday’s winners were Lyla Ferrari on Bandit in the 55-65cm class and Amelia Tsilfidis on Pride of Gold (sporting a fabulous Batman clip) in the 75-80cm class.

Amelia and Pride of Gold then went on to win the Saturday evening 75-85cm class. Digmac Disco King ridden by Zara Adnams won the 1.05m class after having a saddle slip put them out of contention in the jump-off in a pony class.

ABOVE: Grand Prix winner Gemma Creighton and Dada Des Brimbelles Z.

The grand prix was won by Gemma Creighton who always drops in to the show on her way to Adelaide Royal. It was worthwhile as she took home the $1500 prize money and a stallion service for her ride on Dada Des Brimbelles Z.

Gemma wasn’t the only traveller, with several others attending on their way through to South Australia. Jake Tomlinson from Forbes arrived with his father on the Thursday night, with his mother, sister and grandparents joining them later.

He had a good show, winning the 115cm riding Marley, second in the 105cm with Marley and placed third and fourth in the Jumping Victoria Junior Championship with Vinchino and Marley.

The Young Rider State Indoor Championship on Sunday was won by Mikayla Hogg riding Bellhaven Coringa, followed by Abbey Page and Riverland in second place and Jordyn Lee-Madgwick and Copabella Cashmir third.

Up in Tamworth on the same weekend, Queensland's Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova won the 2022 Tamworth World Cup.

In second place was Clem Smith riding Oaks Conjurer. Both these horses are out of same mare, Oaks Alto.

ABOVE: Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova.

With the pair married to sisters Carly and Charleen (nee Latham), this means the first and second horses were half-brothers ridden by brothers-in-law.

Alto was by Dollar de la Pierre (Quiadam) out of Altes, the Darco mare that Amanda Madigan campaigned for many years. Casanova was her first, and smallest, foal. Conjurer, by Chicago, was her tallest. Alto was also the mother of great jumpers in Quickstep and Donatello.

There were 26 horse and rider combinations in the field that tackled the 480m first-round course built by Mark Atkins.

Overton and Oaks Cassanova were the first of the three first-round clears joined by Smith and Oaks Conjuror and Tom McDermott and his mare Elegance De La Charmille.

The top 12 scorers after the first round were invited back to contest the second.

Russell Johnstone on Daprice jumped clear, adding a zero to his first found score of four and Mattea Davidson and Jaybee Vigilante carried six faults from round one and one rail in the second to finish on 10 faults.

The four faulters from the first round followed with Brook Dobbin riding Gina MVNZ finishing on 12, Katrina Hope and Oaks Gunn jumped clear for a two-round score of four and Amanda Madigan and Diamond B Vivienne had one rail down for a total of eight.

Olivia Hamood and Knock Out 111 had three rails down finishing on 16. Phillip Steiner and Cassina Dior’s total after the two rounds was eight. Mattea Davidson and Checkamour D carried just one time penalty but with two rails in the second round finished on nine.

The first of the three first-round clears, Overton and Oaks Casavova provided the first double clear with a time of 47.19, then McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille were fast but had three rails down.

Smith and Oaks Conjuror needed a fast clear round to beat Overton. He flew, and was clear, but the clock stopped at 48.89, which was just not quick enough to take the win.

ABOVE: Amelia Tsilfidis and Pride of Gold won the best performed pony at the championships.

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