Grace Kay and Celerity Park Faberge - watch their full XC ride here
Grace Kay, Shane Rose and Matt Gaske all came home clear and under time in the final cross country phase of the Jim Hindmarsh & Co CIC2*, securing the top three places at the Willinga Park NSW State Championships at Lynton, Goulburn
Grace and her 11 year old chestnut gelding Celerity Park Faberge had led from the start with an impressive score of 22.80, adding just one time penalty in the show jumping but Shane and Matt both climbed several places thanks to their fast rounds across the Lynton Estate
Shane Rose and Easy Turn (and you needed to be able to make an easy turn to this fence!)
Shane was riding his imported horse Easy Turn, finishing on their dressage score of 32.60 and moving up from eighth place after the dressage while Matt was also riding an import, but this time from New Zealand rather than Europe.
Balmoral Henton is owned by Australian rider Simone Kann who is now based in New Zealand and has been ridden in the past by Donna Edwards-Smith and Dannie Lodder over there but the change of country and rider seems to be working well for the warmblood gelding who added nothing to his dressage score of 34.4 for third place
Matt Gaske and Balmoral Henton
Shane did have two other horses in this class but had to withdraw Togo before the cross country after taking a tumble on Finch Farm Spruce and injuring his shoulder in the process. While Shane was attended to, there was a short hold on course and the leader, Grace Kay was one of those to be held. She was nearly at the end of the course with the famous Lynton Crossing coming up next but luckily all went well on re-starting and she secured the win
This is just the second 2* start for Grace and Celerity Park Faberge and they have won at both events but she credits her coach Andrew Barnett, winner of the CIC1* here, with helping her not just with her riding but her nerves!
Grace Kay
Gemma Tinney and her exciting new prospect Diabolo finished in fourth place while her father Stuart took sixth place on Leporis (below)
Jess Somerfield and the grey horse with an ususual black tail, Lakeview Albion, finished fifth
