Emma Bishop and CP Issey Miyake at the Excel Earthworks water in the OTTO Sport CCI 3* Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
It should come as no surprise that Emma Bishop and the nine year old mare CP Issey Miyake pulled off the win in the Otto Sport CCI3* class at Wallaby Hill when you look at their performances over the past two years.
Apart from two blips at Sydney International and Goulburn this year, their international competition record is an enviable one with five wins, a second place, two thirds and a fourth place from 11 starts since August 2015, including some time off in 2016 when the mare had a serious problem choking on some food that caused some damage to her throat
Eating is one of CP Issey Miyake’s favourite pastimes, as Emma told us at Albury in 2016
“She’s quite spooky so I have to be quite aggressive in my riding and she’s certainly teaching me how to ride a warmblood on cross country. She’s not at all like a thoroughbred and she’s a very different ride to my old horse – despite being spooky, she’s the laziest horse I’ve ever ridden! If I didn’t rev her up she would just walk the whole way around the cross country course and the thing she likes doing most of all is eating!”
Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
Despite this CP Issey Miyake had the fourth fastest time on Mike Etherington-Smith’s CCI3* star course, adding just 0.8 time penalties to her fourth placed dressage score of 45.90 and picking up four show jumping faults to win on a score of 50.70.
Amanda Ross and Koko Popping Candy at the Rose-hip Vital Duck Trakehner in the the OTTO Sport CCI 3* Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
Emma was well ahead of second placed Amanda Ross on board another mare, Koko Popping Candy who finished with a score of 63.10, moving up from fifth after the dressage. They had a rail in the show jumping and one on cross country, adding 11 penalties for displacing a frangible pin; this seemed to be a trend on course with six riders picking up 11 penalties – poor Andrew Cooper managed to do it twice, once on Lagoes Choice who finished fourth (72.60) and once on Hunter’s Hill who also picked up 20 penalties but was the only horse to put in a double clear show jumping round
Yona Lloyd and Sergeant Crisp at the Zaccariotto Wine steps in the the OTTO Sport CCI 3* Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
Yona Lloyd put the demons of Adelaide behind him where he and Sergeant Crisp didn’t make it past the first 4* fence and came back with all guns blazing here to finish third. They made a big leap up the leader board from 20th after the dressage into second place thanks to a clear cross country round with just 0.4 time penalties but two rails in the show jumping saw them finish in third (64.40)
Only Hayley Frielicke and My Happiness managed a double clear cross country round but unfortunately were eliminated in the show jumping phase
The slightly soggy presentation of the Lalak Family & Coney Hatch Performance Horses with CCI 2* winner Shane Rose, Stuart Tinney and Sam Fasher Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
Shane Rose and Stuart Tinney battled it out in the Lalak Family & Coney Hatch CCI2*, both finishing on their dressage scores on board Swiper and Wanda, but Shane just held his lead to finish on 45.60 ahead of Stuart on 46.90 and Sam Fasher riding Sulitanos in third (51.30)
Grace Kay and Celerity Park Faberge were back on the form that they showed to win the CCI1* at Melbourne International 3 Day Event in June, winning the Pryde’s Easifeeds CCI1* at Wallaby Hill on their dressage score of 32.70. Jess Rae on Alabama and Sam Lyle on BF Valour took second and third places
Visiting rider Chris Burton on Carolyn Townsend's TAE Caspia in the CCI 1* Photo: Stephen Mowbray Photography
