Some who were closer to the sun than others opted for umbrellas
It is third time lucky this year at The Baxter Boots NSW State Championships as the event is finally blessed with perfect weather and great going. Two years ago it snowed here on the first day and last year a thick haze hung in the air due to nearby bushfires, almost preventing some riders attending. But today the light breeze simply stirred the white blossoms on the trees in the ‘Goldilocks’ conditions (not too hot, not too cold, just right) and the spring sun was bearable to sit in
The CCI classes were the first to test out the cross country course; after the dressage yesterday Tallara Barwick and her little Copabella Verdi (above) were leading the CCI2* but a run out on cross country cost them dearly today. Tallara was obviously disappointed as they were having a great round to that point and this left the door open for Sam Lyle and Satch Hill, who did have a slightly sticky moment at the water which was rescued by Sam’s quick thinking, to move up from fourth into the lead. Murray Lamperd and Don Skipcello are in second place while Christine Bates and Dougal O’Reilly are in third
Watch Bridget Crosato and Silenzio, in fourth place in the CCI2*, through the water below
As well as Dougal O’Reilly Christine has had a busy day with horses in various classes; Ned O’Reilly is fourth in the CCI1*, Jimmy O’Reilly seventh and Kung Fu Panda 11th in the CIC2*. We caught up with Christine towards the end of the day to find out more about her ‘Irish’ boys
Christine Bates
Christine Bates and Dougal O'Reilly (above) - Shane Rose and Purbeck Diesel (below)
Only two riders incurred penalties on cross country in the CCI1* with the rest coming home clear and under time. Shane Rose leads this class riding Purbeck Diesel who cruised easily around the course and Shane of course taking all the smart lines which few others seem to take advantage of. Anyone having problems making the time on cross country would do well to walk a course with Shane. Purbeck Diesel is owned by Lady Angela Shacklady, a long time supporter of Shane’s eventing career and owner of his Olympic mount All Luck and this young horse looks like a very great prospect for the future. He first showed his potential by winning the Alltech Australian Young Event Horse 6 Year Old class in 2013 (then known as Dicavalli Diesel) ridden by Shane’s wife Niki who is also riding in this class to be in third place on Glenorchy South Park behind Katie Roots and Friday Street
Stuart Tinney and Annapurna were the only competitors on the CCI3* cross country today and they enjoyed a clear round with 12 time penalties
The CIC3* competitors completed the dressage phase today and Victorian Will Enzinger riding the ex-racehorse Wenlock Aquifer finished on top with a score of 49.60 however there are only two penalties separating first and sixth so tomorrow’s show jumping and cross country will be very close. The visiting British rider Nick Gauntlett is in second place riding El Grado (above) and he was very happy with the horse he is still getting to know
“He tried really hard for me” said Nick who has to head home for a brief stint due to exams but will be back to compete at Puhinui in New Zealand
Soigne Jackson was also happy with another off the track thoroughbred, her big chestnut gelding Gold (above) who is currently in 10th place. This pair had a top ten finish at the Melbourne International 3 Day Event in 2012 and Soigne has been working on trying to calm Gold down during the dressage phase
“He does get a bit het up about dressage” says Soigne “We had a bit of a wild test at Warwick so I’ve been working on get him to calm down which is why I offered to do the test ride at Canberra recently. On cross country he is really laid back and manageable so it’s funny that he thinks dressage is so exciting!”
The re-homing of ex-racehorses is a popular topic nowadays with racing authorities around the world promoting the suitability of thoroughbreds for many purposes and Soigne recently tracked down Gold’s breeder. When she contacted them, the 75 year old lady who bred him was thrilled to hear that the horse that raced until he was seven was proving to be a talented eventer for the young rider
Soigne leads the CIC2* on her other horse Warrego Collateral Damage thanks to one of only four clear show jumping rounds in the top ten of this class. The show jumping phase was certainly influential with six riders being eliminated and the dressage leader Megan Jones riding Kirby Park Impress slipping down to eighth due to two rails whereas Emily Anker moved up to ninth from 20th on Glenwood Park Cooper Street with one of those clear jumping rounds and just one time penalty.
Andrew Barnett and Bradgate Park Fonzie
Rob Palm is a rider who seems to consistently produce great young horses and Halcyons Dark Secret is the latest one of those. They currently lead the CIC1* ahead of Andrew Barnett on Bradgate Park Fonzie. Rob also leads the EvA105A after dressage and show jumping with Koko Pop while George Sheridan leads the EvA105B riding Equus Spencer and Ashleigh Wiseman leads the EvA105 Junior on Jazzier than Jazz
Tomorrow the EvA95 classes finish with the show jumping phase – so far Merran Wallis on Superclass, Megan Drennan on Fancy Dress, Sam Lyle on Tinseltown and Olivia Lalak lead the four divisions
When not riding the place to be is near the coffee and food tents which overlook the grass show jumping arena - the sweet chilli chicken burger is yummy and a Devonshire tea slips down a treat. The table and chairs may be plastic but the checkered table cloths, some lavender on each table, friendly service and homemade food makes a field in the middle of NSW seem like a very good spot to be
