Australia Green has taken victory in the opening Trans-Tasman Senior Teams Test, finishing ahead of Australia Gold and New Zealand after two rounds of 1.45m competition.

It was an impressive day for the Green team of Madeline Sinderberry and Camie Z, Phillip Lever and Billionaire NZPH, Clem Smith and Oaks Conjuror, and Jessie Rice-Ward and Tulara Diarangol, who finished on just nine penalties to claim the win.

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Madi and Camie Z were the standout combination of the competition, producing the only double clear of the day. They were faultless in the opening round in 75.36 seconds before returning to deliver another clear in Round Two in 74.23 seconds, playing a major role in putting the result beyond reach of the other teams.

Phillip and Billionaire NZPH were equally important to the result. The pair produced a clear opening round in 74.66 seconds and, by the time Phillip was due to start in Round Two, his teammates had already done enough. Australia Green had built an uncatchable team score, meaning Phillip and Billionaire NZPH did not need to jump again.

Clem and Oaks Conjuror also made a strong contribution, opening with a clear round before adding just four penalties in Round Two. Jessie and Tulara Diarangol carried 20 penalties from the first round but returned to produce a much stronger second effort, finishing with four jumping penalties and one time penalty.

With the best three scores counting, the three clears from Madi, Phillip and Clem gave Australia Green a perfect team score of zero after Round One. In the second round, Madi’s clear, Clem’s four penalties and Jessie’s five left the Australians on a final total of nine, with no need for Phillip to return to the arena.

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Australia Gold finished second on 16 penalties with Stuart Jenkins and Cachassini II, Hugh Buchanan and Christamour D, Victoria Stuckey and Jaybee Ballon Dor, and Robert Palm and Jaybee Vibrant.

Stuart and Robert both finished the competition on four penalties after recording four faults in Round One and returning clear in the second round. Victoria finished with 13 penalties across the two rounds, while Hugh completed the competition on 16.

New Zealand finished third on 22 penalties with Samantha Whale and Fleur DeLacour, Samantha Carrington and Double J Odin, Molly Moffatt and Lazarus GNZ, and Katie Meredith and Sapphire SSNZ.

Katie and Sapphire SSNZ were New Zealand’s best individual performers, finishing the two rounds on four penalties, while Samantha Carrington and Double J Odin completed the competition on six.

Jennifer Wood led the winning Australia Green team as Chef d’Equipe, while Jess Brown headed Australia Gold. Both will also take on the Chef d’Equipe roles for Australia’s Young Rider teams when the Trans-Tasman competition continues.

The Young Rider Teams competition has now been moved to Saturday, where it will be held ahead of the World Cup, giving Australia and New Zealand another chance to go head-to-head in the Trans-Tasman contest.

For Australia Green, however, Thursday belonged to a team that put itself in control from the opening round and never let the advantage go, with Madi and Camie’s double clear and Phillip and Billionaire NZPH’s faultless first round at the heart of a convincing Australian victory.

Full Results: https://online.equipe.com/startlists/1287359

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