Amber Fuller flys to victory in Summer Classic World Cup
Above: Amber Fuller and Nopal Van Tallaert
The sixth and final Leg of a shortened 2022 Australian World Cup Qualifying Season was held this afternoon as part of the Sydney Summer Classic Show at SIEC with the victory, in a dominant performance, going to Amber Fuller and Nopal Van Tallaert. They were one of just two combinations to go double clear during the two-round contest, taking the win buy a margin of more than eight seconds from second place getters Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova. Fuller, however, wasn’t the only rider celebrating after the class, with Overton having done enough today to claim the Series win.
It was an exciting class which kept the large crowd watching on the edge of their seats. John Valance designed a testing course which saw just three combinations go clear in the first round, being the above- mentioned pairs and the in-form Izabella Stone and Tulara Stolzette who were the quickest in 89.09 seconds.
Above: Izabella Stone and Tulara Stolzette
These three were joined by three combinations on four faults and another six carrying eight faults into the second round. All but one of the combinations carrying eight faults went clear in Round 2, putting as much pressure as possible on those yet to come. Only one of the trio carrying four faults was able to go clear. That combination, Olivia Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD not only came into today’s final Leg carrying the lead in the overall series, but with just three combinations to come, were holding first place in the competition today.
Above: Olivia Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD
The first of the three Round 1 clears to appear in Round 2 were the eventual winners, Amber Fuller and Nopal Van Tallaert. They set a cracking pace (54.20 seconds) and completed the round clear to generous applause from the assembled crowd. With just two combinations to come, they had at least secured a place on the podium.
Above: Amber Fuller and Nopal Van Tallaert
The penultimate pair of Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova were next and they displayed a very different style of Jumping from that we saw from Fuller and Nopal. There was little urgency from Overton and he certainly appeared to make little effort to match Fuller’s pace, however, he had bigger fish to fry. His relaxed ride left all the rails in place and was timed to perfection at 62.54 seconds less than 0.5 seconds inside the time allowed. He would have known before taking to the course that, thanks to the World Cup Qualifying Series rules, and specifically the one which specifies that only the best five out of six leg scores count towards the Series total, that finishing ahead of Olivia Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD would assure him of winning the series. His steady and calculated ride did just that.
Above: Sam Overton and Oaks Cassanova
The final combination on the course were Izabella Stone and Tulara Stolzette, however despite recording a time that would have been fast enough to take the win, a single rail meant they had to settle for third place.
In the end, Amber Fuller and Nopal Van Tallaert took the prize today. We were told by the commentator that Amber is of the opinion that Nopal Van Tallaert is the best horse she has ever ridden, which means that they could be a real force in this competition in 2023.
However, Sam Overton and little Oaks Cassanova proved to be the stars of the 2022 season. We will have to wait to see if they take the opportunity to represent Australia at the World Cup Finals next April in Omaha, Nebraska. If they do go, we can’t wait to see the pocket rocket show the rest of the world what he can do with Sam Overton along for the ride.
Congratulations goes to the winner and the placegetters from today. The top 12 placings in the World Cup Qualifier were as follows:
CLASS 17: CHATHAM PARK – SUMMER CLASSIC WORLD CUP QUALIFIER – 1.60m
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE |
1st | Amber Fuller | Nopal Van Tallaert |
2nd | Samuel Overton | Oaks Cassanova |
3rd | Izabella Stone | Tulara Stolzette |
4th | Olivia Hamood | Jane Fonda DVD |
5th | Amanda Madigan | Diamond B Vivienne |
6th | Tom McDermott | Cooley Gangster |
7th | Tom McDermott | Cachassini II |
8th | Josh Collins | Cornel |
9th | Brook Dobbin | Gina MVNZ |
10th | Rebecca Jenkins | Fairview Cambridge |
11th | Stuart Jenkins | Fairview Alicana |
12th | Amelia Douglass | Finch Farm Cadel |
Results sourced from globalentriesonlineonline.com