Having won the 2021 Australian Junior Championship earlier this year, Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina have today won the 2022 Racing Hearts Australian Young Rider Championship. It was a dominant display from this combination who were very deserved winners, having taken just a single rail during five rides.

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After the two preliminary rounds, held on Thursday and Friday, entrants were ranked based on their finishing positions in those classes. The top 26 ranked combinations competed in today’s final, each carrying with them a calculated number of penalties based on their performance relative to the best performed combination in the qualifying rounds. The best performed combination was Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina having won Round 2 after placing seventh in the first round, giving them the luxury of starting today on zero. However, it was very tight with 12 combinations within two rails of the lead. The top thirteen combinations and their penalties going into the final were as follows:

Most of the competitors took at least a rail during their first round in the final, all seeing their penalty count grow. There were a few clear rounds, however, ominously for the rest of the field, one of them were Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina, allowing their grip on the title to strengthen. Going into the final round, the penalty table looked like this after Chris Holland and Elsa did not compete.

Unfortunately for them, Chase Naylor and Check Book took three rails and dropped down the leader board to eventually finish in ninth place. Ginger Jilly and Diamond B Vancouver had a wonderful clear round to put some pressure on those combinations following. Tilley Fair and Oaks Constantino were next, however a rail put paid to their winning chances.

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Second last combination out were Connor Reed and Alpha Activity. They started on five and went clear to finish on five. They were placed second in the championship, just like Conor was last year with Leopoldo MVNZ, however, it was Hughes’s Championship to lose. With more than a rail to spare, although they used it, Clemency Hughes and Diamond B Corvina sailed to victory taking just one rail during their five rides in the Championship. Given Clemency has just graduated into the Young Rider ranks, it is possible she might dominate here for a few years to come.

Above: Connor Reed and Alpha Activity

Congratulations to the winner and all the placegetters.

CLASS 39: RACING HEARTS – AUSTRALIAN YOUNG RIDER CHAMPIONSHIP (FINAL) – 1.35-1.45m