Olivia Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD. Photo Credit: Michelle Terlato

After a break of just on three months, the 2022 Australian World Cup Series resumed with an exciting competition held last night at the Queensland State Equestrian Centre (QSEC) in Caboolture. Going into what was the third leg of the 10 leg series, local Queensland rider Olivia Hamood held the series lead with 32 points where she was presented with the opportunity to skip further ahead with second placed Billy Raymont on 27 points and third placed Russell Johnstone on 25, both not competing at Caboolture. The next highest placed competitor in the field of 18 combinations was fellow Queenslander Sam Overton on 22.

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The Gavin Chester designed course provided a competitive basis for the class, which was enjoyed by a large and enthusiastic crowd. They saw six clear rounds in Round 1 with the fastest of these by Tom McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille in 64.08 seconds, which unfortunately for him, was not his World Cup nomination. These six combinations as well as a pair of 4-fault combinations and all four combinations which incurred 8 faults were invited back for an exciting second round.

The first combination out in Round 2 were Emma Smith and Cordelia Ego Z, who took a rail to finish on a total of 12 faults. Rhys Stones and Tulara Colmar were next and they showed the way for the rest of the field with a wonderful clear round 2, finishing with a total of 8 faults and holding the lead for the time being.

The third combination out in Round 2 were local legend Clem Smith and Oaks Conjuror, who took a rail to finish on 12 faults. Olivia Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD, the reigning Australian Senior Champions were up next and they were looking to repeat their first round clear performance. Rapturous applause rang out when the local girl went double clear and with a sizzling time of 44.98 seconds, the standard had been set which was going to prove very difficult to run down.

Mattea Davidson and Checkamour D were the first combination to try, however they could not follow up their Round 1 clear and a pair of rails put paid to their chances. Tom McDermott and his World Cup nomination, Warraleigh Park Cortez, put in a clear Round 2 performance, however a rail down in Round 1 meant they finished on 4 faults and then had to wait to see where they would finish.

The next combination out were New Zealand visitors, Brooke Edgecombe and LT Holst Andrea, who managed to put together the second double clear performance of the night, however, a time of 49.08 seconds was more than four seconds slower than Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD, placing them in second for the time being. The next combination, Josh Collins and the magnificent looking stallion Cornel also went double clear and with a Round 2 time of 48.05, slipped into second place.

Brooke Edgecombe and LT Holst Andrea. Photo Credit: Michelle Terlato.

The next two combination were Olivia Hamood and Knock Out 111 and Mattea Davidson and Jaybee Vigilante. Both of these combinations each took a pair of rails, which when added to their Round 1 faults, put them both out of contention.

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The second last combination on course were the experienced Aaron Hadlow and Vahlinvader. Having won the Australian World Cup Series in 2018/19, they knew what was required and they had the ability to do it. They completed a magnificent clear round to back up their Round 1 clear and when the dust settled, the clock showed 45.04 seconds, just 0.06 seconds slower than Hamood. It did, however, assure him of a place on the podium.

The final combination were Tom McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille. They knew what was required. Only a clear round and a time less than 44.98 would be enough to snatch the win. Unfortunately, they only took care of half of the equation. They completed the course in a stunning time of 43.71 seconds, more than a second faster than what was required, however, there was the little matter of the top rail of the triple bar, which failed to stay in place. A total of four faults and the exceptional time ensured that this combination finished ahead of the rest of the field, except for the four double clear performances.

Tom McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille. Photo Credit: Michelle Terlato.

It was a fantastic victory for Hamood and Jane Fonda DVD, who are having a great season. They went double clear in Shepparton to finish in third place in the first leg and double clear again in Werribee to also finish third. Last night, they broke through for the victory with a third double clear performance. We look forward to seeing if they continue their perfect season in the next leg of the series, scheduled for Larapinta, near Brisbane, at the end of July.

The top 12 placings in the World Cup Qualifier were as follows:

CLASS 9: PEACHESTER LODGE: FEI WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

Results sourced from online.equipe.com