‘Kentaur Alba’ named Champion of Champions at DJWTS
Above: Kentaur Alba ridden by Strobe Knox. Photo Credit: Simon Scully Photography.
Kentaur Alba, a 5-year-old mare ridden by Victorian Young Rider Strobe Knox, has been named the 2024 Champion of Champions at Dressage & Jumping with the Stars (DJWTS) at Werribee Park yesterday afternoon. Kentaur Alba, (Sire Absolute Ego Z & Dam Sire Barrabadeen Captivate) and owned by Strobe, went up against winners of the 4, 6 and 7-year-old age groups and was judged to be the best your horse at the show, which is a fantastic achievement, given the quality of the young horses on display. This horse could well be on the path towards a very bright future in the coming years as the mare finished equal third in the 4-year-old championship at last year’s show.
The win for this combination in the 5-year-old series came after three days of close competition where they were rewarded for their consistency. In the first round on Thursday, they were placed second, with the round winner pipping them by just 0.07 points. On Friday, in Round 2, they were again placed second, ensuring that they would be in the top 10 of the 33 combinations entered, making it through to Saturday’s big final. In the final, this pair shone brighter than all others, picking up 9’s for both Technique and Scope to take the win in this class and end up on top of the leaderboard after the three days of competition.
Second place in the 5-year-old championship went to Jennifer Wood and the family-owned mare Si Van Heiste (Sire Caprino & Dam Sire Orlando) who also achieved consistent results, finishing fifth and fourth in the first two rounds, before placing second in the final round. Mare GC Carmelita (Sire Cassall & Dam Sire Colman) was ridden by James Harvey where a pair of third placings and a sixth in Round 2, earned them enough points to snare third place in the championship.
The final leaderboard for the Mick Pritchard Pty Ltd 5-year-old championship is as follows:
Mick Pritchard Pty Ltd – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 5-year-olds – Final Standings
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Strobe Knox | Kentaur Alba | 261.300 |
2nd | Jennifer Wood | Si Van Heiste | 257.766 |
3rd | James Harvey | GC Carmelita | 254.403 |
4th | Phillip Lever | Glenara Cover Up | 250.800 |
5th | Frida Lindgren | Glory II PPH | 250.796 |
6th | Amanda Ross | Heronwater Quercus | 249.763 |
7th | Sam Williams | Bellatrix VP | 247.703 |
8th | Caitlin Bolger | Yalambi’s Ohranj | 247.630 |
9th | Caitlin Bolger | Phantom Comanche | 243.733 |
10th | Sarah McMillan | Santorini | 240.236 |
While the 5-year-old championship was a tightly contested competition, the winners of the 4-year-old championship were relatively dominant. The winners were Glenara Argyle (Sire Diamont de Smilly & Dam Sire ASB Conquistador), ridden by Jess Kiernan. The family-owned gelding placed second in Round 1, but after that, had it all their own way with wins of more than four points in both the second round and the Final. Glenara Argyle, however, is not the only very promising youngster in the Kiernan stable. Jess owns and also rode the second placed horse in the championship, that being another gelding, Cera Cassius (Sire Cassall ASK & Dam Sire Clearway). Cera Cassius and Jess were all that stood between the championship winners winning all three classes, by taking the win in round 1.
Above: Glenara Argyle ridden by Jess Kiernan. Photo Credit: Simon Scully Photography.
Third place in the championship went to the Russell Hearn owned RBH Carnac (Sire Charlemagne Ego Z & Dam Sire Perigueux), ridden by James Paterson-Robinson. Also a gelding, RBH Carnac and “JPR” were ultra consistent recording fourth, fifth and second placings in the three classes conducted.
The final leaderboard for the Equestrian Victoria 4-year-old championship is as follows:
Equestrian Victoria – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 4-year-olds – Final Standings
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Kiernan | Glenara Argyle | 255.973 |
2nd | Jess Kiernan | Cera Cassius | 243.536 |
3rd | James Paterson-Robinson | RBH Carnac | 236.036 |
4th | Lily Rose-Baxter | Team Priestley Heiress | 233.903 |
5th | Paul Brent | Cavalli Park Faith | 227.796 |
6th | David Prior | Highfield Chicago | 223.426 |
7th | Jess Kiernan | Da Vinci Vitruvian | 222.133 |
8th | Mikayla Curnow | Glenara Just Crackin | 205.396 |
9th | Holly Bolzon | BPH Vuitton | 205.360 |
10th | David Prior | Highfield Captain Courageous | 205.000 |
The 6-year-old championship was won by Samantha Dernee, aboard her gelding Glenara Leonardo Z (Sire Lux Z & Dam Sire ASB Conquistador). They had an ultra-consistent series appearing on the podium in each of the two rounds as well as the final, including a win in Round 2. Victorian Based rider Frida Lindgren had a busy time piloting a pair of Tulara Warmbloods products to both second and third place in the championship. Mare Tulara Calliado, (Sire Calmando & Dam Sire Diarado), placed sixth and second in the two rounds, followed by a third placing in the Final, which was enough to secure second place in the Championship. The horse which came sixth in last year’s 5-year-old championship, graduated to finish in third place in the 6-year-old competition this year. Gelding Tulara Cascara (Sired by Cascadello 1), owned by Helane Stirling won the first Round, before finishing fourth in Round 2, then eighth in the final, after taking a rail, which was just enough to secure third place in the championship, 0.306 points clear of fourth place.
Glenara Leonardo Z ridden by Samantha Dernee. Photo Credit: Simon Scully Photography.
The final leaderboard for the Southern Cross Event Hire 6-year-old championship is as follows:
Southern Cross Event Hire – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 6-year-olds – Final Standings
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Samantha Dernee | Glenara Leonardo Z | 265.926 |
2nd | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Calliado | 262.533 |
3rd | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Cascara | 259.136 |
4th | Emma Collins | Condor | 258.830 |
5th | Phillip Lever | CF Chantonnay | 258.136 |
6th | Emily Riley | Charisma Blues | 254.133 |
7th | Ally Lamb | Glenara Lord Bollinger | 252.666 |
8th | Rachael Lee | Neil Diamond VBT | 252.100 |
9th | Brooke Hickey | Benjamin Franklin BE | 251.763 |
10th | Ally Lamb | Diamond B Franklin | 244.673 |
Only 14 combinations were entered for the first Round of the 7-year-old championship, which turned out to be a very closely contested competition with just 0.700 points separating the first three placegetters. The win went to the mare Kampari (Sired by Balou Du Rouet) and ridden by Olympian James Paterson-Robinson. Bred by Chloe Hughes the mare was rewarded for consistent performances, with two third placings and a fourth across the three classes. Second place in the championship was awarded to Equus Indemand (Sire Indoctro & Dam Sire Voltaire) ridden by Jess Brown. This pair qualified for the top 10 final by finishing fourth then fifth in the rounds, before winning the Final. Third place in the championship went to Yalambi’s Messiah (Sire Cardento & Dam Sire Heartbreaker), partnered by Caitlin Bolger from Western Australia. This is an interesting placegetter as Yalambi’s Messiah had previously been awarded the Champion of Champions title at this show two years ago as a 5-year-old. This year, while they won Round 2 on Friday, fifth and seventh placings in the other two classes saw them finish a very close third, which unfortunately meant that that they were not eligible to compete for the Champion of Champions title this year, which would have been a remarkable achievement. We look forward to following Kampari’s and indeed all the horses in this 7-year-old championship as they mature and their careers develop.
Kampari ridden by James Paterson-Robinson. Photo Credit: Simon Scully Photography.
It was a wonderful three days of competition with the calibre of young horses being brought along in Australia, promising a bright future for the sport.
The final leaderboard for the Antares 7-year-old championship is as follows:
Antares – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 7-year-olds – Final Standings
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | James Paterson-Robinson | Kampari | 257.270 |
2nd | Jess Brown | Equus Indemand | 256.870 |
3rd | Caitlin Bolger | Yalambi’s Messiah | 256.570 |
4th | Frida Lindgren | Wondaree Colleen | 250.340 |
5th | Shane Davidson | Spectre D | 247.130 |
6th | James Paterson-Robinson | Yirrkala Miss Dior | 245.360 |
7th | Caitlin Bolger | Oaks Etna | 243.970 |
8th | Jess Brown | Elysian Fields Oceanus | 240.900 |
9th | Kate Beadel | Charlotte Elmare | 235.170 |
10th | Jess Rice-Ward | Al Fonso | 231.170 |
Details of the top six places in each class in each age group are listed below:
Equestrian Victoria – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 4-year-olds – Round 1
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Kiernan | Cera Cassius | 85.67 |
2nd | Jess Kiernan | Glenara Argyle | 81.03 |
3rd | Lily Rose-Baxter | Team Priestley Heiress | 79.23 |
4th | James Paterson-Robinson | RBH Carnac | 74.07 |
5th | Paul Brent | Cavalli Park Faith | 73.47 |
6th | David Prior | Highfield Chicago | 69.17 |
Equestrian Victoria – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 4-year-olds – Round 2
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Kiernan | Glenara Argyle | 85.87 |
2nd | Paul Brent | Cavalli Park Faith | 81.50 |
3rd | Stephanie Mitchell | Tulara Hickensky | 81.27 |
4th | David Prior | Highfield Chicago | 80.13 |
5th | James Paterson-Robinson | RBH Carnac | 77.50 |
6th | Lily Rose-Baxter | Team Priestley Heiress | 75.47 |
Equestrian Victoria – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 4-year-olds – Final
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Kiernan | Glenara Argyle | 89.07 |
2nd | James Paterson-Robinson | RBH Carnac | 84.47 |
3rd | Jess Kiernan | Da Vinci Vitruvian | 83.53 |
4th | Jess Kiernan | Cera Cassius | 81.97 |
5th | Lily Rose-Baxter | Team Priestley Heiress | 79.20 |
6th | David Prior | Highfield Chicago | 74.13 |
Mick Pritchard Pty Ltd – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 5-year-olds – Round 1
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Frida Lindgren | Glory II PPH | 81.87 |
2nd | Strobe Knox | Kentaur Alba | 81.80 |
3rd | James Harvey | GC Carmelita | 80.83 |
4th | Phillip Lever | Glenara Cover Up | 80.60 |
5th | Jennifer Wood | Si Van Heiste | 80.37 |
6th | Sam Williams | Bellatrix VP | 78.93 |
Mick Pritchard Pty Ltd – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 5-year-olds – Round 2
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Caitlin Bolger | Phantom Comanche | 90.23 |
2nd | Strobe Knox | Kentaur Alba | 89.53 |
3rd | Amanda Ross | Heronwater Quercus | 88.63 |
4th | Jennifer Wood | Si Van Heiste | 88.37 |
5th | Frida Lindgren | Glory II PPH | 87.53 |
6th | James Harvey | GC Carmelita | 85.80 |
Mick Pritchard Pty Ltd – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 5-year-olds – Final
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Strobe Knox | Kentaur Alba | 89.97 |
2nd | Jennifer Wood | Si Van Heiste | 89.03 |
3rd | James Harvey | GC Carmelita | 87.77 |
4th | Caitlin Bolger | Yalambi’s Ohranj | 86.53 |
5th | Caitlin Bolger | Phantom Comanche | 86.47 |
6th | Phillip Lever | Glenara Cover Up | 86.17 |
Southern Cross Event Hire – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 6-year-olds – Round 1
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Cascara | 87.07 |
2nd | Ally Lamb | Glenara Lord Bollinger | 85.37 |
3rd | Samantha Dernee | Glenara Leonardo Z | 85.07 |
4th | Emma Collins | Condor | 84.60 |
5th | Chloe Latham | Oaks By From Oz | 84.37 |
6th | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Calliado | 83.53 |
Southern Cross Event Hire – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 6-year-olds – Round 2
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Samantha Dernee | Glenara Leonardo Z | 89.93 |
2nd | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Calliado | 88.73 |
3rd | Emily Riley | Charisma Blues | 88.53 |
4th | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Cascara | 86.40 |
5th | Phillip Lever | CF Chantonnay | 86.07 |
6th | Rachael Lee | Neil Diamond VBT | 85.43 |
Southern Cross Event Hire – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 6-year-olds – Final
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Emma Collins | Condor | 91.13 |
2nd | Samantha Dernee | Glenara Leonardo Z | 90.93 |
3rd | Frida Lindgren | Tulara Calliado | 90.27 |
4th | Rachael Lee | Neil Diamond VBT | 89.77 |
5th | Phillip Lever | CF Chantonnay | 89.60 |
6th | Brooke Hickey | Benjamin Franklin BE | 88.50 |
Antares – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 7-year-olds – Round 1
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Brown | Elysian Fields Oceanus | 86.20 |
2nd | Jess Rice-Ward | Al Fonso | 85.50 |
3rd | James Paterson-Robinson | Kampari | 84.57 |
4th | Jess Brown | Equus Indemand | 84.17 |
5th | Caitlin Bolger | Yalambi’s Messiah | 83.67 |
6th | Sam Whale | LP | 83.40 |
Antares – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 7-year-olds – Round 2
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Caitlin Bolger | Yalambi’s Messiah | 86.90 |
2nd | Caitlin Bolger | Oaks Etna | 84.37 |
3rd | Jess Rice-Ward | Al Fonso | 82.67 |
4th | James Paterson-Robinson | Kampari | 82.10 |
5th | Jess Brown | Equus Indemand | 81.43 |
6th | Jess Brown | Oaks Sierra | 80.97 |
Antares – Australian Young Jumping Horse – 7-year-olds – Final
PLACE | RIDER | HORSE | SCORE |
1st | Jess Brown | Equus Indemand | 91.27 |
2nd | Frida Lindgren | Wondaree Colleen | 91.17 |
3rd | James Paterson-Robinson | Kampari | 90.60 |
4th | James Paterson-Robinson | Yirrkala Miss Dior | 89.93 |
5th | Kate Beadel | Charlotte Elmare | 88.37 |
6th | Shane Davidson | Spectre D | 88.30 |
Results sourced from equipe.online.