The NSW Country Jumping Championships are taking place this long weekend at the CSU Equine Centre, in Wagga Wagga, NSW. Champions are scheduled to be determined in a range of classes, with first rounds held today and second rounds scheduled for tomorrow. The championships will culminate in a massive day of jumping on the long weekend Monday with finals to be held in all major classes. This Championship is also the first in the exciting NSW Triple Crown Series which runs over three shows and offers riders the opportunity to compete for some major prize money, including a $50,000 bonus in the Senior division if a combination manages to take out all three titles!

Round 1 classes for each championship were conducted under Article 239 (Table C) today. In brief, the faster the round the better, however, one second is added to the raw finishing time for every fault collected along the way, to determine the total finishing time.

Australian Jumping are delighted to be in attendance at these championships and will  provide summary report from each days’ jumping.

Advertisement

NSW COUNTRY JUNIOR TITLE – ROUND 1 (1.10m)

The first round of the NSW Country Junior Title was the first class to be held in the Jumping NSW Outdoor All-Weather Arena this morning. Of the 37 starters, 21 were clear, however Jess Rice-Ward and Dusky Farm Cavalier, who earlier this year took out the Junior Title at Elysian Fields, finished the round in the fastest time of 69.21 seconds, almost 1.5 seconds quicker than Jessica Clarke and Troubled Times in second. Victorian, Georgia Price rode Wat Fleur Des Lis into third place, a further 1.5 seconds behind.

Junior Title, Round 1, top six placings:

NSW COUNTRY AMATEUR TITLE – ROUND 1 (1.10m)

The next class on the outdoor arena was the first round of the NSW Country Amateur Title. Twenty-nine combinations attempted, what proved to be a tough course, with only five combinations going clear. Fastest on course was the 2018 Sydney Royal Amateur winning combination of Alisa Williams and Anigrey in 63.78 seconds. Next fastest, and again clear, was Melissa Jasprizza and Woodsend Merlot, who are the reigning NSW Indoor Amateur champions. Third place went to Damien Churchill and Franklins Peace, who, although completing the course in the fastest time (63.49 seconds), had four seconds added due to a single rail for a total time of 67.49 seconds.

Amateur Title, Round 1 top six placings:

FUTURE STARS (Under 40 Points) – ROUND 1 (1.15m)

Round 1 of the Future Stars (Under 40 points) championship was contested today by twenty-nine combinations. Fresh from appearing at the Melbourne Royal earlier in the week, was Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane, who completed the course clear and over three seconds ahead of second placed Katie Laurie and Dandelion. Almost 1.5 seconds further back, was Melissa Blair and Gigant Z.

Future Stars Title, Round 1, top six placings:

Advertisement

NSW COUNTRY YOUNG RIDER TITLE – ROUND 1 (1.30m)

Next into the Jumping NSW Outdoor All-Weather Arena were the Young Riders, contesting Round 1 of the NSW Country Young Rider Championship. A small but elite field of 16 combinations tackled a tricky course, which saw only four of them clear. Winning, in the fast time of 63.32 seconds was Erin Buswell and Quero Quero. This combination, which placed in the Caboolture World Cup Qualifier earlier this year, were a massive 7 seconds faster than the second placed Lucy Evans and Viva Joy. Jamie Priestly and Amaretto MVNZ filled third place in 70.78 seconds, which included 4 seconds added for a rail.

Young Rider Title, Round 1, top six placings:

Erin Buswell and Quero Quero

NSW COUNTRY MINI PRIX – ROUND 1 (1.30m)

The penultimate class of the day was the Mini Prix, Round 1. In a very close-run class, the first combination out; Jennifer Wood and Harvey B prevailed over their rivals by just 0.2 seconds. Finishing clear in 67.58 seconds, they held on to beat Katie Laurie, filling her second runner-up position of the day, and Esteban MVNZ, in 67.78 seconds. Last out, the ever-successful Tom McDermott and Yalambi’s Fair Diamond VDL, filled third placing after a clear round, completing the course in 69.15 seconds. 

Mini Prix Title, Round 1, top six placings:

Jennifer Wood and Harvey B

NSW COUNTRY SENIOR TITLE – ROUND 1 (1.30m)

The most prestigious championship of the meeting, the NSW Country Senior Title was the last class to commence on the Jumping NSW Outdoor All-Weather Arena on Day 1 of the Championships. After placing second in both the Future Stars and the Mini-Prix classes Katie Laurie, finally broke through to win the first round of the Senior Title. Riding Cera Caruso, Laurie completed the course clear in 64.20 second, slightly less than 2 seconds ahead of her nearest rival Tom McDermott. McDermott rode into both second (with Elegance De La Charmille) and third (with Diamont). In a phenomenal effort McDermott also filled fourth place (with Alpha Activity) and sixth (with Yalambis Finnegan) to leave him in an extremely strong position as we head into day 2 tomorrow.

Senior Title, Round 1, top six placings: