The Waratah Showjumping World Cup Show kicked off yesterday with a day of competition focusing on youth, of both equine and human varieties. Oaks Young Horse Day saw competitions for 4, 5, 6 and then 7-year-olds, where the combinations were also judged on style to produce a number of winners in each class. The day ended with the first round of the Trans-Tasman Young Rider Challenge, which saw an exciting class where four New Zealanders and four Australians did battle in a borrowed horse situation. The class ended with Australia taking a lead leading into today’s second round. All this and there was still time for a thrilling 1.30m Open class in the late afternoon.

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The day opened with a class for the 4-year-olds, sponsored by Calliera Performance Horses, where four of the 10 entrants produced double clear rounds and were declared joint winners. The winning combinations were Jack Barker and Tulara Karash, Alyse Maxwell and Koyuna Outback, Jennifer Wood and Bentleys Babe and Prue Barrett and Sandhills Spice.

An interesting feature of these Young Horse classes is an assessment of their style. Three style judges, Olympian and former National Coach Rod Brown, experienced coach and breeder David Finch as well as top rider Caitlyn Bolger made up the panel who assessed each combination regarding technique, scope and rideability. At the end of each class, the scores from each judge were weighted then averaged to come up with an overall percentage for each combination. The Style award for the 4-year-old class went to Jack Barker and his gelding Tulara Karash, with a score of 80.67%.

Above: Jack Barker and Tulara Karash

Next out were the 5-year-olds in a class sponsored by Greengrove Stud. Once again, as in the 4-year-old class, all double clear performances were declared joint winners. The five winning combinations were Tallara Cameron and La Traviata, Josh Collins and Glenara Starbucks, Jess Brown and Oaks Evita, Madeline Sinderberry and Chinook GHP and Matt Irvine and Chacalla MS. The Style award went to Olivia Hamood and her mare Diva Contina PJ who took a second round rail to finish equal sixth in the class.

The Bellhaven Stud 6-year-old class was the next decided. With the rails set at 1.15m, eight of the 28 combinations entered recorded a double clear performance around the Gavin Chester designed course. Fastest in the jump off were Frida Lindgren and the Lever Equestrian owned mare Wondaree Colleen, who scooted around the course in just 37.96 seconds. Second place went to Shane Davidson and young stallion Spectre D with a time of 41.16 seconds. The Cera Cassiago gelding SF Capricious was piloted into third place by Elizabeth Hoy with a time of 41.95 seconds.

Jess Rice-Ward and her gelding Al Fonso took out the style award with a score of 87.83%.

Above: Jess Rice-Ward and Al Fonso

The Young Horse classes wrapped up when the Diamond B Farm 7-year-old class featured an exciting jump off, which featured five double clear performances. Billy Raymont and Blue Balou PS, seemed to have the class won, with a jump off time of 36.24 seconds, until Brooke Hickey and her gelding Castleford Ace drew gasps from the crowd, with a very fast 34.38 second effort, to snatch victory just before to class completed. Third place, exactly three seconds behind went to Jessica Stalling and Kanntina JRE.

The style award went Jess Brown and Oaks Cryptic. This is a very impressive looking mare which scored 89.00% and is owned by Rod Brown and Alice Cameron

Late in the afternoon, it was the turn of the senior riders and horses to compete in the Honeycombes Machinery 1.30m open class, which was decided over a single round. While 27 of the large field of 53 combinations were able to produce clear rounds, it was one of the very early combinations in the draw which set a pace that all following them could not catch. Sarah Duggan and Oaks Diamantina rocketed around the course in a very swift 51.32 seconds and then had a nervous wait while the rest of the field tried to catch them, but failed. The combination which came closest were Victorians Phillip Lever and Lomachenko, finishing in 55.87 seconds. Third place went to Andrew Inglis and his mare Alillie, recording a time of 56.16 seconds.

The last class of the day was the first round of the Equine International Airfreight Trans-Tasman Young Rider Challenge. The competition was between four young Australians and four young New Zealanders competing over three nights in a Nations Cup style format on borrowed horses.

The first round last night saw some fantastic jumping, with six (three on each team) of the eight combinations recording clear rounds. A time fault to an Australian and a rail to a New Zealander, were both ignored as per the drop score format, only the best three results from each team were counted.

In the second round the Australians only sent out three combinations, all of which went clear. The New Zealanders did not fare quite as well with two combinations going clear, but another two taking a rail. So in the end it was the Young Australian team who won the first round and we look forward to what round two brings this evening.

Congratulations to all the winners and placegetters from Day 1 of the Waratah World Cup Show. The top six placegetters in all classes held yesterday are listed below.

CLASS 1: CALLIERA PERFORMANCE HORSES: 4-YEAR OLDS – 0.90m

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
=1st	Jack Barker	Tulara Karash
=1st	Alyse Maxwell	Koyuna Outback
=1st	Jennifer Wood	Bentleys Babe
=1st	Prue Barrett	Sandhills Spice
5th	Olivia Price	Oaks Quokka
6th	Tallara Cameron	Corylus Quinelle

Style scores

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE	SCORE
1st	Jack Barker	Tulara Karash	80.67%
2nd	Alyse Maxwell	Koyuna Outback	77.50%
3rd	Jennifer Wood	Bentleys Babe	75.83%
4th	Alexandra Townsend	WHF Liqourice	72.00%
5th	Olivia Price	Oaks Quokka	71.50%
6th	Tallara Cameron	Corylus Quinelle	69.00%

CLASS 2: GREENGROVE STUD: 5-YEAR OLDS – 1.05m

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
=1st	Tallara Cameron	La Traviata
=1st	Josh Collins	Glenara Starbucks
=1st	Jess Brown	Oaks Evita
=1st	Matt Irvine	Chacalla MS
=1st	Madeline Sinderberry	Chinook GHP
= 6th	Olivia Hamood	Diva Contina PJ
= 6th	Angela Dobbin	Oaks Empire

Style scores

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE	SCORE
1st	Olivia Hamood	Diva Contina PJ	90.67%
2nd	Rachael Lee	Neil Diamond VBT	85.17%
3rd	Jess Brown	Oaks Evita	84.67%
4th	Madeline Sinderberry	Chinook GHP	81.83%
5th	Matt Irvine	Chacalla MS	80.17%
6th	Josh Collins	Glenara Starbucks	79.67%

CLASS 3: BELLHAVEN STUD: 6-YEAR OLDS – 1.15m

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
1st	Frida Lindgren	Wondaree Colleen
2nd	Shane Davidson	Spectre D
3rd	Elizabeth Hoy	SF Capricious
4th	Carly Overton	Quintana ES
5th	Amanda Madigan	Diamond B Chinook
6th	Isabelle Mirani	Redleaf Cabbage

Style scores

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE	SCORE
1st	Jess Rice-Ward	Al Fonso	87.83%
2nd	Jess Brown	Oaks Cascade	87.00%
3rd	Frida Lindgren	Wondaree Colleen	85.00%
4th	Jack Barker	Bellhaven Calisco	82.33%
5th	Carly Overton	Quintana ES	82.00%
6th	Elizabeth Hoy	SF Capricious	81.67%

CLASS 4: DIAMOND B FARM: 7-YEAR OLDS – 1.25m

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
1st	Brooke Hickey	Castleford Ace
2nd	Billy Raymont	Blue Balou PS
3rd	Jessica Stalling	Kanntina JRE
4th	Brooke Hickey	Kentaur Coconut
5th	Jess Brown	Oaks Cryptic
6th	Olivia Barton	APH Soduku

Style scores

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE	SCORE
1st	Jess Brown	Oaks Cryptic	89.00%
2nd	Billy Raymont	Blue Balou PS	88.17%
3rd	Kate Hinschen	Calouandra	87.17%
4th	Rhys Stones	Ballentyne	83.67%
5th	Brook Hickey	Kentaur Coconut	82.33%
6th	Phillip Lever	Bonita	81.33%

CLASS 5: HONEYCOMBES MACHINERY: OPEN – 1.30m

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
1st	Sarah Duggan	Oaks Diamantina
2nd	Phillip Lever	Lomachenko
3rd	Andrew Inglis	Alillie
4th	Jennifer Wood	Ipod
5th	Brook Dobbin	Gina MVNZ
6th	Hannah Doolan	Ashleigh City Lights

CLASS 6: EIAF TRANS-TASMAN YOUNG RIDER TEAMS CHALLENGE (ROUND 1)

PLACE	RIDER	HORSE
1st	Australia Anneliese Wansey Ashley Cutler Alexandra Gostelow Hayden Parker	Emcee Vagabond Kinnordy Ronsard Riverton Blueprint Kinnordy Rhena
2nd	New Zealand Johanna Wylaars Samantha Gillies Georgia Bouzaid Liam Rutland	Macleay Corella Myridersnota Rockstar Caitano Tulara Spangenberg

Results sourced from equipe.online.com