Above: Sam Williams and Bellatrix VP.

The Holsteiner Verband Future Stars Championship, being held as part of the Pet Circle Australian Jumping Championships, is a chance for the up-and-coming star horses of the future to announce to the Australian Jumping community that they are going places in the sport. Restricted to horses 6, 7 and 8 years old, the championship is being conducted with two qualifying rounds and a final for the top 50% of the field based on performances in the preliminary rounds.

Advertisement

Each of the first two qualifying rounds have been run under Special Two-Phase conditions, however, in the final, there will be a jump off, if required, and almost $6000 prize money will be on offer.

Combined performances across the two qualifying rounds will create a seeded start list for the final, where, just as in the Mini Prix championship, all competitors will start on an even footing.

Advertisement

The first round on Thursday saw 52 combinations on the start list, producing a massive 31 double clear performances. At position 34 in the draw, we saw Briony Temby from South Australia and the mare Fieldbrook Havana rip around the course, double clear, to record a second phase time of 34.47 seconds, taking the lead

Their lead was almost very short lived, when the next combination out, Josh Collins and the young mare Zora (daughter of the horse he will be riding in the Senior Championship final, Cornel) also went double clear, however, they fell short by just 0.16 of a second.

Advertisement

These two remained in first and second position until the last combination in the draw, Robert Palm and another mare Comme Fu, stole the show. Comme Fu, who we saw at last year’s Australian Jumping Championships being ridden by Billy Raymont in young horse classes, carried Robert around the course double clear in a sparkling second-phase time of just 33.60 seconds to claim the victory.

It was a thrilling finish to what had been a fascinating class.

All the placegetters in the first round are detailed below:

CLASS 13: HOLSTEINER VERBAND: AUSTRALIAN FUTURE STARS CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 1) – 1.30m

For full results of the class, click HERE.

The second qualifying round was held this afternoon and it turned out to be as entertaining a class as we saw yesterday. At the break half-way through the class, Samantha Dernee and Glenara Leonardo Z were in the lead, double clear with a second phase time of 40.50.

Immediately after the break, we saw a new leader. Tom McDermott and young stallion Delta Blue Go went double clear and clipped almost 0.2 seconds of the leader’s time, setting 40.31 seconds as the new benchmark.

Over the next 20 or so combinations, many tried to catch the leader and some went very close, but nobody could quite get there. With just six combinations to come, there was just over half a second separating the leading six combinations.

With just five combinations left, the class took a major twist. Sam Williams and mare Bellatrix VP put together a powerful double clear performance. There had been a back log of combinations just over the 40 second mark, but Sam smashed it putting the new standard at 38.51, stealing the lead by almost two seconds. Remarkably the next combination on course, Frida Lindgren and Threemc Lumeah also broke the 40 second barrier, laying down a time of 39.80 to grab second spot. With rails being taken by the last few combinations that is the way the class finished.

Special mention goes to Jennifer Wood. While she didn’t win the class she managed to place inside the top 10 on three horses, which is all the more remarkable given that the class had 51 combinations on the start list.

The full list of placegetters in the second round is detailed below:

CLASS 20: HOLSTEINER VERBAND: AUSTRALIAN FUTURE STARS CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 2) – 1.35m

For full results of the class, click HERE.

What a fantastic afternoon of jumping, showcasing the many of the best young horses in the country. The quality of the jumping was first class and we can only look forward to seeing the best 26 combinations return on Sunday for what promises to be wonderful entertainment.

Advertisement