Triple Crown Series Championships decided at Willinga Park

Australian Jumping

The stunning Willinga Park Equestrian Centre was the venue for the much anticipated final of the NSW Triple Crown Series.

The Futurity and Senior Championships were both decided on Saturday on the glorious grass jumping arena which the Willinga Park team managed very well under challenging weather conditions. However a heavy storm on Saturday night with a massive amount of rainfall was the opportunity for the Willinga Park complex to demonstrate its versatility. The team moved the entire show, for the four remaining finals classes, to their Grand Prix Arena with the outstanding all-weather OTTO Sport surface.

The NSW Triple Crown Series consisted of three events with an accumulation points system to determine the overall series winner. In each class, the first leg of the series was held at the NSW Country Championships in Wagga Wagga, and the second leg at the NSW State Championships two weeks later in Canberra. With extra prizemoney on offer for winning the series, the competition at Willinga Park’s Jumping Grand Final was not to be missed.

FUTURITY CHAMPIONSHIP

The winner of the NSW Country Futurity Championship was Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane, while Brook Dobbin and Leopoldo MVNZ took out the NSW State Futurity Championship.

Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane were victorious in one event and placed third in the other and therefore came into the final weekend in a strong position. The points standing of the top placed fifteen combinations prior to Willinga Park event are listed below:

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Stuart Jenkins	Blackall Park Penny Lane	119
2^nd	Katie Laurie	McCaw MVNZ	110
3^rd	Jamie Priestley	Oaks Diamantina	109
4^th	Tom McDermott	Yakambis Confidant	100
5^th	Deon Williams	Gillie	96
6^th	Leon Carroll	Mia Catalina	92
7^th	Stephen Dingwall	Cavalier Carolous	90
8^th	Melissa Blair	Gigant Z	87
9^th	Billy Raymont	Calavino	86
10^th	Izabella Stone	Lincoln MVNZ	83
11^th	Tom McDermott	Yalambis Cassini Rosso	82
12^th	Amber Fuller	Armani Z	74
13^th	Erin Roddy	Charlie’s Boy HH	71
14^th	Emily Mann	Belcam Cachi	65
15^th	Georgia Price	Batman Xtreme	64

Unplaced in Friday’s Round One, Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane’s grip on the triple crown series title was a little looser than it had been, while Katie Laurie and McCaw MVNZ, were better placed than ever.

The Futurity Final Saturday provided excitement for the large number of spectators. Jenkins returned to form by winning the jump-off where he was the only participant to go double clear. Even though Paul Brent and Kabalesse Kavita, by virtue of their consistency over the two days, were the winners of the Willinga Park Futurity Championship, the overall winners of the Futurity class Triple Crown Series were indeed Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane. In Stuart’s last presentation on Penny Lane before returning her to wife Becky, they received the $1,000 prize for winning the series. Runner up was the in-form Katie Laurie and McCaw MVNZ who pocketed the $500 prize for second.

Stuart Jenkins and Blackall Park Penny Lane

Katie Laurie and McCaw MVNZ

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

The greatly anticipated Grand Final of the NSW Triple Crown Series for the Senior Championship was also held on Saturday under somewhat challenging conditions

Tom McDermott and his mare Elegance De La Charmille, won both the first two events at the NSW Country Championships in Wagga Wagga and the NSW Senior Title in Canberra. This meant that not only was this combination in a great position to take out the title entering this weekend’s Grand Final, but he was also in line for a massive $50,000 bonus if he could win all three events.

The table below shows the positions of the top 15 Senior combinations going into the Willinga Park Grand Prix event.

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Tom McDermott	Elegance De La Charmille	82
2^nd	Brooke Langbecker	Quintago 1	73
3^rd	Stephen Dingwall	Cavalier Du Rouet	72
4^th	Tom McDermott	Diamont	72
5^th	Katie Laurie	Cera Caruso	68
6^th	Amber Fuller	CP Aretino	59
7^th	Emily Riley	Rhapsody in Blue	59
8^th	Jennifer Wood	Cocaine Ego Z	58
9^th	Alison Rowland	Glenara Cognac	52
10^th	Tom McDermott	Alpha Activity	45
11^th	Clint Beresford	SL Donato	44
12^th	Chris Chugg	PSS Levilensky	37
13^th	Elliot Reeves	Aveden Indigo	36
14^th	Tom McDermott	Yalambis Finnigan	36
15^th	Gabrielle Kuna	Flaire	34

In both the first round on Thursday and second round on Friday, a strong showing by Katie Laurie and Casebrooke Lomond saw them take both wins. Unfortunately for McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille, while they were still in a strong position to take the Triple Crown Title, the bonus for winning all three events looked like it was going to be difficult to secure.

But it was Katie Laurie and Casebrooke Lomond who did indeed triumph this weekend and by also taking out the final, were the clear winners of the Willinga Park event.

However, due to McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille’s dominance over the first two events, they were awarded the Triple Crown Series winner prize of $5,000. As with the Futurity Class, the runner up prize of $2,500 went to Katie Laurie, this time with Casebrooke Lomond.

Unfortunately for McDermott, the $50,000 bonus for winning all three events in the Triple Crown Series went unclaimed. However winning two championships out of the three is a fantastic achievement.

Tom McDermott and Elegance De La Charmille

Katie Laurie and Casebrooke Lomond

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Having taken the win at the NSW Country Championships and performing well at the NSW State Championships, Jess Rice-Ward and Dusky Farm Cavalier found themselves leading the Triple Crown Series Junior Division going into Sunday’s Grand Final. However, very close on her heels was Sophie Hatch, filling both second and third places in partnership with different horses.

The top fifteen combinations going into the Willinga Park event were as follows:

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Jess Rice-Ward	Dusky Farm Cavalier	82
2^nd	Sophie Hatch	Glenara Mudslide	80
3^rd	Sophie Hatch	Rosthwaite Belvedere	79
4^th	Georgia Price	Fairbanks Lulu	73
5^th	Hayley Cox	Aph Merlin	72
6^th	Hayley Cox	Redfoo	69
7^th	Isabella Hughes	Beethoven	66
8^th	Georgia Price	Wat Fleur Des Lis	60
9^th	Georgia Price	Berlucci	55
10^th	Georgia Apps	PP Masterclass	52
11^th	Gracie Dawes	Barrabadeen Calypso	46
12^th	Jess Rice-Ward	Dinero	42
13^th	Bronte Hutchison	Pollyanna	41
14^th	Maleah Lang-McMahon	K.S. Sovereign’s Cadel	40
15^th	Sally Simmonds	Oaks Chifley	37

Round One of the Grand Final was held on Friday with young Queenslander Maleah Lang-McMahon and Vakarra Champagne taking the win. With Jess Rice-Ward and Dusky Farm Cavalier coming in seventh, combined with the second placing by Sophie Hatch and Glenara Mudslide, all was set for a fascinating final round today.

In the final, these Junior riders showed that the future of Australian jumping is in good hands. A wonderful display of jumping across the board saw twelve combinations go clear and form an exciting jump-off field. Maleah Lang-McMahon showed her absolute class by taking out today’s class but on a different horse from her Round One win.

The winner of the Grand Final was Clemency Hughes and Nicolette who demonstrated their consistency over the weekend, by finishing third and second in the round and final respectively.

So, despite a wonderful performance at Willinga Park by Maleah Lang-McMahon, to take out both classes, she was unable to match it with the top combinations who had competed at all three legs of the Triple Crown Series. The $1,000 prize for winning the Triple Crown Series Junior Championship went to Jess Rice-Ward and Dusky Farm Cavalier with Sophie Hatch and Rosthwaite Belvedere taking the $500 cheque for second.

Jess Rice-Ward and Dusky Farm Cavalier

Sophie Hatch and Rosthwaite Belvedere

MINI PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP

The next class at the state-of-the-art equine facility that is Willinga Park, was the final of the Mini-Prix Championship. After the first two events at the NSW Country Championships and the NSW State Championships, Jennifer Wood and Cassandro B were leading the race for the Triple Crown Series Mini-Prix Championship, with fourteen other combinations in hot pursuit. The leading combinations coming into the Willinga Park event were:

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Jennifer Wood	Cassando B	99
2^nd	Rod McQueen	Equus Echo	94
3^rd	Jennifer Wood	Harvey B	92
4^th	Tom McDermott	Yalambi’s Fair Diamond VDL	92
5^th	Jessica Grant	Cosmorex Coffee Vienetta	89
6^th	Melissa Blair	Zidora	81
7^th	Izabella Stone	Colina 54	80
8^th	Rod McQueen	Medusa	74
9^th	Jamie Priestley	Courage	72
10^th	Alison Rowland	Oaks Visionary	61
11^th	Shimona Fraid	Isle Of Hinchinbrook	60
12^th	Rod McQueen	Casco	58
13^th	Deon Williams	Versace Vision	56
14^th	Jess Stalling	Diamond B Vermont	54
15^th	Leon Carroll	Delisch	53

With Jennifer Wood and Cassando B finishing nineteenth in Round One on Friday at Willinga Park, the race for the Triple Crown was thrown wide-open, particularly given the strong performance of Rod McQueen and Equus Echo, who came into the event in overall second place. Based on their combined performance over the Willinga Park weekend Izabella Stone and Bandito were declared the winners of the third event of the Triple Crown Mini-Prix Series.

However, the overall Triple Crown Series Mini-Prix Champion was Tom McDermott and Yalambis Fair Diamond VDL, who took away the $1,000 first prize. Following very closely behind by just a single point was Jennifer Wood and Cassando B, who pocketed $500 for second place.

Tom McDermott and Yalambis Fair Diamond VDL

Jennifer Wood and Cassando B

AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

The third Triple Crown Series Championship to be decided today at Willinga Park was the Amateur class. As Damien Churchill and Franklins Peace had won both legs of the series, they entered the weekend in a very strong position to take the Series.

Going into the Grand Final Weekend at Willinga Park, the top fifteen placed amateur combinations were:

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Damien Churchill	Franklins Peace	98
2^nd	Alisa Williams	Anigrey	89
3^rd	Niki Dingwall	Cavalier Winsom	87
4^th	Sarah Dodd	Diamond B Valencia	76
5^th	Caitlin Brewer	Celeborn Ego Z	73
6^th	Nadia Gronow	Oaks Debutante	69
7^th	Ella Fisher	Ms. Moonlight	67
8^th	Bonnie Martin	RR Amoretus	65
9^th	Mikaela Maisano	Cheval De Dieu	57
10^th	Cale Rushton	Kirmington Casper	47
11^th	Eva Rasmussen	Devil Wears Prada	47
12^th	Melanie Heygate	Pacific Odyssey	47
13^th	Melissa Jasprizza	Woodsend Merlot	46
14^th	Jenelle Waters	APH Rhythm	45
15^th	Georgina Lucas	Peace Destiny	43

Somewhat surprisingly, Churchill and Franklins Peace finished well down the leaderboard in nineteenth place on Friday. Unfortunately, this almost certainly put an end to his chances of winning the final. However, now the weekend competition was wide open and it gave other combinations hope of bridging the substantial gap that Churchill’s consecutive wins had opened up on the rest of the field.

As the winner of both classes here this weekend, Cale Rushton and Kirmington Casper were declared winners of the Willinga Park Amateur Championship.

However, the overall Triple Crown Series Amateur Champion was indeed the super consistent Damien Churchill and Franklins Peace, who took away the $1,000 first prize. Second place in the series was Niki Dingwall and Cavalier Winsom who take home $500.

Damien Churchill and Franklins Peace

Niki Dingwall and Cavalier Winsom

YOUNG RIDER CHAMPIONSHIP

The final class today and a super finish to the Willinga Park Jumping Grand Final was the Young Rider Championship. This Triple Crown race was the tightest of all six divisions coming into the Grand Final Weekend.

The NSW Country Young Rider Championship winner was Jamie Priestley and Amaretto MVNZ, while the NSW Championship Young Rider winner was Erin Buswell and Quero Quero. These two combinations were tied in first place on 52 points, along with the very consistently performed Amelia Douglass and Sirius Du Granit. With top Junior rider Jess Rice-Ward and CP Southern Cross just two points behind, it was clear that the race for the Triple Crown Series was going to be a hot one.

The top fifteen placed combinations coming into the weekend’s grand final were as follows:

	RIDER	HORSE	POINTS
1^st	Jamie Priestley	Amaretto MVNZ	52
2^nd	Erin Buswell	Quero Quero	52
3^rd	Amelia Douglass	Sirius Du Granit	52
4^th	Jess Rice-Ward	CP Southern Cross	50
5^th	Jamie Priestley	Kolora Stud Optimus	42
6^th	Jacob Wells	Cobra De Capello	41
7^th	Brooke Langbecker	Beijing LS LA Silla	39
8^th	Lucy Evans	Viva Joy	35
9^th	Stephanie Judd	Mukooras Juvenile	29
10^th	Brooke Langbecker	Flowervale Diamond	26
11^th	Jasmine Ritter	Simplicity	23
12^th	Tess McInerney	Alpha Centauri	22
13^th	Sophie Smith	Bellhaven Jazz	22
14^th	Amelia Douglass	Barrichello	21
15^th	Jessie O’Connell	Cassis Z Ten Halven	20

With torrential rain and thunderstorms threatening, the First Round of the Young Rider Championship was held on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Jamie Priestley and Amaretto MVNZ were eliminated, which, given such a tight field, did her Triple Crown Series title aspirations considerable harm. With Amelia Douglass not competing and Jess Rice-Ward and CP Southern Cross coming thirteenth, Erin Buswell and Quero Quero, were able to take full advantage by finishing second and taking the lead in the Triple Crown Race.

Only two combinations managed to record double clears in the final today and the fastest of these was Brooke Langbecker and Beijing LS La Silla, in her last ever ride as a Young Rider.

By virtue of finishing in third and second positions this weekend Jamie Priestley and Kolora Stud Optimus took out the Willinga Park Young Rider title. However, the overall Triple Crown Series Young Rider Champion was Erin Buswell and Quero Quero, who took away the $1,000 first prize. Second place in the Series was Jess Rice-Ward and CP Southern Cross who take home $500.

Triple Crown Series Championships decided at Willinga Park

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