Melody Matheson aboard Cortaflex Giulia MH winners of the ECPH 5 Year Old Championship Title National Young Horse Jumping Show, Sunday, December 13, 2020 Copyright Photo: KAMPIC / Kerry Marshall
There is plenty of action at the Sally Apatu and John Bostock Young Horse Jumping Championships which kick off on Friday at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds in Hastings.As well as national titles across the four, five, six and seven-year-old age groups and the new Tony Webb/Cherokee Breeders Cup, the show is also hosting three FEI classes – the POLi Payments World Cup, CSI1* 1.4m and the Youth Jumping Competition.
The Tony Webb Cherokee Breeders Cup will be presented to the leading breeder across the age group classes and worked out via a points system. Graeme Hart says the late Tony Webb had been a huge contributor to the sport and sponsor of the championships. The mare Cherokee jumped for New Zealand and produced 1992 Olympian Reservation, who also placed second with Bruce Goodin in the DuMaurier Cup at Spruce Meadows, which at the time was the richest class in the world.
“Her mare line continues to produce good jumpers,” said Graeme, who has some at his Fernhill Stud.
The age group courses will be designed by double silver Olympic medallist Greg Best.The third round of the POLi Payments World Cup (NZ) Series has attracted another compact field spear-headed by the in-form Tegan Fitzsimon (West Melton) aboard Windermere Cappuccino who have won the two qualifiers to date and Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) with LT Holst Andrea who has twice won the series final. Young gun Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) is making quite a name for herself in her first season competing at World Cup level, and she is entered on both Glenbrooke Rich as Roses and Waitangi Skynet.
The perennial Maurice Beatson, a former series winner, is on the card, as is Logan Massie (Dannevirke) and his stallion Bravado Ego Z, Phillip Steiner (Tauranga) with Cassina Dior, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) on WSJ Centaur, Melody Matheson (Havelock North) on Cortaflex Enya MH, Daniel Blundell (Cambridge) with Cadenza NZPH, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) aboard McMillans Ariados, and Jeremy Whale (Hampton Downs) aboard Idol D.
The FEI Youth Jumping Competition is a new international initiative, introduced following the postponement of the 2022 Youth Olympic Games. The new competition means athletes aged 14-18 will still have the opportunity to participate in a global event, which is based on the unique Youth Olympic Games format.
Riders and their horses will face a horse inspection before two competition rounds over two days.
The CSI1* class is one of three being run around New Zealand this season with the remaining two at Ashburton (January 15) and Waimate (January 29). The World Cup class will be designed by Roger Laplanche and the CCI1* by Heather McDonald.
Northern Hawke’s Bay chair Lara Baker says it has been a tumultuous run into the prestigious show, which couldn’t have come together without her “fantastic” committee and Sally Apatu and John Bostock, who stepped up at the 11th hour to sponsor it ensuring the show wouldn’t run at a financial loss.
The show was not scheduled to host a World Cup but Lara says it was an easy add-on to the show as they already had the necessary FEI judges and officials on site. “It fits well with our show so wasn’t such a giant step,” she said. “Our committee is fabulous. I am so proud of them and it is a real privilege to be part of a group like that. It is a real mixture too – our oldest member has just turned 83 and our youngest would be 20, but all contribute a lot.”
The show gets underway on Friday and runs through to Sunday. Spectators are welcome as long as they have their vaccine passport to show.
POLi Payments World Cup (NZ League) Series leaderboard: Tegan Fitzsimon (West Melton) 40 points 1, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) 29 2, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) 27 3, Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) and Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) 26 =4, Phillip Steiner (Tauranga) 17 6, Melody Matheson (Havelock North) 11, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) 10 7, Logan Massie (Dannevirke) 9 8.
For full entries, head to www.evoevents.co.nz
