Melbourne International Three-Day Event

Melanie Beeby reports:

West Australian farmer and rider Sonja Johnson and her horse Ringwould Jaguar are in contention for the Australian Eventing team at the World Equestrian Games after winning the Melbourne International Three-Day Event at Werribee today.

Australian selectors announced tonight the other six Australia-based combinations in contention for WEG in Aachen, Germany, in August are: Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester, Athens Olympic competitor Rebel Morrow and Oaklea Groover, Atlantic Olympic Eventing team gold medallist Wendy Schaeffer and Koyuna Sun Magic, Janelle Pitts and Mr Showoff, Shane Rose and All Luck and Catherine Davies and Queen's Ransom.

These seven combinations will go into camp on July 28-30 at Camden, NSW, before selectors decide who will go to the WEG preparation camp in Germany, where they will be joined by other overseas-based riders.  The final selection of the team will be made there.

Sonja and Ringwould Jaguar led the Melbourne International Three-Day Event CCI*** following the initial dressage phase on Saturday, then slipped to second place after incurring 5.2 time penalties during Sunday’s cross country jumping. But they left all poles untouched in the final showjumping phase today to retake the lead.

NSW-based rider Shane Rose was second on All Luck and 8^th on Glenorchy Hope.

South Australian Megan Jones on Kirby Park Irish Jester was third, followed by Catherine Davies, from Tasmania but based in Victoria, on Queen’s Ransom in 4^th. Victoria’s Janelle Pitts and Mr Showoff finished 5^th ahead of NSW-based Rebel Morrow and Oaklea Groover in 6^th and SA’s Wendy Schaeffer and Koyuna Sun Magic in 7^th.

Sonja, from Albury, WA, was Australian Eventing rider of the year in 1996 and 2003 and a non-travelling reserve for the 1996 Olympic Games.