Hanna wins Pacific League World Cup Final prelude

Mary Hanna and Umbro have won the Pacific League World Cup Final Grand Prix, contested Friday at the Boneo Classic supported by NAB.

It is the perfect prelude to Saturday’s Pacific League World Cup Final (PLWCF) for four-time Olympian Hanna, who is the reigning Pacific League Champion and will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins when the Freestyle gets underway on Saturday evening.

In last season’s Pacific League Final Hanna shared victory with her Olympic and World Championship mount Sancette, but with Sancette in Europe, Hanna has made the short trek to Boneo from her Bellarine Peninsula base with the 14 year old KWPN gelding Umbro.  

In Friday’s Grand Prix Hanna and Umbro were the only combination to score greater than 70 percent, receiving a mark of 70.620%.

New South Wales rider Sue Hearn and her mount Remmington were second and the pair continues to improve with each outing scoring 68.620% for their test, which is a personal best Grand Prix score for the duo.

In their first competition since returning from the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, Maree Tomkinson and Diamantina 4 placed third with a score of 68.360%.

But with the main event still to come and the winner of the two most recent CDI-W Freestyles in Heath Ryan (Regardez Moi) also in the field, the competition for the title remains wide open.

After winning the 2013/14 PLWCF Hanna went on to represent Australia at her foruth World Cup Final. Should she be successful once more Hanna will be offered the chance to represent Australia at the upcoming Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April.

Meanwhile, the CPEDI3* Para-Equestrian competition being staged at Boneo has concluded with Australia taking its first step towards qualifying a team for Rio 2016. Australia is required to post at least two team scores at qualifying events in order to gain an International Teams Ranking and will need to be the top ranked team in the Oceania region at the end of the qualification period to secure a team position at Rio.

Limited tickets are still available for the Boneo Classic (22nd – 25th January) HERE. An extensive trade village will be operating throughout the four days along with a variety of different stallholders and family friendly activities, so there will be plenty to eat, see and do! For more information please visit the website http://www.boneopark.com.au/

Results