Touchdown for Stuart Jenkins at Australian Jumping Championships

Yesterday, nineteen of the best Australian Jumping combinations lined in the final round of the 2023 Australian Senior Championship at the 2023 Australian Jumping Championshipsheld at Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC). Over a challenging course set by visiting international Course Designer Olaf Peterson Jnr, there were only three clears, but all that changed when the top 15 returned for a second round. Taking just a single rail over the two rounds and finishing the second round in 57.36 seconds, the win in this class went to Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster. Also finishing on a total of four faults, but in a time of 62.07 seconds were the winners of Round 1 on Tuesday Stuart Jenkins and Fairview Alicana. Taking a rail in the first round yesterday, then incurring a single time penalty in the second ride, Phillip Lever and Billionaire NZPH finished on a total of 5 penalties and settled in third.

After the final round, it was announced that the 2023 Australian Senior Championship had been won by Stuart Jenkins and the 9-year-old mare that he bred, Fairview Alicana. This pair were a model of consistency across the three days of competition, winning Round 1, placing fourth in Round 2 and finishing second yesterday in the Final.  Phillip Lever and Billionaire NZPH secured a pair of third placings and a seventh, finishing the series on a total of eight points which earnt them second place overall. Last year’s winning rider Tom McDermott and the horse on which he also finished in eighth place in 2022, Cooley Gangster, were third in this year’s championship. Before yesterday, they had also finished eighth in the first two rounds, however the win in today’s final sent them shooting up the leaderboard into third place overall.

In the overall Young Rider Championship,  the 2022 winning rider Clemency Hughes repeated her success by again taking out the championship, this time with YPH Capulet. Clemency won the second round of competition on Thursday and placed fifth in the other two rounds. Second place in the championship went to 16-year-old Victorian Jack Barker and Tulara Colchic, winners of yesterdays’s final round. Third place in the championship went to another visiting combination from Victoria, Tilley Fair and Oaks Constantino, who brought themselves right into contention in the series, by their brilliant second place yesterday.

Unfortunatly rain washed out the final day of the Championships, however based on results from the first two rounds, Jack Barker and Tulara for Quinar were declaried Australian Junior Champions for 2023 and Valentina Hercus and RBH Chaccarla, Australian Children's Champions.

Visit www.australianjumpingchampionships for full results.