An Old Foe wins for NZ, and Australia tests its talent

Jamie Kermond and Yandoo Laughton's Legacy

Photograph:Nicol Taylor

The Australians threw everything at the 2013 Olympic Cup, and despite some very classy performances from Jamie Kermond on Laughton’s Legacy, current Australian FEI World Cup League winners Alison Rowland with Bickley Brook Bella, and the current Australian National Champion Tom McDermott and Romantic Dream, they were not able to better the experience of Beatson and the sheer will of the 5,000 strong local crowd.

The Horse of the Year show at Hawkes Bay, New Zealand is host to the most prestigious competition in our region with the $200,000 Olympic Cup. The competition has been growing year on year and is a must for aspiring riders from Australia and New Zealand, and if it wasn’t for the strict quarantine regulations many other nations would definitely be willing participants. The Organiser, Kevin Hansen teams with the Hawkes Bay community to ensure that the region is a true winner with the event attracting an estimated $30 million spend from visitors and competitors.

The Olympic Cup also had the prestige of being a FEI Qualifying event to secure Certificate of Capability (COC) for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

A field of 28 combinations started over the Leopoldo Palacious course with 15 from Australia. The first round delivered just 3 clear rounds and one with a single time fault. Nine combinations secured their COC with eight penalties or less, and a further four combinations did not make the finish line.

The whole of the North Island of New Zealand has been in drought conditions for the past few months, so the organisers had to contend with some hard ground and balance a watering regime to make sure all horses were looked after, and then on the night before light rain added a slight ‘greasy’ factor to the 105x85m grass arena.

The Course

Leopoldo Palacious, now in his tenth year as the Course Designer had prepared the riders and horses over the earlier competitions to meet the challenges of a strict time allowed and very accurate riding, so that the COC-standard track did not appear so imposing.  

The first round consisted of 13 fences with three double combinations, and a total length of 560m with a 90 second time allowed. The course started over a 1.45m vertical and immediately turned 180 degrees to a white rail oxer 23.5m up to a style gate which had been judiciously used all week to extract care from the horses. Turning ninety degrees and some 10 strides to the first of the combinations with 4A a 1.50m vertical, 7.80m to 4B a 1.48x1.55m oxer. The track turned a further 90 degrees directly away from the in-gate to a 1.6m vertical and 10 forward strides to another 1.6m wavy plank style.

Riders had to then turn back to the #7 fence a 3.4m water jump placed delicately 6 strides from the end of the arena, however a fence was well placed to ensure riders had a choice, but no real choice given the time allowed, meaning a 3 or 4 stride approach. The water jump did account for 5 foot faults on the lath. A double of verticals after the water was some 11 strides further on and in many respects provided enough rope for riders to do their own damage and seven combinations collected four faults at either of the 1.55m verticals set at 10.90m apart.

Having set 270 degree turn back fences all week, the number 9 ‘skinny’ 1.55m oxer didn’t provide a great deal of trouble and did allow many riders to pick up some valuable seconds on the time. Land Rover is a major sponsor of the show and Leopoldo placed a big 4WD right in the best approach to the #10 1.55x1.80m triple bar giving riders a very strong incentive to take the inside but slightly more shortened approach to the fence. Twenty two metres further on the third double of a 1.55m wide oxer, 7.90m to another 1.55m vertical. Turning to the final line in front of packed grandstand was #12 another tall vertical and 25.50m to the final 1.48mx1.70m oxer, this line demanding an even 6 strides and accounting for four faults for five of the combinations who had made the journey.

The First Round

The first out Yandoo Zenzel HBC a super 8yo gelding ridden by Jamie Winning delivered a great opening round with just the last rail down, however more than 8 seconds outside the given time for an additional 2 time penalties but certainly warranting the COC.

New Zealand’s current leading Lady Rider, Katie McVean had two horses for the Olympic Cup, both up and coming youngsters and despite an unbelievably successful show had 16 and 18 faults with Dunstan Zimorena, and Dunstan Delilah respectively, and didn’t progress to the second round.

Some first time Olympic Cup combinations didn’t fare so well including Sarah Isbister from Western Australia on Little Britton, Sydney based young riders James Arkins with Dreamtime Invader, Jack Maunder and Cyra, and South Australian Nicole Bruggeman with her NZ bred Blusta.

Billy Raymont who won the NZ National Championships 4 weeks earlier picked up 18 faults with both Stardom and Nicalette NZPH. A further two in-form combinations who just didn’t cope with the greasy going were Jacqui Cox’s Colthaga ridden by Jamie Kermond and Alison Rowland on the young 8yo mare Bickley Brook Bianca.

Kiwi rider Tim Myers and Pick Me NZPH was only the fifth combination into the ring and really brought the very black shirt and silver fern crowd to its feet with an excellent and apparently effortless clear round jumping and time to also collect a COC. Yandoo Laughton’s Legacy owned by Kerrie Winning of Ebenezer, NSW and ridden by Jamie Kermond rode another picture perfect clear round but for the single time fault.

Former European based Kiwi rider Samantha McIntosh had two rides in the class with her super chestnut mare Claire delivering a lovely round but for a foot in the water and four faults, but less successful with Estina who was travelling well until collecting a rail at each of the last 3 fences. The Silver Fern $50,000 class winner from Friday night Luke Dee and Ombudsman did not have a good round failing to collect a COC with rails at the tall planks and going into both the combinations at number 8 and 11.

Recent Trans Tasman Australian team members fared well in the first round. Rory Hovell and the in-form 10yo stallion Yalambi’s Val d’Isere showed they will continue their development but inexperience found them out on the turn inside the Land Rover onto the triple bar and again at the last fence as well as single time fault, just missing their COC.

Current Australian National Champions Tom McDermott and the Tripp Family’s Romantic Dream have performed so well in their limited starts in New Zealand, and set a cracking pace to complete the course with some 8 seconds to spare but collected 4 faults at the water, and a further 4 at the first vertical immediately following the water to finish on 8 faults but securing their Certificate of Capability.

Sharon Slater and her 11yo Belgian imported gelding Ulixes was in good form from the Nations Cup events, however was a little unlucky to have the light pole on the number 3 style gate before completing the remainder of the round with no additional penalties – finishing on 4 and collecting her COC.

The in-form combination of Alison Rowland and her 10yo Premier des Hayettes mare Bickley Brook Bella delivered a near perfect clear round and well in time to collect their COC.

Finally, Maurice Beatson on his 18yo gelding My Gollywog delivered the third clear round and had all spectators’ hands on their heads with some of the approaches to fences especially the double vertical combination at 8A and B. However all fences remained intact and inside the time allowed.

The Second Round

The Ground Jury invited 12 combinations back to contest the second round. The Course Designer presented a totally different, bigger and more technical 450m 11 fence with one treble track. The focal point was a turn back from the in gate to a large oxer and 26m curved line to a 1.50m vertical, 7.80m to a 1.48x1.60m oxer and 7.70m to a 1.55m vertical.

The round brought a mixed bag of results with some horses not completing the treble combination including Sam McIntosh and Claire and Sharon Slater with Ulixes. The young Zenzel found the second round a little strong and added a further 20 penalties, Rory Hovell also had trouble with the treble and added a further 20 faults, as did Luke Dee with Ombudsman.

Ross Smith and Quite Cassini and Lucy Akers with Cortaflex Tinapei added faults to end up on 18 faults and finished equal 6^th. Tim Myers couldn’t emulate his first round clear and added 9 penalties to finish in 5^th position. An outstanding ride from Tom McDermott and Romantic Dream producing the only clear of the second round to finish on his earlier score of 8 faults and in 4^th place.

Jamie Kermond came into the second round on 1 time penalty and Laughton’s Legacy jumped a replica round with a further time penalty and finishing with a total of 2 penalties.

Knowing that he only had the time penalty up his sleeve Maurice Beatson and My Gollywog had to carry nearly the whole crowd around the new track, and he did just that – the extra weight and a decision to go around a jump meant that he only added a single time penalty finishing in front of Kermond.

The pressure of the event was now turned onto Alison Rowland and whilst not looking like touching a rail, Bickley Brook Bella just stalled a little in the middle of the combination and had the back rail of the oxer, and then also added a single time fault dropping them into 3^rd place and handing the win to the veterans.

The crowd celebrated the local win and some 15 years since his last Olympic Cup win and 30 years from his first win, Maurice Beatson proudly held the Cup aloft in acknowledging the support he had from the crowd.

Australia can take a great deal of encouragement from the recent tour of New Zealand with solid performances by all of the horses including a win in both Nations Cup events, and COCs secured for 5 Australian combinations.