Round one of the young jumping horse classes took place on Thursday at Dressage & Jumping with the Stars – and windy Victorian weather certainly did not make it easy for competitors and organisers alike.
Nevertheless, the outdoor turf arenas looked to be in excellent shape, and it was great to have the jumpers positioned a little closer to the heart of the action this year.
The Four-Year-Old Jumping Horse class saw a win to Ultimate Cera Z (Untouchable 27 x Quidam De Revel) for owner and rider Susanna Verco. This horse – who was bred by Kerri Parker at Cera Performance Horses – scored an average of 95.67 and jumped clear. This grey gelding also contested the Four-Year-Old Dressage Horse class today with a score of 62.6.
The bay gelding Glenara Argyle (Diamant De Smilly x Conquistador) won the Five-Year-Old Jumping Horse class, jumping clear and scoring 94.33 for rider and owner Jess Kiernan. This horse was bred by Glenara Park’s Melissa Froesch.
The Six-Year-Old Jumping Horse saw several high scores, with Kentaur Alba (Absolute Ego Z x Noblewood Park Cougar) the highest on 95.5 and jumping clear for Frida Lindgren. This horse is owned by Strobe Knox and was bred by Kentaur Australia Performance Horses, and was the 2024 Champion of Champions.
Remarkably the Seven-Year-Old Jumping Horse class was a tie, with two horses scoring 99 and leaving all rails up. Neil Diamond VBT (IM Special De Muze x Berlin, bred by M J Van Bergen-Tolner) for rider Rachael Lee and owner Tarraleah Performance Horses Pty Ltd, and Benjamin Franklin Be (Tulara Colmine x Caracas) for rider, owner and breeder Brooke Hickey, were inseparable.
Over in ring two, the 140cm class served as a warmup for many entered in the World Cup qualifier later at this event. Rhys Stones claimed the win here with the quickest clear aboard Riverton Kanntador (Kannan x Conquistador). They finished just ahead of the Shepparton World Cup winners, Gemma Creighton and Dada Des Brimbelles Z (Darco x President).
