Photography: @chloer.photography_
With two challenging Championship tracks built on the Saturday, a tough Championship was expected on Sunday. The 1.40m Championship track was certainly up to height and standard, but the 54 strong start list handled it well, with few spills and an impressive 44% of the class jumping clear and proceeding to the jump-off!
One glance at the start list and it was evident that it was going to be a very fast and exciting jump off, and risks would have to be taken to walk away with the win, or one of the 15 tickets on offer; playing it safe didn’t seem a feasible option for the 24 riders in the jump-off!
In the end, the podium positions were split by 0.64 seconds! In 3rd place jumping double clear in 33.26 sec was Tegan Bruyns and Karenza Hunter’s Lissabon x G-Cerise gelding Air Holiday’s Callaho Luther. Tegan and Luther have been formidable contenders in the 1.40m classes since moving up to the level in August 2022. They also jumped their first 1.50m on Friday in the United Aviation Group 1.50m Grand Prix with just one down. Tegan was elated and felt that he had really stepped up to the plate, and was much more focused over the bigger jumps, making it easier to ride him. We’re sure we will be seeing them having much more success in the 1.50m classes in the future!
2nd place went to Stewart Barker’s iPharma Callaho Conrado, expertly piloted by his coach Rainer Korber. Conrado only stepped up to the 1.40m classes last month. He finished 2nd in the 1.40m Championship at the last World Cup Qualifier at Maple Ridge, and since then won the Gauteng Showjumping 1.40m Championships and was clear for jumping in his first 1.50m on Friday. This son of Callaho Con Coriano out of a Cassini I mare most certainly has a very exciting future ahead of him!
Taking just 0.19 seconds off Rainer’s time, the very on form Leona Van Der Merwe and Martyn Swanepoel’s striking Mythos rode away with the win in their first 1.40m Championships making this their 5th consecutive Championship podium and third Championship win this year! These two epitomise the term dream team, congratulations!!
RESULTS
1st: Mythos – Leona Van Der Merwe
2nd: iPharma Callaho Conrado – Rainer Korber
3rd: Air Holidays Callaho Luca Vella – Tegan Bruyns
4th: Izerro – Kerry Muir
5th: G C S Max Pacific NPS – Neriske Prinsloo Hill
6th: 334 Finale U – Leona Van Der Merwe
7th: Rivendell Lamborghini – Nicola Sime – Riley
8th: PlastiColors Masterbatch Chogori – Michelle Fleming
9th: Callaho’s Larison – Chatan Hendriks
10th: Hausberger’s Sir Crumble – Ashlee Healy
11th: Callaho Bolzano Du Quinze – Gareth Neill
12th: Denford Vermate & Thermal Mud’s Shadow Fly – Hanelize Kamffer
13th: Capital Ayden – Neriske Prinsloo Hill
14th: Regenesis Vet Callaho Landino – Alexandra Miszewski
