Three Nupafeed Supplements Senior Discovery Second Round Winners in One Day.
Tuesday 28 May 2024
A busy weekend of showjumping saw three Nupafeed Supplements Senior Discovery Second Round competitions take place on Sunday, 26th May, at Parwood, Ponderosa, and Speetley Equestrian Centres.
At Parwood Equestrian Centre, an impressive ten combinations completed all three rounds of competition on a clean sheet, but it was Lauren Roach on Kerry Grimster’s 8-year-old Louisiana-S, who finished on top with a final jump off time of 39.62 seconds. Battling it out for second place, only 0.07 seconds separated Myles West and Jessica Upton, but it was Myles aboard Dr Deborah Kamal’s Lumiere EHF who crossed the finish line first to take the accolade.
Discussing, Louisiana-S, Lauren Roach shared her thoughts on their recent performance: “She’s an 8-year-old who has picked up a lot in the last eight months. She coped well with the competition and was very happy and confident during the round. She's excellent at the jump-offs and really good at getting the tight angles, which helped us immensely.
"I'll be jumping her in some Newcomers Second Rounds in the hope we can get our ticket to HOYS. In the meantime, we'll keep her ticking over until the National Championships and work on getting our double clears for next year."
Meanwhile, at Ponderosa Equestrian Centre, Course Designer Alison Naylor's track proved challenging, with only two riders advancing to the final jump-off. Jumping with the knowledge that, pending official grading, their qualification for the final was secured, Amanda Clark and Robert Jefferies finished the final round in 1st and 2nd place respectively. With both ending on 4 faults, it was Amanda Clark and Mrs Royal’s Gredington Acrobat who posted the fastest jump off time of the two to take first place, with Robert Jefferies and his own Figo MH took second.
Winner Amanda Clark commented: "She is owned by Sarah Royal, who is 74 and rides her every day out hacking, I only ride her once a week in the school or at a show. She only started affiliated showjumping two years ago, and she is absolutely incredible, always doing everything asked of her. She is a total credit to Sarah.
“Only two made it to the final, and luck was definitely on our side to win. The course caught everyone out, but she is so good at her job and knows exactly what to do. I had a bad fall at 1.30m last week on another horse. Luckily, we are both okay, but we went to this show as a confidence boost, and she was just incredible.
“We'll take her to the National as she has also qualified for the Members Cup, and we'll keep her competitive at 1.15m for the rest of the year."
Rounding up the Nupafeed Supplements Senior Discovery Second Rounds for the day was Speetley Equestrian Centre, which hosted exactly 50 horses in the class. An impressive 19 riders progressed to the final jump-off. Josie O’Leary achieved the fastest final clear round, stopping the clock at 51.40 seconds with Tablinsky VD Laarse Heide Z. Josie's time was an impressive 3.18 seconds faster than the next best time of 54.88 seconds, achieved by Jake Elliott and Karen Overton’s Orryana 21.
Following an injury to Tablinsky VD Laarse Heide Z three years ago, Josie O’Leary, along with owners Sophie and Tracey Phillips, faced uncertainty about his return to competition. Reflecting on their journey, Josie commented:
"I've had him for about six months for rehab, and we've just taken each day as it comes, so winning is a definite dream come true for Sophie and Tracey. I can't take all the credit—Sophie and Tracey have done all the right things with his rehab, and I'm so pleased for them. I just get to do the nice, fun bit and steer him round the course, which he does in style. He is a credit to them and everyone else who have put so much work into getting him to where he is.
"He's just a brilliant horse, he's super careful and, for such a small horse, he has a big stride. I knew it was going to be a fast jump-off, but I was confident in his ability, so I just went for it. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and I think he wanted it just as much as I did. He's now back in the field, eating grass for a bit, and as long as he's happy and smiling, we're happy."
Just three Nupafeed Supplements Senior Discovery Second Rounds remain ahead of the Final at the British Showjumping National Championships in August 2024. A full list of qualified horses can be found at https://www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/shows_qualifying_dates_venues.cfm?type=S&class=DF
Nupafeed Supplements, proud sponsors of the series for nine years, provide unique, highly targeted nutritional supplements for your horse, their expert and friendly team are always on hand for advice. Visit Nupafeed.co.uk to find out more.
Parwood Equestrian Centre - Sunday, 26 May 2024
1st - Lauren Roach & Louisiana-S 0/0/0 39.62
2nd - Myles West & Lumiere EHF 0/0/0 41.89
3rd - Jessica Upton & Cavaliers Floris 0/0/0 41.96
Ponderosa Equestrian Centre, Sunday 26 May 2024
1st - Amanda Clark & Gredington Acrobat 0/0/4(K) 52.34
2nd - Robert Jefferies & Figo MH 0/0/4(K) 59.76
3rd - Gabriel Ball & C-Chen 0/4(K)
Speetley Equestrian Centre, Sunday 26 May 2024
1st - Josie O’Leary & Tablinsky VD Laarse Heide 0/0/0 51.70
2nd - Jake Elliott & Orryana 21 0/0/0 54.88
3rd - Julian Mincher & Princess SW 0/0/0 56.07
NB: Results pending official grading.
Image: LRG Photography / WickedPixs / Speetley EC
.jpg "Florence Newstead from Cambridgeshire is the latest NAF Shining Star")
