Teen Wins South Island Leg of FEI World Jumping Challenge

Teen Wins South Island Leg of FEI World Jumping Challenge

Springtson teen Steffi Whittaker’s dream run this season has continued winning the South Island FEI World Jumping Challenge after the final round at the South Canterbury North Otago Area’s show at Waimate yesterday.

The 15-year-old was ultra-consistent throughout the competition, producing six clear rounds across the three South Island legs, the only blip a single pesky time fault in the first round yesterday over the track designed by Brazilian course-designer Guilherme Jorge. Although she didn’t win a single round, her two seconds and a third were enough to give her the overall win on points ahead of Jamiee Bird (Ashburton) on Wenrose Vertigo.

Bird and Wenrose Vertigo won the final round with a stunning double clear, having earlier won the opening round at Canterbury at Labour Weekend. Third went to Sally Spicer (West Melton) on Weiti Eros.

Now in its 37th year, the FEI World Jumping Challenge sees competitors up against the rest of the world with the competition divided into 10 geographical zones and three categories, with the South Island only offering Category A, open to riders 15 years and older, jumping to heights of 1.20m-1.30m.

As the winner of the South Island Category A section Whittaker will have an agonising wait to see if she will have the opportunity to head to the world final to represent pool 8, which includes much of Australasia.

Whittaker only paired up with the 14-year-old Ngahiwi Cruise in August, and shot to early success with three wins on the trot at Junior Rider level. Despite her successes, scoring the overall win at this level came as a huge surprise. “I never expected to win. It was only 5cm bigger than Junior so I thought I might as well give it ago, but I never dreamt I would post six clear rounds. That was the goal and I all but achieved that except for a single time-fault.”

Whittaker said it had been a great competition with each round asking new challenges. This weekend’s track was the biggest she had ever jumped on Ngahiwi Cruise.

To top off her remarkable weekend, Whittaker also finished one-two in the Telford Junior Rider aboard Ngahiwi Cruise and Oh Dash It respectively, also won the Team Cubitt Pony Mini Prix on Burma Chilli and was runner-up in the Country TV Pony Grand Prix on Moonlight Glow.

The Canterbury Equestrian Young Rider was again a top class with honours this time going to Harry Feast (West Melton) on Double J Bouncer, his first win of the season after a string of placings. Eleven started with four, including Feast, going through to the jump-off which he won handsomely with a double clear in 46.6 seconds. Local Georgia Urquhart (Fairlie) pulled one out of the bag to finish second also with a double clear but finished marginally slower.

Today’s highlight was the speed classes which were once again hotly-contested. The Barber Well Drilling Pony Speed went to Mosgiel’s Kate Beattie on Just Lucky in a sizzling 75.44 seconds just ahead of Kendal Thompson (Greymouth) on Awatuna Louis Vivant on 75.9, while the GMeuro Speed Horse was equally tight with all honours going to Teegan McCabe on Trader in a speedy 75.08 seconds.

RESULTS:
Saddlery Barn FEI World Jumping Challenge South Island Final: Jamiee Bird (Ashburton) Wenrose Vertigo 1, Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Ngahiwi Cruise 2, Tamara Silcock (Nelson) CoDicea 3, Louise Marriott (Christchurch) Concur 4, Angela Lissington (Amberley) Donala Dundee 5, Amanda Roy (Clinton) Rumours NZPH 6. OVERALL (3 rounds): Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Ngahiwi Cruise 1, Jamiee Bird (Ashburton) Wenrose Vertigo 2, Sally Spicer (West Melton) Weiti Eros 3, Kimberley McCabe (Invercargill) Kace 4, Tamara Silcock (Nelson) CoDicea 5, Jayne Beattie (Mosgiel) Midnight Magic Rumble 6.

Telford Junior Rider: Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Ngahiwi Cruise 1, Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Oh Dash It 2, Florence Tapley (Pigeon Bay) Ngahiwi Call Girl 3, Jamiee Bird (Ashburton) Wenrose Vertigo 4, Bailey Rutter (Balclutha) Keating 5, Courtney Townsend (Darfield) Suzy Fog 6.

Canterbury Equestrian Young Rider: Harry Feast (West Melton) Double J Bouncer 1, Georgia Urquhart (Fairlie) Quickstep NZPH 2, Tamara Silcock (Nelson) CoDicea 3, Kimberley Bird (Ashburton) Ngahiwi Summer 4, Sally Spicer (West Melton) Bella Vi 5, Kayla James (Kaiapoi) Berry Desayo 6.

Caledonian Amateur Rider: Anna Douglass (Timaru) Ransome Note 1, Candice Kingsbury (Ashburton) Miss Serendipity II 2, Sheena Ross (Christchurch) Quiz GNZ 3, Anna Douglass (Timaru) St Henry 4, Larissa Thoroughgood (Christchurch) Serengeti 5, Kirsten Beaven (West Melton) Secret Service 6.

Let’s Bale Pro Am: Louise Marriott (Christchurch) Concur 1, Kate Taylor (Kurow) Next 2, Amanda Roy (Clinton) Rumours NZPH 3, Amanda Brown (Ohoka) Glenmark 4, Gail Richardson (Invercargill) Eireann Bandoola 5, Kimberley McCabe (Invercargill) Kace 6.

GMeuro.com Speed Horse: Teegan McCabe (Invercargill) Trader 1, Emma Power (Little River) Ngahiwi Bahama Mumma 2, Angus Taylor (Ohoka) Ngahiwi Wirey 3, Jayne Beattie (Mosgiel) Midnight Magic Rumble 4, Tamara Silcock (Nelson) Lacano 5, Bailey Rutter (Balclutha) Kennybrook 007 6.

Team Cubitt Pony Mini Prix: Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Burma Chilli 1, Gretchen Anderson (Hokitika) Tallyho Cleopatra 2, Kate Beattie (Mosgiel) Just Lucky 3, Florence Tapley (Pigeon Bay) Big Time 4, Grace Manera (West Melton) Rednalhgih Cowan 5, Leah Zydenbos (Christchurch) Earnest 6.

Equissage Horse Grand Prix: Angus Taylor (Ohoka) Oak As 1, Katie Meredith (Kaiapoi) Ngahiwi Cracker 2.

South Canterbury Saddlery Horse Mini Prix: Sally Spicer (West Melton) Bella Vi 1, Kate Taylor (Kurow) Next 2, Tyler McKee (Gore) Repertoire II 3, Tegan Fitzsimon (West Melton) Dual Diamond 4, Tegan Fitzsimon (West Melton) Double J Monarch 5, Louise Marriott (Christchurch) Concur 6.

Country TV Pony Grand Prix: Lucy Turner (Broadfields) Tallyho Mystic 1, Steffi Whittaker (Springston) Moonlight Glow 2, Scott Wylie (Invercargill) MF Spot Me 3, Grace O’Sullivan (Rangiora) Galaxy Masterpiece 4.

Barber Well Drilling Pony Speed: Kate Beattie (Mosgiel) Just Lucky 1, Kendall Thompson (Greymouth) Awatuna Louis Vivant 2, Gabrielle Rennie (Rangiora) Buckle Up 3, Sophie Townsend (Darfield) Tallyho Neptune 4, Georgia Shinn (West Melton) Code Spree 5, Tayler Nalder (Waimate) HS Bank on Me 6.

ENDS

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