Pony 1m Auckland Cup- By Hayley Newington
Pony 1m Auckland Cup- By Hayley Newington
Pony 1m Auckland Cup- By Hayley Newington
On the 6th of February, Woodhill Sands held the pony 1m Auckland Cup finals as part of the Fiber Fresh Auckland Show Jumping Championship. This invitation only class showcased the top ten ponies who had been competing at 1m from around the Auckland Area.
The series was introduced in 2017 as something for riders to focus on who are not competing at Pony Grand Prix level. “It gives them a goal to ride towards and is another stepping stone in their progression through the sport” says Angela Nobilo, event secretary at Woodhill Sands. It is also a great opportunity for the less experienced riders to be able to jump on the grass, in ring one, which they were excited about. Auckland Cup qualifying classes were held during previous Grand Prix shows at Woodhill Sands.
There were eight starts to the competition and was easy to tell that it would be fierce. Some incredibly talented ponies and riders jumped the first course, with five going clear and within the time. First to go in the jump off was Bella Keane on Miss Mary Possum. She produced a fast and clear round with a time of 41.84 seconds. The next clear round was Hannah Lammers on Silver Bullet I. She proved to be speedy and took the lead with a time of 40.88 seconds. Rounding off the top three was Hayley Newington on Abeedah who was the fastest four-faulter. Making up the top six was Bailee Sterling on Spirit of Liberty, Cassie Topper on Baltic Leanne, and Keira Featherston on Redcliffs Fame & Fortune.
The Auckland Cup was the last event held in ring one on the Saturday and meant for a nice quiet warm-up. The event officials and organisers did an amazing job at keeping everything running smoothly and keeping the course looking fabulous. A big thank you to Fiber Fresh, the event sponsor; and to GJ Gardner who sponsored the Auckland Cup final.
- PHOTO CREDIT- Hayley Newington
