Anna Wilson and Redcliffs Bill

 

It’s been a weekend for the young guns at the Jumping Wairarapa Showjumping and Show Hunter Labour Weekend Show with Rylee Sheehan taking out the ESNZ Horse Grand Prix and Anna Wilson the pony equivalent.

The wins are even more special because both were having their first starts at that level.

For 15-year-old Rylee, the long drive from Te Aroha to Masterton was well worth it with his victory about Bandito NPZH. “It is pretty surprising,” he said. “I was a bit shocked to even be in the jump-off. I have only ever jumped 1.3m at a show before but Bandito NZPH had done Grand Prix with his old owner so I knew he could do it. I was a bit sceptical about even entering it but he was going so well and I knew the horse could jump it if I rode it properly. It was actually quite big too.”

Of the 12 starters, just Rylee and Sophie Scott (Wellington) aboard Glenbrooke Rich as Roses were clear in the opening round of the Heather MacDonald-designed course. “We just got a good rhythm going (in the opening round) and I kept thinking there would be a rail but we got to the last and were clear. It was pretty good,” said Rylee.

He was first out in the jump-off and knew he had to be clear and fast. “There were some nice turns in the jump-off course so I thought I would go for a few inside turns and it paid off. I just wanted to put a bit of pressure on Sophie.”

The 10-year-old horse is in his second season with Rylee and is owned by granddad Don Alison. “It is pretty cool to win this for him,” says Rylee who last year was trained by Melissa Watson but has been making the most of having top showjumper Tegan Fitzsimon based at his property this season. “It has been good having her at our place. She is jumping at that level so knows just what to do,” he said. “It is a special win too because this is my first horse (after ponies) and I did Junior Rider on him before stepping up to Young Rider. He is really honest, with a good technique and just tries so hard. He wants to win as much as me . . . I think it is his big heart though that makes the difference.”

Despite the win, Rylee says he won’t be racing off to start in another ESNZ Horse Grand Prix just yet. “I will just take it quietly and do the Young Riders and maybe aim for a nice class at the Horse of the Year Show . . . maybe the Norwood Gold Cup.”

While they had a single start at Young Rider level last season, it didn’t go as planned but he’s certainly on form this time round. The combination were third in the FMG Young Rider at Masterton and Rylee also placed fourth in the Country TV Pony Grand Prix aboard Tony the Pony.

In the 10-strong Pony Grand Prix, Anna Wilson (Waipukurau) and Redcliffs Bill made sure their debut at this level was one to remember with a super win. Six combinations came back for a very competitive jump-off with the top three all double clear with Anna stopping the clock at 31.68 seconds, runner-up Julianne Revfeim (New Plymouth) and Spot You Later at 32.35 and third-placed Penny Borthwick (Masterton) aboard Foxdens Merlot at 32.45.

It has been a dream run for 14-year-old Anna who only teamed up with Redcliffs Bill after lockdown but since then have won the mini prix at Central Districts, two 1.2m classes at Gisborne A&P Show and the 1.15m championship at Hawke’s Bay A&P Show. They were a late entry to the top pony class today. The pony was super competitive with Georgia Bouzaid.

Anna does have some rather good jumping genes as the daughter of Simon and Claire Wilson who have both ridden for New Zealand at senior level and have both won the Olympic Cup.

The show ran over two days at the Solway Showgrounds in Masterton.

 

Results –

 

ESNZ Horse Grand Prix: Rylee Sheehan (Te Aroha) Bandito NZPH 1, Sophie Scott (Wellington) Glenbrooke Rich as Roses 2, Sophie Scott (Wellington) Lakota 3, Sarah West (Matamata) Oaks Centurian 4, Emma Watson (Morrinsville) Maddox Letino 5, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Gold Locks 6.

 

Country TV Pony Grand Prix: Anna Wilson (Waipukurau) Redcliffs Bill 1, Julianne Revfeim (New Plymouth) Spot You Later 2, Penny Borthwick (Masterton) Foxdens Merlot 3, Rylee Sheehan (Te Aroha) Tony the Pony 4, Dylan Bibby (Onga Onga) Daisy Patch 5, Dylan Bibby (Onga Onga) My Funky Monkey 6.

 

Matthews Hanoverians Seven-Year-Old Series: Jaime Campbell (Levin) Carbon Xtreme 1, Logan Massie (Dannevirke) Global PH Caretinjo 2, Marcus Rose (Dannevirke) Silent Witness 3.

 

Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider Series: Charlotte Gray (Levin) Bridgemere Havana 1, Emily Kozlowski (Carterton) Double J Wilma 2, Taryn Beattie Crusader Xtreme 3, Kristina O’Donnell (Palmerston North) Long Weekend 4, Natalie Page (Manakau) The Dark Horse 5, Anna Stephen (Carterton) Lollipop SP 6.

 

FMG Young Rider Series: Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Breeze On 1, Sarah West (Matamata) Oaks Centurian 2, Rylee Sheehan (Te Aroha) Bandito NZPH 3, Ike Baker (Hawke’s Bay) Hawkesdale Mahe 4, Sophie Scott (Wellington) Lakota 5, Emma Watson (Morrinsville) Maddox Letino 6.

 

UltraMox Six-Year-Old Series: Sophie Scott (Wellington) Benrose Casino ECPH and Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Hurricane =1.

 

East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old Series: Daniel Webb (Hunterville) WSH Yogi and Nicki Booth (Masterton) Angelina ECPH =1.

 

Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series: Emma Watson (Morrinsville) Maddox Kiwi Silverkee 1, Tim Wilson (Waipukurau) McMillans Chuck 2, Kasey McKenna (Dannevirke) Louis 3, Dylan Bibby (Onga Onga) Wenrose Vertigo 4, Annie Moffett (Napier) Samantha the Dachshund 5, Chantelle Smith (Palmerston North) Kingfisher 6.

 

Harrison Lane Pro-Amateur Rider Series: Jaime Campbell (Levin) Carbon Xtreme 1, Katharine van Tuyl (Palmerston North) Centavino 2, Hana Boguda (Hunterville) Kittiwake 3, Emily Fraser (Feilding) Kiwi Delux 4, Sally Clark (Dannevirke) Victoria’s Secret 5, Natalie Page (Manakau) The Dark Horse 6.

 

For full results, head to www.main-events.com .

 

By Diana Dobson

October 25, 2020