Jeremy Whale and Lulu MSNZ on their way to winning the NZPH 4 Year Old Championship – Copyright Photo: KAMPIC / Kerry Marshall
Jeremy Whale finally has an age group title to his name after winning two at the Bayleys National Young Horse Championship Show in Hastings.
He took out the NZPH Four-Year-Old Championship final aboard Lulu MSNZ (by Carrera VDL, out of Our Secret NZPH, who is by Ramirez), as well as the UltraMox Six-Year-Old crown.
It was the battle of the bays in the jump-off of the four-year-old, with a head-to-head between Jeremy aboard Lulu MSNZ, and Jesse Linton (Hastings) on Graffiene MH (by Graf Top, out of Ballerina MH, who is by Bonifatius).
Eighteen combinations came back for the final day but just the two men were all clear over the Greg Best-designed courses. Jesse and the Matthews Hanoverians bred mare were out first and looked on track to finish the three days of competition with a clean slate but came unstuck at the last with an awkward take-off leaving them with a four-fault round.
Jeremy and his New Zealand warmblood mare, who also won the Hawke’s Bay BMW-sponsored style prize, were all class with their careful clear to take the title.
Jeremy Whale & Lulu MSNZ – Copyright Photo KAMPIC/Kerry Marshall
Jeremy had nothing but praise for the youngster. “She is very straight forward and makes my job easy,” he said of the Bini Newsom bred mare. “She is just so trainable and takes everything in her stride.”
Jeremy has had the had the horse about a year and has done everything with her. “Most four-year-olds are a bit spooky out there but not her. She sees a jump and just jumps it. She is like riding an older horse.”
The young horse champs were just her third outing, and she was brought into work just four weeks before the show.
“I think less is more with these young horses,” he said. He was over the moon with the win. “I have been trying to win an age group title for the past four years, and while I have come close, I haven’t managed it until today. I am stoked it is on one of our own. Lulu has a lovely jump and technique, so the world is her oyster.”
He and wife Sam run a busy operation at Diamond Lodge (at Showfields), where they moved to around 14 months ago. “It’s fantastic facilities to train horses at,” says the 37-year-old fulltime rider. “We were lucky having the indoor over what was a very wet winter.”
For full results, head to https://www.evoevents.co.nz/resultClass/2135885011/26/8
The Jumping Team 13 December 2022