Jessica Mendoza, riding her mother Sarah’s Classic Highfly won her second qualifying competition, this time at Aintree International Equestrian Centre, Liverpool for the jointly sponsored Team Murka and World Class Programme U23 British Championship Final that will take place at the London International Horse Show, Olympia on Friday 21st December 2012.

 

The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted a field of 31 entries that produced eleven first round clears over an up to height, technical course built by Mark McGowan.

 

In the jump-off there were six riders who again jumped clear with Jessica Mendoza riding Classic Highfly in a time of 41.61 seconds edging out Excel rider Laura Robinson with her father Geoffrey’s Cree Cruiser who posted a time of 41.71 seconds. Third and forth places went to World Class Development riders Louise Saywell with her father Mick’s Winner VI, in a time of 42.23 seconds and Tim Page riding Trevor Sturman’s Quentin Tarantino, in 42.76 seconds. Excel show jumpers Harriet Nuttall (on Rupert Nuttall’s A Touch Imperious) finished in fifth place after posting 45.47 seconds whilst Sally Hopkinson (with her father David’s Theunis) finished sixth after her round of 45.63seconds. This win leaves Jessica heading the current points table on 80 points after her win at The Hand in March.

 

 

 

 

Through the increased and generous support of Team Murka, there is a greater total prize fund of £1650 in each of the six qualifiers in the series, with the winner of each qualifier receiving £550 in prize money, together with £200 in value of Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders who are currently eligible for British Team Selection. 

 

Tina Goosen, World Class Development Programme Discipline Co-ordinator for Showjumping, commented, “It was a good to see a high standard of jumping from these younger riders and what is exciting for the future of British Showjumping is the number of riders at this level who are capable of jumping clear rounds, as we saw with eleven going into the jump off and six jumping double clear rounds over an up to height course.”

 

A maximum of twenty-four riders will qualify for the Championship final with all qualifiedcompetitors 23^rd birthday falling on or after the 1^st January in the same year as the Championship final.The top seventeen horse and rider combinations will come forward from the qualifying competitions, based on league points accumulated from each horse/rider combinations best four results from the six qualifying competitions. Points will only be awarded to riders who are currently eligible for British Team selection.

 

 Five horse and rider combinations from the 2012 British Young Rider European Team will automatically qualify by right and in addition to the maximum of twenty-two horse/rider combinations qualified through the above process, two wild card qualification places will be awarded, this decision will be made by the World Class Programme Performance Manager. The number of wild card selections will only be increased if required to fill the quota of twenty-four places at the final. 

 

Team Murka is a sponsorship vehicle for sailing and showjumping and is committed to pursuing excellence in both sports. They sponsor Peter Charles, Olympic Gold Medallist, his family and his Team, supporting him to build a world-class team of horses.

 

Team Murka is extending this support to help build the future of showjumping in Great Britain by sponsoring the Under 23 Championship Series and Final at Olympia and the young Charles Team of Harry (a winner at Olympia, 2010), Scarlett and Sienna Charles.

 

Team Murka are currently involved in upgrading the main Equestrian Complex of the Central Russian Army Sporting Club in Moscow, plus the organization & prize money for a series of Summer and Winter showjumping competitions held at the facility. The main objective of these competitions is to raise the level of involvement and the standard of showjumping in Russia, including children, junior & young riders, amateurs and professionals. Sponsorship also extends to supporting two Russian riders.

 

The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded via UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing and showjumping, and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage.

The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class.

There will be a further two qualifying competitions in the series;