Megan Jones (AUS) is running away with the 2009 HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing after two wins in as many outings. She is now guaranteed a place at the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final at Strzegom (POL) in August, having followed her win last month at Kihikihi (NZL) with another victory at Sydney’s Weekend of Equestrian World Cups (AUS) on the same horse, Kirby Park Irish Jester.
Jones, 32, is only the second rider to win two qualifiers in a season, following Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) in 2007.
Jones invincible again
Megan Jones, a team silver medallist at last year’s Olympic Games and a team bronze medallist at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, scored the only sub-40 dressage mark from the Ground Jury, Beth Turner, Ron Patterson and Barry Roycroft. Riding her medal-winning horse, the home-bred grey Irish Sport Horse, Kirby Park Irish Jester, she was also fastest across country and gave herself a 3-fence lead to win the competition.
She just had the one Jumping rail down to beat Georgia Clifford (AUS) on It’s Monty by a clear margin of 9.2 penalties. Clifford, 5th after Dressage, benefited from the Cross-Country mistakes of Jones’s Olympic team mate, Shane Rose (AUS) and Chris Burton (AUS) and the slower time of Olivia Bunn (AUS).
Rose was 2nd after Dressage on All Luck, just as he was at Kihikihi, but history repeated itself and he dropped down the order again with a Cross-Country refusal. Burton had two refusals on Holstein Park Leilani. Bunn, 3rd after Dressage on GV Bullwinkle, clocked 17.2 time penalties to drop to 5th.
Olympic team gold medallist Stuart Tinney (AUS) rose from 6th after Dressage to 3rd on Velletri and Megan Jones rose to 4th on her other ride, Allofasudden.
The top 4 placings remained the same in the final Jumping phase, with Clifford and Tinney achieving the only clear rounds. Bunn dropped one slot to 6th with 16 faults, swapping places with Emma Scott (AUS) on Mustang.
Competition Statistics
– 21 horses started the competition
– 1 horse eliminated at the first inspection, Luke Jones’s Saul
– 1 non-Australian rider, Clarke Johnstone (NZL) withdrew Oakley Vision before Cross-Country
– 14 horses finished the Cross-Country
– 9 clear Cross-Country rounds
– 3 horses with less than 10 Cross-Country time penalties
– 4 horses eliminated on the Cross-Country
– 2 horses withdrawn before Jumping
– 2 clear Jumping rounds
– The first 4 placings remained unaltered after Cross-Country
– 12 finished the competition
Results
1 Megan Jones/Kirby Park Irish Jester (AUS) 39.2 + 6.8 + 4 = 50.0
2 Georgia Clifford/It’s Monty (AUS) 48.8 + 10.4 + 0 = 59.2
3 Stuart Tinney/Vettori (AUS) 49 + 11.2 + 0 = 60.2
4 Megan Jones/Allofasudden (AUS) 51.6 + 9.6 + 4 = 65.2
5 Emma Scott/Mustang (AUS) 55.6 + 12.8 + 4 = 74.2
6 Olivia Bunn/GV Bullwinkle (AUS) 47.2 + 17.2 + 16 = 80.4
HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Rankings (after 2 out of 9 qualifiers)
1. Megan Jones (AUS) 142 points
2. Heelan Tompkins (NZL) 67
2. Georgia Clifford (AUS) 67
4. Matthew Grayling (NZL) 64
4. Stuart Tinney (AUS) 64
Qualifying venues for the 2009 HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing series:
1 Kihikihi NZL 10-12 April 2009
2 Sydney AUS 2-3 May 2009
3 Marbach GER 8-10 May 2009
4 Chatsworth GBR 16-17 May 2009
5 Malmo SWE 23-24 May 2009
6 Tattersalls IRE 28-31 May 2009
7 Minsk BLR 16-19 July 2009
8 Kalispell USA 23-26 July 2009
9 Mansfield, ON CAN 7-9 August 2009
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