Shane Rose has made eventing history by taking first and second place at the Adelaide International Three-Day Event.
Fence in hand
Shane held on to first place after the dressage with CP Qualified, although he used up his fence in hand in the final phase.
The Australian also incurred 3.2 time penalties on the cross-country the day before, but it was enough to win the second leg of the FEI Classics series with a 1.5pen lead.
“Qualified is a horse I have got to get on the pace from the get go”, said Shane. “He is not the galloper that can catch up on time, and I lost it really over the first three fences”.
Bad overreach
Shane was one of only two riders to complete within the time on his other horse Virgil. The pair then produced a great clear in the showjumping to take the runner-up spot.
New Zealander Clarke Johnstone was third riding Balmoral Sensation, while Sonja Johnson was fourth with Parkiarrup Illicit Liaison.
The Western Australian sheep farmer nearly didn’t make it to Adelaide as her horse suffered a bad overreach not long before the event.
“He really had a poor preparation, as I have only been able to ride him for a few days,” said Sonya.
World-class event
The Adelaide International 3 day event is the only four-star event in the southern hemisphere.
“This is as good as any event in the world – we are proud of it and I love coming here,” said Shane.
The third leg of the FEI Classics series is at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event in the USA on 28 April – 1 May 2016.