The Waratah Showjumping World Cup event in Sydney over the past four days concluded on Sunday at Sydney International Equestrian Centre with the Equimillion New Stars warm up class producing some encouraging efforts and two time Australian Horse of the Year Nature Strip finished in the placings for his new owner and rider Kathy O’Hara.
The class was run to ‘perfect time’ which means it’s not the fastest that wins, but rather the horse with the least faults that can complete the course in what is seen as the ideal time.
Nature Strip had just the one fence down and was very nearly perfect on the time, while the winner Cigar Bar (NZ), a five year-old gelding by Savabeel ridden by Alisa Moir was the only clear round.
The class is restricted to horses that have retired in the previous 12 months, so it’s actually a pretty quick turnaround for horses to transition from the racetrack to being able to negotiate a course of jumps and deal with the atmosphere of a big show.
The winner is a Kiwi bred gelding from the famed Waikato Stud and is by their champion sire Savabeel from Group II placed Lady Tatia, who comes from the family of Australian Group I winners Shogun Lodge, Referral, Singing the Blues and last season’s Queensland Oaks winner Socks Nation.
Cigar Bar has a full sister called Belle of the Ball, who won several races and was also Group placed, but his level of racing ability didn’t quite match hers. He had 14 starts in NSW and Victoria for one win at Mendooran and was retired from racing in January this year.
