Leaderboard shake up

The Dilmun Stables Show Jumping League hosted its penultimate show on Friday, resulting in major changes to the leaderboard.

The only competitor who is seriously relaxed about the whole affair is Hamad Fakhrawi who is a staggering 25 points ahead of the other contenders in the adult section.  However, there have been some major changes in other placings and the final show is set to be a nail-biting affair.

Friday’s show was sponsored by Horse Pride with the prizes being presented by Huda Janahi. As usual the afternoon kicked off with the Clear Round Green Horse class. 

Lisa Powick joined a host of other riders this week who have now been elevated out of Green Horse as they have all completed three clear rounds on their respective horses.

They are now set to brave the elements of Adult or Junior 1 and we are sure to see them all in future winning line-ups, so ‘well done’ to Lisa with Tayar, Sammy Mendes with Tutu, Liz Sinclair with Neptune and Anne Dunlop with Waif.

The next class of the afternoon Junior One involved one round with jump off and fences standing at 80/90cms.
This class was the first to start a chain reaction, as Aimee Keen must have secretly put wings on her horse Sedona earlier that morning as she soared into first place.
 
Sammy Mendes followed her with Tutu to secure second place. Close on his hooves was Gabby Chakkos, who took the first of her two mounts, into third position with Waif.
 
Tamara Alomary, keen to maintain her status on the leader board, rode a lovely round with Skippy to take home fourth position. She was followed by Hannah van der Eyken with Billy and Maud Tinsley astride Nelson.

The end of this class already had leader board positions moving around, so the tension in the atmosphere was evident as competitors prepared for the next class.

The second class Junior Two, with fences 90/100cms was a ‘Take Your Own Line’ class, where as long as the competitors jumped all the fences they could do so in which ever order they chose. 

Hannah van der Eyken did brilliantly, securing sixth position which moved her into sixth position overall on the leader board, only three points behind Gabi Scopes. 

Alexandra Warren came into her own this week as she steered Tess cleverly round the course to claim fifth, looks like this lady is one to look out for in the future.
 
Gabby Chakkos went into the fray astride Tashan, her second mount of the day, achieving fourth place coupled with her earlier triumph means she maintains her fourth position in the league.

Tamara Alomary rode Skippy for the second time, securing third place in this class.

Tamara has just been edged out of her runner-up position, so now there is everything to ride for in the final show. 
Aurora Ihalainen manoeuvred Kuwait round the course to a triumphant second placing. Although not a leader board contender, by getting second she certainly threw a curved ball into the numbers.

And, it was Aimee Keen, who as I mentioned earlier, who stole the show as well as pole position on the leader board, with her superb win in this class.

Coupled with her previous success she is now first in the Junior League, well done Aimee. However, there is still another show to go and although she still has the lead, it is a narrow one. The current top three could well change for the final, but for now Aimee holds the advantage.

In the adult section, despite some major competition from Amelia Boyd, it is Hamad Fakhrawi who can now rest on his haunches, having secured himself an unbeatable points lead over the rest of the field. There is now simply no way of overtaking him. Congratulations to Hamad whose performances with Kuwait have been outstanding.

The competition remains just as fierce amongst the rest of the players as they vie for the runners-up spot in the adult section. As I mentioned previously, Andrea and Sharon need to keep an eye out for Fran!
 
The first adult class Adult One – one round with jump off – saw fences at 90/100cms. It was Amelia Boyd, back from university, who put her gorgeous Rangerino back through her paces to claim the first of her two wins of the day.

Amelia can’t win the league but she can certainly add some spice to it. By winning she knocks the ratings out for the others. Even champion Hamad had to settle for the runners-up spot in both his classes on the day.
 
Fahad Aldosseri took Tayar into the competition in both classes, the pair doing exceptionally well as they took home third position in Adult One. 

Fran Downes came out of her corner determined and with Lollypopp Mann behaving immaculately she secured fourth place in her first class with Hamad close behind as he stole fifth place on his second mount of the day, Mia Vita. Andrea Gowdy another resolute lady was sixth in this class with Tashan.

The final class of the day Adult Two continued with the ‘Take Your Own Line’ theme, but with fences at 100/115cms. It was magnificently won by Amelia with Rangerino. The pair appeared unstoppable on the day. 

Hamad, astride Kuwait, had to settle once again for second place. He was followed by another sterling performance from Fran and Lollypopp Man as she wonderfully guided him round the course, claiming third position. This result has moved Fran up from fourth position in the league to second. Well done, Fran.

However, there are only two points between her and Sharon Nicklin. Sharon, having a fabulous round on Mia Vita in the last class to finish in fourth place, is now third in the league. 

Fahad Aldosseri and Tayar came in fifth in the final class, Fahad is also now fifth in the league but a win in the final show could change that placing.

Andrea’s consistent performance during the day placed her sixth in the final class and, coupled with her previous placing, means she is still very much a contender in the chase for second spot.

There really is everything to play for in the final show of this season’s league event.

The riders, although doggedly determined to fight it out to the end, have also enjoyed the competition so much that they have requested the final show be in fancy dress.

Whatever the outcome, it is obvious everyone has had an amazing time throughout.
 
The final show will be held on June 24, it’s certainly one to watch.