Off the Track Horses Take on Adelaide Equestrian Festival

The Adelaide Equestrian Festival concluded yesterday with three of our Off the Track WA sponsored horses and riders finishing safely. It was an exciting event, with plenty of action and surprise to keep everyone on their toes.

Off the Track WA sponsored three Thoroughbreds from Western Australia in the Racing SA CCI3*-L: Super Maxi, Distribute and Azugo.

These horses performed super, keeping their focus on the job at hand despite a busy and exciting environment at an international event.

Thursday saw the event kick off with dressage in the main arena. Ellie Gough and Azugo rode a beautiful test to secure themselves the highest score of our three riders; 32 penalties, which equates to 68%. Charlee Morton-Sharp and Super Maxi rode a very professional test to follow just behind Ellie, with 32.8 penalties equaling a 67.2% average. This placed Ellie in seventh place, and Charlee in tenth. Isobel Stevens-Menzie and Distribute (Azarax) rode a lovely test for 34.6 penalties for eighteenth place. This set the riders up well for the jumping phases, securing them spots on the leaderboard.

Friday provided a rest day while the other classes completed their dressage phases. Former West Australian Thoroughbred, Hell on Wheels (Bold Venture) secured a top placing in the CCI5* with a super dressage score of 27.4 penalties (72.65%). This likely would have inspired our riders, with hopes to one day follow in Shenae and Bentley’s footsteps in the 5*.

Cross country day was a mixed bag of emotions, with Super Maxi and Distribute powering around the course to return home clear and in time. Unfortunately, after such a super dressage test, Azugo experienced some setbacks which pushed Ellie down the leaderboard. Thankfully, all three horses and riders returned home safely, and we were thrilled to see how superbly these horses handled the environment and course–a testament to how resilient and versatile Thoroughbreds can truly be. Following their super cross-country rounds, Charlee moved from tenth place to fifth, and Isobel jumped from eighteenth to seventh, ready to take on jumping the next day.

Show Jumping on Sunday brought forth more upsets to the leaderboard. Isobel and Distribute had their sights set on maintaining their top ten placing, with two poles knocking them from seventh to ninth place. Charlee and Super took on the course head on but struggled heading into the triple with twelve unfortunate faults. This bumped Charlee from fifth to twelfth place. After their cross-country difficulties, Ellie and Azugo jumped around for eight faults, maintaining their placing but finishing the competition with a smile regardless.

Off the Track WA would like to congratulate these riders on their efforts.

No matter what the result is, these riders unconditionally love their retired racehorses. Super Maxi, Distribute and Azugo are wonderful examples of Thoroughbreds in eventing, with the determination, resilience and versatility to adapt and overcome the highs and lows of competition.

We look forward to following them along with the rest of their eastern states’ campaigns.