Phillip Lever and Lomachenko, winners of the 2022 World Wetlands Day Grand Prix, are set to return for the 2024 event. Image by One Eyed Frog Photography.
World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships return for fifth year
By Equestrian Life
The fifth edition of the World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships is set to get underway at Boneo Park in Victoria from 26-28 January, and once again it’s sure to be a thrilling competition.
Since the inaugural event in 2020, the headline class has been won by several big names in Australian showjumping. In its first year, where the show hosted a World Cup Qualifier, 2018 World Equestrian Games competitors Jamie Kermond and Yandoo Oaks Constellation kickstarted the honour roll.
Jamie Kermond on Yandoo Oaks Constellation winning the CDI-W World Cup Qualifier at the inaugural World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships. Image: Michelle Terlato Photography.
In 2021, none other than the iconic Queensland combination of Billy Raymont and Anton claimed victory in the Grand Prix, while in 2022 it was a win for the locals with Phillip Lever and Lomachenko claiming the headline class. Last year, Billy Raymont saluted for a second time – on this occasion with the classy Caprino.
Billy Raymont and Anton won the World Wetlands Day Grand Prix in 2021. Image: Derek O’Leary.
Since 2020, the World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships has not only cemented itself as a popular start to the Victorian jumping circuit each year but is also an event whose timing saw the successful navigation of pandemic lockdowns without any cancellations or postponements. Five consecutive years of competition really is a feat in itself!
A busy few days for Phillip Lever & Frida Lindgren
Just half an hour down the road at Treehaven Equestrian in Somerville, Phillip Lever and partner Frida Lindgren are once again looking forward to a busy World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships at Boneo Park.
“We’ve got a big team of horses entered, because this time of the year we’re starting to get all the young horses in and ready for Jumping with the Stars [21-23 March at Werribee],” explains Phil. “We’re taking everything from four-year-olds all the way through to Grand Prix horses, so it’ll be a busy few days!”
This year, Phil is set to saddle up two horses in the Grand Prix: his 2022 World Wetlands Day Grand Prix winner, 11-year-old Lomachenko, as well as his 2023 Australian Senior Jumping Title runner-up, 13-year-old Billionaire NZPH.
Phil will have stiff competition in the headline class, particularly from Frida who has entered her talented up and coming Grand Prix horse, Van Damme. Frida has had a lot of success with this mare coming up through the grades and is no doubt excited to see her progress at the top level.
“I then have another horse called Wild Card jumping in the Mini Prix,” adds Phil. “I’m slowly aiming him towards jumping Grand Prix level later this year, and then I have a really good eight-year-old mare, Bonita.”
Bonita is of course the stunning grey mare who was crowned Young Jumping Horse Champion of Champions at Jumping with the Stars last year. Bred by the Barton Family (by Balou De Rouet out of an Alondra mare) and owned by Jessica Pateman, she is certainly one to watch – as is Frida’s seven-year-old mare, Wondaree Colleen.
Phillip Lever and Bonita, the Young Jumping Horse Champion of Champions at last year’s Jumping with the Stars (pictured here with Bonita’s owners and a class sponsor). Bonita is one of many horses Phil and partner Frida Lindgren have entered for the upcoming World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships at Boneo Park. Image: Michelle Terlato Photography.
For Phil and Frida, having such a high-level competition with wonderful facilities and surfaces so close to home makes it possible to really focus on their team of competition horses and clients and get a gauge of where everyone is at for the year ahead.
“It’s a very good contest and obviously the organisers do a fantastic job. It just gives us a chance, coming out of the Christmas break, to know where we stand with the horses… where they’re at and what we need to work on. For the younger horses, it’s a great lead in to Jumping with the Stars.”
Frida Lindgren will be riding several horses at the World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships. Image: One Eyed Frog Photography.
In total the couple will take close to 20 horses to this year’s event and will also have between 10 and 15 clients competing: it’ll be a busy show both on and off the horse. “It’s really good for us, because we have all our clients there and we’ll be doing a lot of coaching as well as competing. It means we can really put everything together and work on the whole team for those three days, it’s fantastic.”
Tune in to the live stream
Equestrian Life and ClipMyHorse.TV will be live streaming the action from the main arena on Saturday and Sunday (27-28 January) at the World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships, including the highly anticipated Grand Prix class.
The provisional live stream timetable is as follows:
Saturday 27th January, Ring 1 – Grass Arena
10. Junior Championship 120cm (Art. 238.2.2)
11. Young Rider Championship 130cm (Art 2382.2)
12. Open 130cm (Art 238.2.2)
13. Open 140cm (Art 238.2.1)
Sunday 28th January, Ring 1 – Grass Arena
21a. Open Championship 130cm-135cm (Art 238.2.2)
21b. Future Stars Championship 130cm-135cm (Art 238.2.2)
22. Mini Prix 140cm-145cm (Art 238.2.2)
23. World Wetlands Day Grand Prix 150cm-155cm (Art 273.3.3.1)
Tune in to watch the event live via Equestrian Life’s Live TV page, or sign up with ClipMyHorse.TV for premium, on-demand coverage.
About World Wetlands Day
Inaugurated in 1971, World Wetlands Day is held to raise aware about loss of wetlands around the world; despite being critically important ecosystems, wetlands are being lost three times faster than forests. More than an equestrian facility, Boneo Park is home to much of Tootgarook Wetland – a diverse ecosystem that’s protected in perpetuity by a conservation covenant. These wetlands play host to 160 bird species and hundreds of native plant species, of which several are endangered.
Published 19 January 2024.
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