by Peter Ibrahim Abisheganaden. Photos by Natasha Mustapha & are copyrighted to Equestrian.Com.My

Quzier Ambak showed that he's still got what it takes by winning the Tenaga Nasional Berhad World Cup at the Royal Selangor Horse Show this morning.  He jumped the only double clear round with Calano, his 14 year old Holstein gelding. 

Only 2 of 15 starters made the jump-off of this full 1.40 m class.  The Philippines Toni Leviste was the only other competitor to record a clear first round with Globe Platinum Maktub.  Going first, this combination had four faults in the jump-off as she cut the corner in the roll-back to the big rustic vertical with just 2 fences to go.   Quzier then only had to stay clear to win the class.  He kept his cool and with Calano looking back to his best, won a very tough class.

The treble combination caused the most grief.  I wanted to test the horses' true scope at 1.40 m, and many were found wanting.  Some simply couldn't handle the long vertical-oxer-oxer of 7.60 and 7.65 m.

The yielding going also put paid to the chances of those who came here without studs in their horse's shoes.  As they say, you snooze, you lose.

Hong Kong riders Jennifer Chang and Charlotte Morse did very well to finish 3rd and 4th respectively.  Both jumped 4 faulters.  The very last fence came down for Jennifer and Sport Seeker when they did the last line of triple bar - vertical - oxer in 3 and 4 strides instead of short 4 and long five.

For Charlotte it was just 8b if the difficult rainbow - six holding strides to the treble line. She perhaps overrode the middle of the treble, taking off the top rail.

Kenneth Cheng's Jaybee Shultz didn't perform as well over the really big fences, taking 3 rails for a 12 faulter and 7th place.

Sisters Magali and Gaelle Tong's thoroughbreds were never a factor in this big class, scoring 12 and 20 faults respectively. 

The Malaysians didn't do so well today either.  Qabil may have finished 5th with Opium Metodo, but he was eliminated on his declared horse Camelias, who stopped at both combinations.

Lea Tan and Air Asia's Chanell continued to disappoint, this time with an elimination.  Syed Mohsin's Petit Anne chipped into every fence, finally stopping completely.

Quick results:

1st Quzier Ambak MAS Calano 0/0 62.29 secs

2nd Marie Antoinette Leviste PHI Globe Platinum Maktub 0/4 62.29 secs

3rd Jennifer Chang HKG Sport Seeker 4 flts

4th Charlotte Morse HKG O'Jasper 4 flts

5th Qabil Ambak MAS Opium Metodo 4 flts

6th Helena Gabrielsson SWE King Power Aladdin 4 flts

7th Kenneth Cheng HKG Jay Bee Shultz 12 flts

8th Magali Tong HKG Open Treasure 12 flts

9th Chris Ladbrook NZL Follyfoot Mary 16 flts

10th Gaelle Tong HKG Capital Star 20 flts

Eliminated:

Pongsiree Bunluewong THA Salido

Qabil Ambak MAS Camelias

Lea Tan MAS Air Asia Chanell

Syed Mohsin MAS Petit Ann

Helena Gabrielsson SWE Helin de la Chapel 

In the 115 cm Young Rider Final, Ellesse Tzinberg and Sarabago topped a six-horse jump-off.  She beat Singapore's Nadia Chen and Caija, with Shazna Leena Zulhasnan 3rd with Helu Du Codard.  Amir Zulkefle had the fastest time but had the last fence down for 4th place.  Bea Rocha of The Philippines also had 4 faults for 5th place, while Thailand's Pongsiree Bunluewong and Kentucky took 6th place with 8 faults in the jump-off. 

To download an excel file with full results of the World Cup and Young Rider classes, please click here.

Thank you to everyone who supported this show, the sponsors, the volunteers, officials, the staff of the Royal Selangor Polo Club, and especially for the riders who have come and ridden at the show.  I would like to thank Dato Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis, the President of the Equestrian Association of Malaysia, who has given us his unstinting support, encouraged us to have the show when it looked like it might be cancelled and helped us find sponsors for so that we could hold the World Cup and Young Rider classes.  I hope to see you all back at the Royal Selangor Horse Show again next year.