By Anna Sharpley

Beijing Team Silver medallist, Shane Rose had a good day at the office today in Adelaide, taking the lead in the HSBC FEI Classics™ Dressage phase, as well as the CCI 2* competition.

Rose claimed the early lead in the HSBC FEI Classics™ with 45.80 penalties riding the Leder family, Jamie McDonald and Lee Hokianga’s Australian-bred Warmblood, APH Moritz by APH Coriolo.

He is closely followed by HSBC Bursary candidate Craig Barrett, who has started but never completed the four-star competition in Adelaide, but certainly means to do so this year riding the 2011 Melbourne CCI 3* winner, Wendela Jamie. Henry and Helen Hicks’ impressive Thoroughbred gelding is just a breath away on 47.30 penalties. And just over a point away from Barrett, Stuart Tinney is well placed in third with John and Jane Pittard’s 2012 New South Wales Eventing Champion, Pluto Mio.

It is no surprise that these three experienced riders top the leader board after day one, however Shane commented: “I still have to do a good job to win. With Craig and Stuart just behind me, I have to be just as much on my game as if there were 100 in the class.”

Tomorrow, the heat will be an extra consideration to add to Wayne Copping’s already acknowledged tough, 4-star course. Technical Delegate Alec Lochore(GBR) declared the course: “very interesting, with some lovely features. It is a challenging track and as technical as 2011, with plenty of big fences.”

Whilst Rose, Barrett and Tinney all cut their Eventing teeth in dusty, hot country New South Wales, their horses did not and the expected 35⁰C is likely to have a big influence.

Although low humidity and breezy conditions will make the temperatures easier on both equine and human athletes, the organisers have ensured that horse welfare remains right at the forefront by putting in place some other measures.

The 4-star Cross Country course has been shortened by 30 seconds, extra ice and water trucks will be available, and water-spraying archways and sprinklers have been installed to cool down horses.

Rose described the track as, “a good test, but if you do a good job, you can steer them around. Galloping ten and a half minutes will be a big test for me.”

Barrett, who also holds provisional fifth place riding Sandhills Brillaire, a home-bred by Staccato, said: “We are all just trying to do our best against the course and in terms of tough competition, if you are competing against Shane and Stuart, you are competing against the best in the world”.

Experienced Victorian rider, Murray Lamperd holds fourth place riding Jae Wishart’s beautiful Thoroughbred, Under The Clocks on 50.70.

Sixth-placed Natalie Blundell with Julia McLean’s ex-racehorse, Algebra, will also hope to make a move up the leader board tomorrow after placing fourth in last year’s HSBC FEI Classics™ in Adelaide.

John Twomey, who has spent a decade riding in New Zealand and is now back in Australia, has a talented memento of his time there in the form of the New Zealand-bred, Highly Recommended that is by Brilliant Invader out of a Distelfink mare. They hold seventh place with 60.50 penalties and they will be hoping to add nothing further to that score.

Results after Dressage

1      Shane Rose/APH Moritz 45.80
2      Craig Barrett/Wendela Jamie 47.30
3      Stuart Tinney/Pluto Mio 49.80
4      Murray Lamperd/Under The Clocks 50.70
5      Craig Barrett/Sandhills Brillaire 51.00
6      Natalie Blundell/Algebra 54.20
7      John Twomey/Highly Recommended 60.50
= 8      Crystal Conning/Marcus Aurelius 61.209     
Robert Palm/Koko Black 61.20
10    Andrew Cooper/Guest Of Honour 62.00

Full results on www.australian3de.com.au

Follow the action LIVE tomorrow (Saturday, 24 November) on FEI TV www.feitv.org, the FEI’s official video channel:
00:30 CET – 03:45 CET Cross Country 2* Competition
04:23 CET – 05:45 CET HSBC FEI Classics™ Cross Country
10:00 CET – 11:15 CET HSBC FEI Classics™ Cross Country REPLAY

Download the HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013 press kit: www.feipresskits.org

HSBC’s Training Bursary
At the centre of HSBC’s sponsorship is a commitment to the development of the sport of Eventing at every level. As part of its support of the HSBC FEI Classics™, HSBC has introduced a Training Bursary. This is a unique award which is presented to the highest placed rider never to have previously completed a 4-star level event. The winning rider receives a training voucher to the value of US $1,000 to be spent on sessions with a trainer of the athlete’s choice approved by the FEI and National Federation.  

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013 calendar
1 Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) - 24-28 October 2012
2 Australian International 3 Day Event (AUS) - 22-25 November 2012
3 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) - 25-28 April 2013
4 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) - 3-6 May 2013
5 Luhmühlen CCI 4* (GER) - 13-16 June 2013
6 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) - 5-8 September 2013

Notes to editors

HSBC, the platinum partner of the FEI and global sponsor of Eventing, has supported the HSBC FEI Classics™ series, which unites the top end of the international Eventing circuit, since 2008.

In our HSBC FEI Hub: www.fei.org/hsbc/hsbc-fei-classics, you can access the HSBC Rankings, past series news and the information below:

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012 Final Standings (full 2012 standings here).
1 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 40 points ($150,000, Series Champion)
2 Andrew Nicholson (NZL) 39 ($75,000)
3 Alison Springer (USA) 17 ($50,000)
4 Michael Jung (GER) 15 ($33,000)
5 Stuart Tinney (AUS) 15 ($25,000)

Prize money
The HSBC FEI Classics™ prize fund is the largest on offer in the sport of Eventing on an annual basis. At the end of the HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013 season, the five riders with the highest number of points collected across the six HSBC FEI Classics™ events will be awarded their share of a total fund of US$333,000 split as follows:

1st - US$150,000 (Series Champion)
2nd - US$75,000
3rd - US$50,000
4th - US$33,000
5th - US$25,000

HSBC Rankings
The rider at the top of the HSBC Rankings at the end of the 2012 Eventing season will receive a US $50,000 bonus. The winning rider will be announced in December 2012.

FEI TV www.feitv.org, the FEI’s official video channel, will be live from Adelaide:
Saturday 24th November
00:30 CET – 03:45 CET Cross Country 2* Competition
04:23 CET – 05:45 CET HSBC FEI Classics™ Cross Country
10:00 CET – 11:15 CET HSBC FEI Classics™ Cross Country REPLAY
 
Sunday 25th November
01:30 CET – 03:30 CET Jumping 2* Competition (*last two hours of competition)
04:55 CET – 05:45 CET HSBC FEI Classics™ Jumping (*also available on Monday, 26th November in the afternoon as Video-On-Demand).

Join the FEI on Facebook & twitter
Our signature twitter hashtags for this series are #HSBC and #Eventing. We encourage you to use them, and if you have space: #HSBC FEI Classics™ #Eventing