As I had been concussed in Thursday’s game when I was rock and rolled, I could not have played in the weekend’s final games of the RSPC League 1. In fact, I had always planned to give my place in the Cassidy & Co team to Ameer Jumabhoy for the weekend as I had long ago accepted to course design the MA-ENA Unique Horse Show in Ipoh. They did great without me, winning both their weekend games.
Started three years ago by Gavin Kenna and his Mitavite team, the MA-ENA Unique Horse Show has evolved from a team combined training competition (dressage & show jumping) in its first year, to have derbies added last year, and this year, a Sponsor’s Cup.
The concept of the Sponsor’s Cup is simple. It is a jump-off class, not the biggest height, but at a height that would be competitive. The funding of the prize-money was based on The Everest horse race.
With prize money of $13 million, it is the richest race in Australia and the richest turf race in the world. It is held on the second Saturday of October as the feature race of the Sydney Spring Carnival. The race has an unusual entry fee structure, similar to that of the Pegasus World Cup. Twelve “slots” are sold for $600,000 each, which represents a slot in the starting gate for a then unspecified horse. The slot holder then has the right to race, lease, contract or share a starter, or sell their place in the gate. For example, in the 2017 running, slotholder James Harron struck a deal with the owners of Redzel to use his spot to enter their horse, who went on to win the race.
Gavin used the same concept and went to sponsors for RM2,000 each, which would get you a starter in the Sponsor’s Cup. When Zack’s Tack was asked, I immediately agreed. It was more to encourage some decent prize-money in show jumping, something that I think has been lacking for a while.
Last season I organised the Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis Cup show jumping event on the polo field, just before the final of the RMPA International League Polo. It had RM10,000 in prize-money, a saddle, wine and plane tickets as prizes. But to have only one or two such classes a year is not motivation enough for riders to buy good jumpers. It is why we find the sweet spot at 1.15 m heights and not the 1.30 m of a few years ago. I was very keen to support the MA-ENA Unique Horse Show’s Sponsor’s Cup.
Having agreed, I forgot about finding a rider to represent Zack’s Tack and when I remembered, I found that all the other sponsors had already booked their riders. I looked through the list of who had been taken, and I realised that my original pick, Norinne Dewal, was not yet taken.
I’ve known Norinne for quite a while, having coached her briefly back in the day when she had World Cup horses Larenco and Georgia. I asked Norinne, hoping that she would be free to travel, but thinking I would have to beg or look elsewhere! She took a look at the show schedule and said, “I have to say the show looks much more exciting this year than last year. Always happy to support good shows!”
The rest, as they say, is history. Andika Jamaluddin won the Piala Mentri Besar’s Cup (Chief Minister’s Cup) on Saturday, riding Norinne’s Sandro Boy, while Norinne had the last fence down with her own ride on Hot Spot Van Het Holstenhof.
Norinne and Hot Spot Van Het Holstenhof were perfect on Sunday in the Sponsor’s Cup, jumping a double clear to win the 5-way jump-off by over two seconds. Faiz Anuar and the amazing Khalife were 2 seconds behind, with Sydney Maynard and Urgola a further two seconds behind, also with double clears.
A great result for all.
Thanks to Natasha Mustapha for the images. © Copyright of PoloEquestrian.com
