Bega Showjumping champion Clint Beresford has started the World Cup season in fine style, winning the FEI Caboolture World Cup Qualifier on his 11-year-old gelding SL Donato.
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To make the win even sweeter, Beresford also took out second place on Emmaville Jitterbug.
Those combinations are the same Beresford rode to victory in the Bega Showjumping Cup on New Year’s Eve.
In Caboolture, Queensland, only four combinations went clear in the first round – Beresford on Emmaville Jitterbug, Erin Buswell on Quero Quero, Clem Smith on Alite and Aaron Hadlow on Vahlinvader.
However with the top 12 brought back for the jump-off, carrying their penalties from round one, it was destined to be an exciting and wide open race to the podium.
Although Beresford and SL Donato carried four penalties into the jump-off, they were the only combination to go clear and, with the fastest time of all the four faulters, took out the class.
Beresford on the ever-impressive Emmaville Jitterbug had an unfortunate rail at the second last, but with the fastest time in the round it was enough to give them second place.
Erin Buswell on Quero Quero and Aaron Hadlow on Vahlinvader also finished on four penalties with Buswell taking out third place and Hadlow fourth.
The first-up win puts Beresford on a good footing as he looks towards another World Cup Australian League title. He previously claimed the crown in the 2016-17 FEI World Cup season, 10 points clear of Billy Raymont after 12 rounds.