Sime competes at SA Derby
Nicola Sime, show jumper and owner of the Sunny Park Equestrian Centre, in Benoni, was in action at the 2013 Galencia Property South African Derby, at Kyalami Equestrian Park, from October 2 to 6.
The class, which is a highlight on the show-jumping calendar, kept the audience on its toes, with four horse-and-rider combinations jumping clear rounds over the 18 1.5m high jumps.
South African course designer Kate Launder designed the course for the first time and the stiff competition was a crowd pleaser, with four horse-and-rider combinations jumping clear rounds.
This resulted in an exciting jump-off.
Sime, riding Sunny Park Stables’ Elpaso, was the first competitor to jump clear and, just as the audience was starting to think she was the only one, Nicole Horwood, riding Capital Don Cumarco, cleared the course.
Next, Shaun Neill, riding Delmon Mining, and Civil’s Clyde Z cleared the course.
Young rider Liam Stevens, riding Investec’s Wanda, who followed Neill in the programme order, kept the audience thrilled as he also jumped a clear round.
The biggest test for the competitors in the jump-off was the race against the clock, as all four competitors cleared the fences.
Sime was the first competitor to jump, and she cleared the jump-off course in a time of 50.41 seconds, and incurred three time faults.
She also rode Sunny Park Stables Connoisseur and incurred 12 faults.
Horwood raised the bar as she cleared the course in 44.10 seconds.
Neill tried his best to unseat Horwood from first place, but fell short, riding through the finish flags in 44.83 seconds.
Stevens also put up a tough fight and cleared the course in 45.10 seconds.
Horwood was the undeniable winner and was joined on the podium by Neill, in second place, and Stevens in third, while Sime scooped the prize for fourth place.
Speaking about the Derby, Sime said: “The competition was tough, as there were quite a lot of good horses.
“The Derby itself was super, but I could kick myself for not being just a few seconds faster.”
