Mitsubishi Motors Australian International 3 Day - The Superstars to Watch

The top three riders following the dressage phase of the Horseland CCI3* dressage today were:

1. Tim Boland on Menlo Park with a score of 28.30
2. Shenae Lowings on Bold Venture with a score of 28.60
3. Gemma Tinney on Diablo with a score of 29.60

Competition in the Mitsubishi Motors Australian International 3 Day Event (MMAus3de) heats up in the heart of Adelaide tomorrow, and with Australia’s best eventers vying for the title and hoping to qualify for Tokyo 2020, the standard is set to be spectacular.

Will one of our equestrian superstars hold strong for the title or will Adelaide’s East Parklands chaperone in a new superstar? All eyes will be on the action across the next three days and three elements of Eventing: Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping on the same horse throughout the event.

The four hot insider tips for riders to watch for the title as they take on the unique and world-class course and competition.

Team Olympic Gold medallist at Sydney Olympic Games and Bronze medallist at Rio 2016, Stuart Tinney already has three horses qualified for Tokyo. His daughter, Gemma, is following in his footsteps and is competing at the Adelaide 3 Day Event in the 4* star class, and the father-daughter duo will have great support in their respective competitions.

Expect plenty of cheers for hometown hero Megan Jones, particular from the youth brigade who she works tirelessly to inspire and encourage in equestrian sports. The Olympic Silver medallist in Beijing, based in Woodside, will be giving it all across the event.

A battle of the sexes will also take centre stage when Andrew Cooper and girlfriend Madeline Wilson, who met when they competed in their first competitive event in 2010, both compete in the 5* this weekend in Adelaide.

“It’s exciting to compete but completely nerve-wracking to watch each other perform - we both really want each other to do well and without the adrenaline it’s sometimes hard to watch” said Cooper.

“We’ve had a sneaky look at the course today (Thursday) and it looks nice and tricky with plenty of challenges in the rear of the cross country course which will make it a great competition to watch this weekend.”

Fresh off an impressive third placing at Pau France with his world equestrian games horse Virgil, another of the world’s few 5* star events, Shane Rose and his horse Easy Turn (this pair won the CCI 2* in Adelaide together in 2018) look in great form and are expected to shine in the CCI four-star event this week.

Event Ambassador Andrew Hoy is not competing this week but is vying for his eighth Olympic Games and while the three-time Olympic Gold medallist will not be riding at the event, he will be sure to have his eyes on the talent he hopes to team up with in Tokyo, where he rode at the Tokyo Test event. The opportunity to tap into Hoy’s knowledge and thoughts on the Tokyo venue from his first-hand look at it is sure to be of great interest to both competitors and spectators across the next three days in Adelaide.

*Supplied by Aus3DE