HK riders making progress
Hong Kong show jumpers are progressing promisingly at the World Cup qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, with riders Charlotte Morse and Jennifer Chang Rui-hui finished third and sixth respectively in the second leg of the Southeast Asian World Cup League.
Part of a five-member local squad aiming to win a place in April's World Cup finals, Morse and Chang competed in a field of 20, and were tested by more than 14 imposing jumps set between 1.3 and 1.45 metres.
Morse and her nine-year-old stallion O'Jasper jumped smoothly through a clear first round and proceeded to the jump-off, where she had four faults to drop back to third.
Chang - the leading jumper of the team - finished the first round on her seven-year-old former racehorse Sport Seeker with four faults for sixth overall.
'It's a completely different level of competition out there,' Chang said. 'The course was big, unforgiving in its technical aspects and, I have to admit, rather scary looking going into it.'
'And while we all have big hopes and ambitions, I have quickly come to realise that this season is all about gaining crucial mileage and experience with technically demanding tracks,' she added.
In the first qualifier held two weeks ago, Hong Kong's 14-year-old Gaelle Tong claimed third place out of 18 starters with her former racehorse Capital Star.
The World Cup qualifying series, which started on July 31, comprises six events over three months.
