FORMER Grassmere rider Tim Clarke is contemplating a trip to Las Vegas to compete on the biggest stage in world showjumping.
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Clarke and his mare Caltango booked their berths in the FEI World Cup Showjumping Final by securing overall honours in the 2014-15 Australian League series.
The series wrapped up at Boneo Park, near Rosebud, on the weekend. Clarke, 33, was eliminated in the second round but other results secured him the title.
Caltango also won the Golden Grand award for the third time in four years. The award is for the best-performing horse during the 12-event series.
“It was on my bucket list, one of the things I wanted to do. Not many people get to win it,” Clarke said.
“It feels like all the hard work I’ve put in over the years has come to fruition and been worth it.”
Officials use riders’ best six scores to determine their overall score for the Australian League series.
Clarke contested nine events, winning at the Royal Adelaide Show in September and finishing second at Royal Melbourne, Shepparton and Sydney Indoor.
He tallied 87 points, ahead of Sydney riders Jess Brown (83), Tom McDermott (77), David Cameron (75) and Vicki Roycroft (73)
“Right up until Boneo Park I’d been pretty consistent,” he said.
The FEI World Cup Showjumping Final is in Las Vegas on April 15 to 19. But Clarke said he was yet to decide whether to accept the invitation to compete.
“I’ve got to have a think over the next fortnight and decide what I want to do. I’ve got to work it in with work as well,” he said.
“She (Caltango) is travelling well. It’d be interesting to see how we would go over there.
“It’s indoors. She’s normally better outdoors, there’s a bit more room. But she’s in her prime, it’s probably the right time to go with her.”
Clarke grew up on parents Morris and Judy’s Mortlake farm and developed an interest in horse riding at an early age.
He and his wife Ingrid, parents of five-month-old son Piers, were based at Grassmere before shifting to Elliminyt in November.
“It’s taken me most of my life to get to this level of consistency in the World Cup,” he said. “But it’s also due to having a horse who has also got to the peak of her ability. At the moment we’re both always up there with the best of them.
“A lot of it has to do with having a very good horse. If she retires in the next few years I’ve got to find a replacement. You’re only as good as the horse you’re on.”
