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Jump-Off 57
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. ~ Oscar Wilde
This Jump-Off is dedicated to The Maestro: Gabriel Donoso
OCM President Shocked
Perhaps a little peeved that the EAM refuses to fund their own riders to compete at the Doha Asian Games while they allegedly have squillions in their bank account, Olympic Council of Malaysia President Tunku Imran was quoted in the New Straits Times as saying, “The onus is on the national sport association to fund the athletes… We (OCM) are shocked as the EAM did not indicate to us that they were not going to foot the bill for their Category B riders."
Jump-Off thinks the OCM isn't quite as shocked as the Malaysian equestrian community.
Eventers Kicking On
Rather than waiting to see how the funding saga unfolds, the Malaysian Eventing Team are going ahead with their own fund-raising plans. With help from IndoChine, they are holding a fund-raising dinner at CoChine.
Bridging Notes Groove Note’s international jazz artiste and Singapore Idol judge Jacintha has volunteered her services to the Eventers fund-raiser. What is a Singaporean doing raising funds for a Malaysian Eventing Team? It helps that her sister-in-law in the Team Manager of the Malaysian Eventing Team.
Flying the Flag
Only Category B riders (Endurance riders and Eventers) were in attendence at The Flag Handing Over Ceremony to the Doha Asian Games contingent on Wednesday 8th November. No Category A riders attended. The Category B riders may not be getting any funding but they have no less pride in representing their country. Will it make any difference to the EAM?
Stay tuned for the next episode of "As the F.D. Rolls Over."
Monsoon Open Polo
Ever squeegeed a whole polo field? These guys have.
Polo Ambassaduhs
The pink shirted “Polo Ambassadors” were a big hit at the recent Malaysian Open Polo. They were present throughout the event and at all the nightly parties.
When one little pinkie was asked what she did as a polo ambassador, her answer naturally was “I am bassador lor.”
Sand Salesman Supreme
Jump-Off tips our hat to the salesman who has sold over 8,000 tons of sand from Belgium to Doha. It must take supreme sales skills to sell sand to a city surrounded by desert.
Hot Ice
Hot on the news that Doha has started blasting the rock out of the land of the not-so-future cross-country course comes the news that there is as yet no ice-making machine installed for post-gallop icing. When asked if they had any capability for making ice in the stable area, the German staff there responded by saying, “Ja, we have ice trays in our fridge.” Which is not quite the same as having 3 to 6 tons of ice available after the cross-country phase.
HK Judge BS's Burghley
From CCI-4* Burghley comes the amazing story that an infamous HK rider/judge (red carded in last month's Jump-Off 56) fronted up in the VIP area posing as the owner of a 4-Star horse that was competing. This person brazenly picked up the owner’s accreditation and sauntered into the sponsored VIP tent. When the real owner showed up to watch her horse become the first mare in 33 years to win Burghley, there was, shall we say, a slight problem.
Impersonating another is conduct unbecoming of an FEI judge. Just how many red cards can we give her?
Polo is suing polo. Again.
Ralph Lauren has long scarred polo’s landscape with trademark litigation over the image of a polo player whether used for profit or nonprofit in the sport it represents. That’s right: the company that uses a polo player as a brand logo has a problem with legit usage of polo images by polo organisations.
Petaling Street Polo
So do we care that the knock-off pirates at Petaling Street are cashing in on the lucrative polo shirt market by copying the famous RL polo design? Instead of the number 3 on the right sleeve, they have changed the design and used number 8 or 9 as these are considered to be lucky numbers. It matters not to the Petaling Steet Loh Pan's that there are only 4 players in a polo team.
Foxhunting in Ireland
Foxhunting in the Emerald Isle has certainly changed over the years. According to a famous Irish showjumper who was recently in Kuala Lumpur, they no longer hunt fox. They hunt deer. They don’t use hounds when they hunt deer. And when they catch them, they supposedly take a flying leap off their horses and bulldog the deer to the ground.
You could say Jump Off has no eye deer why they don’t just call it Deer Wrestling instead of Foxhunting. It might be an Irish thing.
Don't You Dare Call My Horse A Cow
From the Bangkok Post's Outlook feature of 22 October comes a classic description of a working horse: "The working horse has a strong robust physique, like a cow." It goes on to advise owners to install "a small swimming pond where a horse can swim and relax in the water. It will make the animal physically and mentally strong."
Do cows swim?
Pope to get Randwick Run
Randwick Racetrack has been chosen as the venue for the Pope's Australian visit in 2008. The TAB is quoting the Popemobile at 3/1 if Benedict sticks with blinkers.
Japanese Melbourne Cup
Japanese duo Delta Blue and Pop Rock finished 1-2 in the 2006 Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November. Jump-Off raises our Fosters Asahi to an incredible training feat by Japanese trainer Katsuhiko Sumii.
Popular Stud Says 'Nay' to Mares
War Emblem, the stunning stallion that captured the heart and soul of America's racing community in 2002 when he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness may be gay.
Phar Lap was murdered
Researchers have solved the 74 year mystery and found the cause of death of legendary Australian race horse, Phar Lap: he was killed by gangsters. Apparently they never saw the 1983 movie.
Champion Loser
Japanese racehorse Haru Urara lost every single race she entered. All 113 of them. And still retired a heroine.
Mat Rempit: The Italian Job
Italian police are having trouble with illegal street racing, except in this case it's trotting horses.
Born: Isaac Wong, son of Tommy Wong Siew Kong & Carrie at 1400 hrs on 3rd October 2006.
Recovering: Michael Suet has been discharged from hospital.
Recovering: IndoChine’s Matthew Ma from a broken collarbone from a fall during play at the Malaysian Open Polo.
Vale: Nikolaus. Larasati Gading’s the talented 11-year-old was the Group 8 winner of the FEI Dressage Challenge 2005. Died of a ruptured stomach on October 18.
On Life Support: Gabriel Donoso, +9 goal Chilean polo player. The Maestro is in a coma and on life-support after an accident playing on Sunday 5th November in Buenos Aires. He is not expected to recover. Gabriel played for Royal Pahang in tournaments in UK and Malaysia for over a decade. In his last visit to Malaysia in August 2006 Gabriel spurred Royal Pahang to victory in the Royal Pahang Classic.
Gabriel Donoso
To read previous editions of Jump-Off, please click on the links below:
Thanks
to everyone who has contributed to this (and previous) Jump-Offs. If
you have an interesting story that you think should be in Jump-Off,
please e-mail pete@equestrian.com.my
The pink shirted “Polo Ambassadors” were a big hit at the recent Malaysian Open Polo. They were present throughout the event and at all the nightly parties. 