THIS year’s Landmark Campdraft and Sale has again broken all previous records across the board as the event continues to go from strength to strength.
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The nine-day show at Tamworth’s Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) begins with a campdraft, Australia’s richest campdraft, with over $70 000 on offer in the main event, the Landmark Classic.
This year Cal Gibson put Yulgilbar Dance Elegance through three very good rounds to take the final by one point from Adam Wheeler on Westons Sizzling.
Gibson’s final point score of 92 lifted him to the title after the pair entered the final on equal points.
Landmark equine administration manager Marie Fields said it had been a massive week of campdraft.
“We had around 1200 first-round runs this year,” Fields said.
“That is a record number for us and fairly impressive since we only started with 140 horses.”
This year they boasted some 640 horses, with the event only open to horses under five years old that had been bought at this sale in previous years.
Yulgilbar Dance Elegance was bought at last year’s sale for $50 000.
Another horse and rider that enjoyed a return to the AELEC ring was Matt Holz on Darma Acres Of Impact.
The pair scooped 89 points in the final to win the Martins Stock Haulage Open Draft.
Holz won the Classic last year on board Bulla Tambourine and returned to not only take out the Open but place second as well.
Holz’s other charge was Sheros Traditional Acres, the pair scoring 86 in the final to finish five points shy of first, and two points clear of Ben McNaughton on The Ranch Tiptoe in third.
The other big event was the Prydes Easifeed Australian Performance Horse Challenge.
The challenge involves horse and rider being put through both a “wet and dry” run, one like dressage and the other with a calf in the ring.
Jon Templeton took out the event with Royal Signature, finishing four points ahead of Luke Bennett on Mintona Tic Tac, and six points in front of Laura McIntosh and Cuban Cigars in third.
Templeton took home $8000 cash and an $18, 000 horse trailer for his trouble from the $30,000 prize pool.
The hits kept coming for Landmark after the draft, when the sales began on Saturday with over 600 horses on offer.
Two horses sold for $70,000 on Saturday, with plenty more hitting the $50,000 and $60,000 mark.
“The market has been really strong,” Fields said.
“We are hoping to gross over $6 million this year after just going under that mark last year.”
The sales were up on average as well, with the average horse selling at $13,600 on Sunday afternoon, up $1300 on last year’s average.
“We have been well supported by buyers and sellers from all over Australia and all the traders are really happy,” Fields said.
“We are hoping to become the biggest event in Tamworth.”
