A long wait for Jonelle and Fernhill Kankan until 4pm to go cross country but the sun was shining and there were plenty of smart 6 and 7 year olds to watch.  The crowds, as expected, were huge and they thronged the ropes around the combinations and the waters where they waited with baited breath for a dunking!

I don’t think that there were any spectacular unintentional swims in the waters but the first water did make horses back off as it always does.  Kankan wasn’t the first to drop the throttle on the way in and she resorted to trotting which never bodes well at a Championship but Jonelle did a pretty amazing job of keeping her switched on and got through it.

The mistake Kankan made at the second of the houses on the undulating ground was, as Jonelle said, at a fairly basic fence and shouldn’t really have happened but she did add that Kankan was green from the start and there isn’t much room for gaining confidence at a Championship.  Jonelle worked hard, Kankan tried her best and they came home with just the 20 to add and a whole heap of experience under Kankan’s belt.

Jonelle was quick to point out that it was always a big ask to bring a 7 year old to Le Lion who started out the year in 100’s.  The horses at the top of the leaderboard are horses that were running, and winning, 2*’s as 6 year olds and who have had masses more experience than Kankan has had time to fit in.

One more phase to go for Kankan before she can join her mates in a big paddock for a well earned holiday.  Grappa Nera (Grape) and Kerryn leave tomorrow in the early hours to meet Jonelle at Le Mans for the last run of the season down in Pau.