Amanda Pottinger on Just Kidding lead the NRM CCI3* at Taupo Photo courtesy Jane Thompson
Amanda Pottinger with Just Kidding have taken a narrow lead in the NRM CCI3* after the dressage phase at the NRM National Three Day Eventing championship in Taupo.
Amanda’s score of 46.4 puts her 2.6 penalties in front of Samantha Felton, on Ricker Ridge Pico Boo with Dannie Lodder on Tomahawk II The rest of the field is not far behind, with only 14.4 marks between the first and last competitors in the field of 16.
Rueing the course error she made which would have given her two extra points up her sleeve going into cross country, Amanda thought that was the best test she had ever done on that horse, and definitely the best at the Taupo venue. “I was such a muppet” she declared. “I’d just ridden another test on my other horse, and I went to the marker we used in the other test.” The other horse, Blytheburn Maximo, did very well too, as she is also leading the Wairakei CCN105 class.
None of the riders thought tomorrow’s cross country was going to be easy. Samantha Felton was looking forward to riding it on her two horses in the main class. “There are a lot of new combinations which is cool, none of us have jumped them before so no-one gets an advantage.” While Amanda didn’t think it was big or scarey, she was concerned accuracy would be vital. “Its very technical, with lots of combinations that would be easy to incur 20 penalties for a run out.”
In the Bates CCI2* class, Northlander Megan Finlayson on Greensleeves has a lead of just 0.7 from Canterbury’s Brent Jury on SE Hedging. Donna Edwards-Smith on Quantico is another 0.4 penalties behind him.
Megan was very pleased with her eleven-year-old horse who she has been carefully nurturing since she purchased him as a weanling. “He was a little on the lazy side, and we have been working on going forward more. He’s done this test a lot and he’s getting to know it off by heart.”
The large field in the Fiber Fresh CCI1* is headed by the talented young rider Vicky Browne-Cole on Eli on a score of 43.7. Two very experienced riders are right behind her. Angela Lloyd is in second place on her horse Lyrical on a score of 45.5 with Emily Cammock on Ngahiwi Frostie third on a score of 46.2.
The South Island team has the advantage in the Silver Spurs inter-island competition, on a combined score of 143.1 but the North Island is on 145 so there isn’t much in it.
Samantha Felton had a field day in the Equissage Young Event Horse National Championship which was judged today. She finished first and second overall. On Ricker Ridge Mystery Man she also took out the best thoroughbred and the five year old class, and on Sooty GNZ she was second in the five year old class. Christen Lane was third overall on her horse Tom Cat who won the best four year old section. Donna Edwards-Smith was fourth on CHS Ripleys Dream and Tayla Mason on Tharness Xtreme won the best mare and finished up fifth overall.
The cross country starts tomorrow with the Fiber Fresh CCI1* class at 8:45 with the other classes following that, with the main class due to start at 12.45pm. There are two cross country courses running at the same time for most of the day, so there is plenty of action for people to watch.
The event will also be livestreamed on www.equestrianlive.co.nz. For the first time in New Zealand some of the NRM CCI3* cross country action will be filmed from a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (aka a 'drone') as well as the four cameras on the course so will bring a whole new perspective for viewers.
Results after dressage:
NRM CCI3* Open National Championships
Amanda Pottinger, Just Kidding, 46.6, 1st
Samantha Felton, Ricker Ridge Pico Boo, 49.1, 2nd
Dannie Lodder, Tomahawk II, 50.3, 3rd
Donna Edwards-Smith, Mr Hokey Pokey, 51.7, 4th
Bates CCI2* Championship
Megan Finlayson, Greensleeves, 50.2, 1st
Brent Jury, SE Hedging, 50.9, 2nd
Donna Edwards-Smith, Quantico, 51.3, 3rd
Abby Lawrence, Charlton Yamani, 51.4, 4th
Fiber Fresh CCI1* Championship
Vicky Browne-Cole, Eli, 43.7, 1st
Angela Lloyd, Lyrical, 45.5, 2nd
Emily Cammock, Ngahiwi Frosie, 46.2, 3rd
Ellie Braddock, Braxton Boy, 46.5, 4th
Silver Spurs Inter Island Competition
South Island team: 143.1 (Brodie Roberts, SR Livingston, Lucy Turner, Carbon; Kirsty Sharapoff, Shoot the Breeze; Emily Cammock, Shaw Lee)
North Island Team 145. (Juliet Wood, Waitangi Pinterest; Dannie Lodder, Eon; Jackson Bovil, Visionnaire; Katharine Van Tuyl, Double J Sunshine)
AMS Saddlery CCI1* Open
Matthew Grayling, Trudeau, 44.2, 1st
Madison Crowe, Logan, 49.9, 2nd
Frank Phillips, I Told You So, 52.8, 3rd
Kate Disley, Arctic Cielo, 54, 4th
Wairakei CCN105 Championship
Amanda Pottinger, Blytheburn Maximo, 25.2, 1st
Dannie Lodder, CHS Royal Genie, 26, 2nd
Dannie Lodder, Overnight Success, 28.2, 3rd
Kelsey Leahy, Show Cause, 30.4, 4th
Wade CCN105 Open
Helen Withers, Woodbine Just in Case, 29, 1st
Sophie Wilkinson, BL Benefaction, 29.6, 2nd
Cherie Jaques, Black Gem, 29.9, 3rd
Alex Chambers-Steward, Zenvo, 32.8, 4th
