Andy Daines and Spring Panorama
Andy Daines produced a dashing performance on Spring Panorama to win the first leg of the New Zealand Eventing Super League at Taupo over the weekend, in their final run before flying to Australia on 27th October for the Australian International 3 Day Event in Adelaide next month.
The small but classy field of seven starters handled the testing conditions remarkably well, with scores close enough after the dressage to see several changes to the scoreboard following the showjumping on Saturday, and all but one jumping clear across country on Sunday, despite patches of heavy going.
The two dressage leaders, Donna Edwards-Smith on the diminutive Mr Hokey Pokey and Amanda Pottinger on the spunky little Just Kidding, who scored 47 and 47.6 penalties respectively, were less affected by the wet ground than the bigger moving horses, with Campbell Draper lying third on Mr Mancini with 50.8 penalties.
Only two horses produced clear showjumping rounds, both with time penalties, which were the order of the day, only one combination going inside the time. Mr Hokey Pokey had a rail down and two time penalties to drop to second place behind Just Kidding, who jumped clear but had three time penalties. Daines produced the other clear round on Spring Panorama, incurring three time penalties, to improve to third.
These three combinations were all within a few points of each other, so cross-country time was going to decide the final result. The big striding thoroughbreds came into their own, Diane Gilder on her Australian thoroughbred Your Attorney producing by far the fastest time for 5.6 time penalties, pulling up from sixth after the dressage and seventh after the showjumping to take second place overall.
Spring Panorama, incurred 17.2 time penalties, the third fastest round, to take the lead after Just Kidding and Mr Hokey Pokey accumulated 28 and 24.8 time penalties respectively, Hokey Pokey hanging in for third place. Campbell Draper filled fourth on Mr Mancini, who had an expensive showjumping round, two rails down and four time penalties, but the second fastest cross-country round with 15.6 time penalties.
Article by Virginia Caro
Results:
Total Industrial Solutions CIC3*: Andrew Daines (Kumeu), Spring Panorama, 71.7 penalties, 1; Diane Gilder (Matangi), Your Attorney, 75.1, 2; Donna Edwards-Smith (Te Kauwhata), Mr Hokey Pokey, 77.8, 3; Campbell Draper (Putaruru), Mr Mancini, 78.4, 4; Amanda Pottinger (Havelock North), Just Kidding, 78.6, 5.
EVENTING SUPER LEAGUE
Standings after first leg: Andrew Daines, Spring Panorama, 42 pts; Diane Gilder, Your Attorney, 36 pts; Donna Edwards-Smith, Mr Hokey Pokey, 6 pts; Campbell Draper, Mr Mancini, 6 pts; Amanda Pottinger, Just Kidding, 6 pts.
