'I need a drink now' says a hot Pluto Mio after his winning test
At the end of a hot dressage day the second last combination to go, Stuart Tinney and Pluto Mio, took the lead in the CCI3* on a score of 46. Two of the three judges, PollyAnn Huntington and Anne Tylee agreed that Pluto’s test was the best of the day, while head of the ground jury, Cara Whitham had New Zealand’s Donna Smith riding Balmoral Tangolooma as her number one.
To hear what Stuart had to say about his test and the challenges of the weekend ahead CLICK HERE
Natalie and Algebra
Less than two marks behind Stuart was fellow Trans Tasman team member Natalie Blundell riding Algebra. “I was pretty happy,” said Natalie. “He’s just getting better all the time. The changes weren’t the best we can do but on the whole I’m pleased. Looking towards tomorrow I will really have to keep his mind on the job. He’s such a cheeky, smart little horse but sometimes that cheekiness can get a bit too much.”
Earlier in the day Craig Barrett, first rider out for the Australian Trans Tasman team produced a test which saw him hold onto the lead for a good part of the day. “She was really good but I think I should have done a few more flying changes in the warm up because when I got into the test and pressed the button for a change the button appeared to be malfunctioning!” Craig’s test put him on a score of 49.8 and into third place at the end of the day.
Shane Rose (above) admitted he not had the best preparation for the Sydney event so all things considered he was pleased to be sitting in fourth place on Virgil. “We certainly haven’t had the best run up to this event. With Sydney one day event being cancelled due to the rain and Virgil suffering a small injury at Scone, which meant he missed some work it meant he went to Albury a bit short on ‘match practice’. He was still good at Albury and we thought everything was back on track and then last week he got kicked by another horse. Thankfully that didn’t cause him to miss too much work and now we are here. Maybe it’s all got something to do with me turning 40 last week – they say 40 is the new 30 … well I think they are wrong about that!”
Emma Mason and Mustang didn't produce their usual settled test
The other member of the Australian Tran Tasman team, Emma Scott, finished in ninth place on a score of 55.4. Mustang didn’t look as settled as normal, breaking in some of the trot work and looking tense in the walk but with everything to play for tomorrow you can be sure that Emma will be keen to show just what she is made of across Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross country course.
Donna Smith and Balmoral Tangolooma
The first New Zealand rider to appear on the scoreboard was Donna Smith who filled fifth and sixth places on Balmoral Tangolooma and Just Chocolate respectively. Donna’s better test was on her none team horse but with only 0.5 separating the two horses there was little to choose between the two tests.
Bryce Newman would certainly be considered the most experienced member of the New Zealand Trans Tasman team and has ridden on three previous successful Trans Tasman teams. His test with Bates Trademark earned the pair a score of 57.3 while a couple of marks further down the order was Simon Gordon on the lovely grey Fletch.com. The final member of the Kiwi team, Joseph Waldron, who scored 61.2 with Springvale All Black, is the only member of the NZ High Performance squad not currently based in Britain.
At the end of dressage day the Australian team are in the lead on a score of 143.5, with New Zealand on 168.4. With plenty of good challenges out on the cross country course just one error could see the score balanced between the two teams. It’s sure to be an exciting day!
Emma Mason and Poker Face settle down to work after starting the test with a buck
In the Tarraleah Park CCI2* Emma Mason and Poker face lead the class on a score of 44.7. “I wasn’t sure how the test was going to turn out after we had a bit of a buck and leap when Poker Face heard the loud speaker. So things could have gone a lot worse,” admitted a happy Emma. A good solid test from Shane Rose and CP Qualified saw them finish in second place while Tim Boland fills third and fourth on Gorsehill Star and Lord Limerick respectively.
Shane Rose and CP Qualified
