Last year’s Super League runner-up, Diane Gilder and Your Attorney
The 2015/16 ESNZ Eventing season moves into full swing at Taupo this weekend when the first Super League class takes place at the Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre, Aratiatia, with ten of the country’s top competitors vying for early points in the year long series.
The Total Industrial Solutions sponsored CIC3* class will also provide these elite competitors with their final build-up to the National Eventing Championships at Arran Station, Takapau, at Labour weekend. The national titles earn extra points in all the ESNZ Eventing Series, so a good performance there is paramount.
Last year’s Super League winners, Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation, are not competing at Taupo, as they are tailoring their spring season to contest the Adelaide CCI4* in November, as part of their campaign to make the team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Johnstone is the only NZ based High Performance squad member.
He won the CNC2* class at Hastings last weekend, but had to come from behind as Sensation was very fresh in the dressage phase, but performed well in both jumping phases. Talent Development squad rider Amanda Pottinger led the dressage with Just Kidding, but dropped down the order after having a rail down in the showjumping.
Second place went to Katharine van Tuyl and Double J Sunshine, a promising combination moving up to 3* level this season, having won the Puhinui CCI2* last year. Pottinger and Just Kidding are also new to 3* level having won the 2* at Kihikihi in April, following second place at the Horse of the Year Show in March.
Both will contest the 3* class at Taupo, but the one to watch will be Diane Gilder on her Australian thoroughbred, Your Attorney, who moved up to 3* level last year with great aplomb, finishing second in the Super League. However the relatively new combination of Dannie Lodder on Tomahawk II could produce a top performance after consolidating their partnership over the winter.
Talent Development squad members Samantha Felton on Ricker Ridge Escada, Tayla Mason on Lucy With Diamonds, and Virginia Thompson on Star Nouveau are also starting, so it will be interesting to watch the next echelon step up to top level and measure themselves against the more experienced competitors.
Article by Virginia Caro
