Having been nominated for this year’s High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year at the Westpac Halberg Awards, Andrew has now been named as one of the four finalists. The other finalists in this category are:
Mahe Drysdale (Rowing)
Simon van Velthooven (Cycling)
Richie McCaw (Rugby)
Although Erik Duvander had been nominated for Coach of the Year and the Olympic Eventing Team for the Westpac Team of the Year, sadly they have not made it through to the finalists in these categories. Award winners will be announced at the 50th Westpac Halberg Awards at Vector Arena, Auckland, on Thursday, February 14, 2013. The event will also be televised live on SKY Sport.
Meanwhile in London at the 2013 Breeder’s Awards Dinner this weekend, Andrew will be presented with British Eventing’s Wide Awake Trophy for the top performing British bred event horse of the season. Andrew is the breeder of Avebury, (Jumbo x Bairn, SHB GB) with whom he won this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (above). Avebury, owned by Mark and Rosemary Barlow, was bred by Andrew but sold as a four-year-old to show jump then bought back again for Andrew’s wife Wiggy to enjoy lower level competition on. The rest, as they say, is history but Andrew is also anticipating a good future for the 13 year old grey gelding; this year’s Badminton and Burghley are planned while the 2014 World Equestrian Games and possibly Rio are in mind for the horse that Andrew described as “a seasoned campaigner who knows his job” in our interview with him at Burghley this year after cross country
The trophy is named after the horse Wide Awake, on whom Lucinda Green won Badminton in 1976. The story has a sad end as he sadly died on his lap of honour however, in his memory, this trophy was introduced by his owner in remembrance of his achievement.
Andrew is well known in the eventing world as Mr Stickability - here's a reminder why
