Donna Smith and Tangolooma Photo: Jane Thompson
Donna Smith was rewarded for her long haul from Te Kauwhata to the National One Day Event Championships at McLeans Island, Christchurch on the weekend, taking the lead in the ESNZ Eventing Super League with Tangolooma, although they missed out on the title of National Champions.
That title went to Fraser King and Nadal KSNZ, who completed on their sixth placed dressage score, the only combination to do so. The biggest win of his career has seen the Waikato lawyer move into second place in the Super League series after the first three events of the year.
However Smith is the only rider to have placed twice in the series, having won the first leg at Taupo, so she has opened up a huge lead going into the Puhinui Three-day Event at Auckland on 5-7 December. Three-day events earn double points, and Puhinui marks the halfway point in the year long series.
Only six of the eleven starters completed the cross-country at McLeans Island, with both the dressage leader, Amanda Pottinger on Achilles II, and the overnight leader after the showjumping, Samantha Felton on Ricker Ridge Pico Boo, failing to finish. However Felton was third on Ricker Ridge Escada, with former champions Christen Hayde and Tandarra Sweet As fourth.
ESNZ EVENTING SUPER LEAGUE
Standings after three events: Donna Smith, Te Kauwhata, Tangolooma, 105 pts; Fraser King, Cambridge, Nadal KSNZ, 69 pts; Samantha Felton, Matangi, Ricker Ridge Escada, 51 pts; Matthew Grayling, New Plymouth, NRM Lowenberg, 48 pts; Abby Lawrence, Te Puke, Pseudonym, 42 pts; Christen Hayde, Auckland, Tandarra Sweet As, 36 pts ; Monica Oakley, Waipukurau, Fontain, 36 pts.
Article by Virginia Caro
