Donna Smith and Balmoral Tangolooma Photo: Barbara Thomson
Two of the New Zealand team members who contested the Trans Tasman championship at Sydney International Horse Trials recently are in the top three after dressage in the CCI 3* NRM National Championship in Taupo.
Donna Smith and Balmoral Tangolooma lead the field of 12 after a day of dressage in weather conditions that deteriorated as the class went on. Donna, who was third last to go, still managed to pull out a very respectable score of 66.67%, 50 penalty points. Close on her heels is last year’s winner, Emily Cammock and the 12 year old grey gelding Dambala who take 54 penalties into the cross country phase tomorrow.
It’s a tight contest at the top with third placed Bryce Newman and Bates Trademark on 54.2, Angela Lloyd on Song with 54.8 and fifth placed Annabel Wigley on NRM Enzo with 55.2. The scores make for a very exciting cross country day tomorrow over the testing John Nicholson course.
Emily Cammock also holds equal first place in the CCI 2* Bates Intermediate Championship riding Lewis, along with Amanda Pottinger on Achilles II. Helen Bruce and Toblerone NZPH lead the CCI 1* Fibre Fresh NZ Novice Championship
The CCI 3* Cross Country gets underway on Saturday 18 May at 2.15pm, followed by the show jumping on Sunday 19 May at 1pm.
While the eventing classes strutted their stuff in the dressage arenas, Anne Marie Styles aboard the beautiful 5 year old gelding Here To Stay took out the prestigious 2013 NZ Horse & Pony Magazine Young Event Horse National Championship title.
A crisp Taupo morning welcomed 27 horse and rider combinations through to the first phase of the competition, where they were required to perform a dressage test, followed by jumping a course of show jumps and cross country jumps, a gallop and finally judged on their confirmation. The top five horses then went through to contest the final in the main arena.
The Young Event Horse class is open to 4 and 5 year old horses who are judged on their suitability to become a top class eventer, a very important class in the establishment of the breeding and training of young horses here in New Zealand.
Styles was joined by Nick Brookes on Versace C, Cassie Hodder and Schiavo, Kate Wood and Wolf Whistle II and Stephanie Vervoort riding the only four year in the field, X factor. It was a hotly contested final, with all horses beautifully turned out and thriving on the main arena atmosphere. However Here To Stay rose to the occasion and lapped up the attention, convincing the judges that he was the one to watch for the future.
Versace C, bred by Caroline Twomey and ridden by Nick Brooks took second place followed by the 4 year old TB, X Factor and Stephanie Vervoort.
FINAL RESULTS:
1st Anne Marie Styles Here To Stay (5 yr old, gelding. TB, Johar x Strike The Bell) Breeder: Peter Walker
2nd Nick Brooks Versace C (5 yr old, gelding. NZ Sporthorse, Voltaire II x Coco C) Breeder: Caroline Twomey
3rd Stephanie Vervoort X Factor (4 yr old, gelding. TB, Kempinsky x Unknown)
4th Kate Wood Wolf Whistle II (5 yr old, gelding. NZ TB, Storm Creek x Serendipity) Breeder: Twin Pines Thoroughbreds
5th Cassie Hodder Schiavo (5 yr old, gelding. NZ TB, Spartacus x Tempesto) Breeder: RB Priscott
Top Mare:
Abby Lawrence Indy RE (5yr old, mare. TB X, Lessing x Dashahead) Breeder: David Marshall
Top 4 year old:
Stephanie Vervoort X Factor (4 yr old, gelding. TB, Kempinsky x Unknown)
