<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The 2011 New Zealand Eventing championships
take place at Bill Borrie’s Richfields Thoroughbred Farm, Te Kauwhata, this
weekend, 26/27 November, with the dressage and showjumping on Saturday, and the
cross-country on Sunday. Riders from throughout the country will vie for the
national one-day titles at four levels from Advanced through to Pre-novice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The Advanced title for the Forest Gate
Trophy, the oldest in the ESNZ cabinet, will be contested by a dozen of the country’s
elite combinations, including last year’s winner, Brent Jury on SE Big, who
will make the trip from Cust in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canterbury</st1:place></st1:city>
to defend his title. This CIC3* class is also the third leg of the Bell Tea
Super League, and the first opportunity for South Islanders to score points in
the series.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br><img src="http://www.main-events.co.nz/pictures/jurybig.jpg" style="display: block; " align="center" alt=""><br><br><em>Last years Advanced winner Brent Jury and SE BIG. Photo by Take the Moment.</em><br> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Jock Paget, who hit the headlines when
placing seventh on Clifton Promise at the World Equestrian Games in <st1:state w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:state> last year, has recently returned from a highly
successful first season in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
and will ride Frances Stead’s Clifton Airtight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">However, members of last year’s successful
NZ Trans-Tasman Young Rider team are stepping up, and will provide keen
competition for the established riders. Team captain Simon Gordon, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Auckland</st1:place></st1:city>, has two rides,
Simply Mitch and Fletch.com, and Ashleigh McKinstry, Taumaranui, has her
part-bred Kaimanawa, the well performed Pioneer Makokomiko.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A strong field of twenty-six combinations
will contest the CIC2* Intermediate title. James Avery and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Amarillo</st1:place></st1:city>, who won the Junior Rider class at
Richfields last year, and is the current NZ Young Rider Three-day Event
title-holder, will be looking to extend his lead in the Massey University Young
Rider series. Avery, who is apprenticed to farrier Brent Jury, comes from
Nelson.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Much interest will centre on <st1:city w:st="on">Cambridge</st1:city>’s Lizzie Brown, now based in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>, who will
ride Pioneer Zeuss for Chelsey Hawthorn, who had a nasty fall at Rotorua while
leading the Intermediate class three weeks ago. Clarke Johnstone, the 2011 FEI
Eventing World Cup winner, also back from a great start to his northern
hemisphere campaign, rides Classic Ransom for Heelan Tompkins, so some top
performances can be expected.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The CIC1* Novice title has attracted
thirty-seven promising young horses, with former international Donna Smith
having three rides. The Pre-novice title class has twenty-two entries, while
the CIC1* Junior Rider class has nine entries, including Nicole Lansdown and
Royalty, Dannevirke, who hold second place in the Alltech Junior Rider series.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><em>- Virginia Caro</em></span></p>
