EVENTING News


Autumn Eventing in full swing
Monday, 5 March 2012


<p class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><strong>When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that’s how it was for the first Advanced horse trials of the autumn season, at Puhinui (Auckland) and McLeans Island (Christhcurch) this weekend.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong><br><br><br>Eighteen combinations went before the
dressage judges at Puhinui on Saturday, with all but three meeting the
challenge of Titch Massey’s cross-country course on Sunday, while at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">McLeans</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> three started, but all finished,
completing all three phases on Saturday.<br><br></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Annabel Wigley rode two of the three into
first and second place, with Brent Jury on SE Big initially separating them
after the dressage, but four showjumping rails down meant he was playing
catch-up after Wigley went clear on NRM Enzo, and had two down with the
dressage leader, NRM Frog Rock.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">All three jumped clear across country, but
double figure time faults were the order of the day in the wet and windy
conditions. Annabel said afterwards, “Oh my gosh, it was so wet while we were
on cross-country,” but she was pleased with the way her relatively
inexperienced horses coped with the conditions.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Meanwhile at Puhinui Shelley Ross on
Alberta Tomba led after the dressage, but a showjumping rail down relegated her
to second overnight, allowing Donna Smith, who was second after the dressage on
Sarah Varley’s Just Chocolate, to go into the lead with a clear round.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Shelley parted company with Alberta Tomba
at the second last fence on the cross-country, an offset treble combination,
and while Donna went clear with Just Chocolate, they incurred 14 time
penalties, which allowed Simon Gordon, the only rider with single figure time
penalties, to take the top spots with his two horses Fletch.com and Simply
Mitch.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This has boosted his standings in the Bell Tea
Super League, and will have the national selectors watching him closely at the
Horse of the Year Eventing in a fortnight’s time, with a view to adding him to
the Trans-Tasman squad for the one-off “test” against the Australians at
Kihikihi at Easter weekend. Simon captained the successful Trans-Tasman Young
Rider teams of 2009 and 2010.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Results:</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bell Tea Super League, standings after 5
events:</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Christen Hayde, Tandarra Sweet As, 142 pts;
Jock Paget, Clifton Airtight, 117.5 pts; Donna Smith, Just Chocolate, 113 pts;
Brent Jury, SE Big, 58 pts; Simon Gordon, Simply Mitch, 57 pts; Gordon,
Fletch.com, 51 pts; Dannie Lodder, Interflora of Renton, 51 pts; Annabel
Wigley, NRM Enzo, 48 pts.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p></p>