<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><strong>Spectators were treated to plenty of exciting action at the 2012 New Zealand Horse of the Year Show in Hastings today (Saturday) with the cross country phase of the eventing.<br></strong><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">John Nicholson designed a course that clearly sorted the seasoned from the inexperienced in the Rush Munro's CIC3* at the Hawke's Bay Equestrian Park.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Annabel Wigley (Amberley) who was second overnight, rode NRM Frog Rock inside the optimum time to move into the lead on their dressage score of 53.3, with Simon Gordon (Auckland) and Fletch.com moving up from fifth to be second on 55.4, also without incurring any time penalties.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Abby Lawrence (Te Puke) and Pseudonym added 0.4 time penalties to their sixth place dressage to pull up to third on 56.4, while Wigley was also inside the time on her second ride NRM Enzo moving up from eighth to fourth on their dressage score of 56.9.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">All but one of the 17 starters in the top division completed the course, with only one incurring jumping penalties, but Wigley on both her horses, and Gordon were the only ones inside the optimum time.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Overnight leader Donna Smith (Te Kauwhata) incurred 14.4 time penalties with Balmoral Sensation, which saw them slip to eighth place, while her third-placed ride Just Chocolate dropped out of contention with 21.2 time penalties.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Sunday morning's showjumping phase, which is jumped in reverse order of merit, will be very tense as less than four penalties – the cost of dropping just one rail – separates the first four competitors, but all horses must pass the veterinary inspection before going forward to the final phase.<br><br><br>SHOWJUMPING<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">In showjumping, a single clear round by double Olympian Daniel Meech aboard Winston Darco V (owned by the Burnett Grant family) took the honours in the premier stakes, with Rachael Bentall (Hastings) on Kiwi Brave second with a time fault, and Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) third on Campione GNZ, also with a time fault.<br><br><br>DRESSAGE<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">London Olympian Louisa Hill met crowd expectations in the dressage, convincingly taking the win in the FEI Grand Prix dressage title class with a score of 68.61%.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Hill (Clevedon) and her starry Bates Antonello had the crowd in awe as they pulled off the test of the day, with their trademark passage and piaffe wowing all those watching – including the judges.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Results-</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Showjumping, Premier Stakes: Daniel Meech (Taupo) Winston Darco V (owned by the Burnett-Grant family) 1, Rachael Bentall (Hastings) Kiwi Brave 2, Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) Campione GNZ 3, Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) I Reckon 4, Jake Lambert (Cambridge) Quality NZPH 5, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark 6.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Show Hunter of the Year: Chloe Akers (Palmerston North) Kiwi Motto.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Dressage, Horse of the Year CDI*** FEI Grand Prix: 1: Louisa Hill (Clevedon) Bates Antonello, 68.61%; 2. Nicky Pope (Whitford) Fabarchie, 64.48%; 3. Bill Noble (Waikato) Airthrey Highlander, 61.83%; 4. Hannah Appleton (Nelson) Fiber Fresh Zactac, 61.78%; 5. Christine Weal (Te Awamutu) Spielzeit, 60.38%; 6. Debbie Barke (Rotorua) Mzungu, 58.80%</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; "><o:p> </o:p></p>
