The spring eventing season climaxes at the Puhinui Three-day Event in Auckland on 5-7 December, with all six of the year long ESNZ Eventing series reaching the halfway stage. The CCI (long format) classes earn double points, adding value to a good performance before the summer break, so competitors come from far and wide.
Twelve elite combinations, including one from Australia, will contest the Honda CCI3*, which is an ESNZ Eventing Super League class. Annabel Wigley, home from her UK base, is bringing NRM Enzo from Amberley, while Emily Cammock, Christchurch, has former National Three-day Event winner Dambala entered as well as Shaw Lee.
The Australian entry is actually from GB international Nick Gauntlett who has bought an Australian horse, El Grado, and is competing down under prior to flying the horse home to Britain. They have had one start, a CIC (short format) 3* at Goulburn, NSW, where they placed fourth.
However the favourite to win will be the current NRM National Three-day Event winner and NZ Eventer of the Year, Clarke Johnstone on Balmoral Sensation. They won all three major events during the autumn season to win the Super League series last year, despite only coming together as a combination in January.
The current leader of the Super League is Donna Smith, from Te Kauwhata, who produced Sensation, riding Tangolooma. They are the only combination to have placed twice in the series to date, so have a comfortable margin over second placed Fraser King and Nadal KSNZ, who won the National One-day Event title at Christchurch in early November.
Last year’s Honda CCI3* winner, former international Matthew Grayling, a dairy farmer from New Plymouth, will ride NRM Lowenberg, on which he won the Red Snap’r CNC3* at Arran Station. They lie fourth in the Super League series, and are poised to move higher, thanks to third placed Samantha Felton suffering a broken collarbone.
The year long series culminates at the NRM National Three-day Event at Taupo in May, following major events at the Farmlands Horse of the Year Show in Hastings in March and the Kihikihi Horse Trials at Te Awamutu in April.
Virginia Caro
Series Media Liaison
