Clarke Johnstone’s outstanding performance on Balmoral Sensation at the BNZ Kihikihi International Horse Trials over the weekend has seen this exciting new combination take top spot in the year long ESNZ Eventing Super League after winning the two CIC3* starts they have had, at the NRM Horse of the Year Show a fortnight ago and at Kihikihi.
Johnstone, who teamed up with the former Donna Smith horse two months ago, said, “He has issues, but I didn’t expect to form a partnership so quickly. He’s a beautiful horse, and very well trained by Donna, it was just a case of working out the buttons.” They pulled up from third after Friday’s dressage to take the lead after the fastest cross-country, and finished with a foot perfect show-jumping round.
Kelsey Rothery on The Felon and Simon Gordon on Fletch.com, who pulled up from twelfth and fourteenth respectively after the dressage, finished second and third after producing the only other clear cross-country rounds in the fourteen strong class, with eight combinations failing to finish John Nicholson’s challenging track.
Abby Lawrence and Pseudonym finished fourth, their best performance at this level, and all three combinations have moved dramatically up the Super League table. The three combinations at the top of the table prior to the event all failed to finish, resulting in the places changing and the scores closing up, so the remaining Super League events will be keenly contested.
Johnstone is taking Balmoral Sensation to the Sydney Three-day Event, 25-27 April, to see how they measure up against the Australians, with the possibility of going to Europe to contest a CCI4*. He said. “We are an outside chance for the World Equestrian Games, but it is one step at a time.” He will be able to accumulate Super League points in Sydney, having already participated in Super League events in New Zealand.
ESNZ EVENTING SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS after nine events:
Clarke Johnstone, Hamilton, Balmoral Sensation, 147 pts; Dannie Lodder, Auckland, Moochi, 143 pts; Simon Gordon, Auckland, Fletch.com, 136 pts; Angela Lloyd, Auckland, Song, 124 pts; Kelsey Rothery, Cambridge, The Felon, 114.5 pts; Matthew Grayling, New Plymouth, NRM Lowenberg102 pts; Abby Lawrence, Te Puke, Pseudonym, 96.5 pts.
Virginia Caro
