Opening Round of NZ World Cup Series Preview
Thursday, 20 October 2011
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><strong>World Champs team-mates Maurice Beatson and Katie McVean will start as hot favourites in the opening round of the Bomac World Cup New Zealand showjumping series in Hawke's Bay on Friday.</strong><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Beatson (Dannevirke) and McVean (Mystery Creek) went head-to-head in the</span><span style="color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Gisborne grand prix at the weekend with the elder statesman of showjumping winning aboard his home-bred horse My Gollywog. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">My Gollywog is on the comeback trail after a season out with injury, and both McVean and Beatson showed they're hungry for victory this season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Defending New Zealand World Cup champ McVean will start Dunstan Daffodil with whom</span><span style="color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">she did plenty of winning in the series last season. McVean went on to represent New Zealand at the World Cup final in Germany where she finished sixth overall – the best any Kiwi has ever done.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">She's also lining up aboard Dunstan Zasjany, who is looking very much like a star in the making.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">There'll be plenty of interest in first-time starters Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) on Witheze and Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) on Billistic. McIntosh is one of New Zealand's best performed off-shore showjumpers and was also in the team at World Champs last year. She's since moved back to New Zealand, must to the delight of many, and is putting a new team together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Edgecombe is a former World Cup NZ series winner and making a quiet re-entry to top level competition on this talented coloured horse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Lady Rider of the Year Lucy Akers (Palmerston North) and Cortaflex Tinapai put in a strong late run last season to finish third overall, while Phillip Steiner (Tauranga) and Annandale Online NZPH, who notched two wins from six starts last series, is also in the mix.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Former series winner Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) and Swinger are likely starters, but he's downplaying their involvement this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Flying up the ranks is Tess Williams (Gisborne) and Alltech Craighaven Nitro, while Paula Mussen and Meersbrooke Flintstone is also entered and never one to discount.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Course designer Kevin Hansen is looking forward to what promises to be an interesting and exciting class, which is set to go on Friday afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">The series runs over seven rounds with the best five counting. The victor has the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the prestigious world cup final</span><span style="color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">to be held in s-Hertongenbosch in the Netherlands in April.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <br>- Diana Dobson<br>ESNZ Media Liaison</o:p></p>