<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Katie McVean may be on
the cusp of securing her third World Cup series but there will still be plenty
of competition for final honours in Tauranga this week at the New Zealand World
Cup Final Show.</strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">It was touch and go as
to whether McVean (Mystery Creek) would even get to start in the final two
rounds, which would have been heartbreaking as she’s sitting on a hat-trick,
having won the series in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, and finished sixth equal at
the world final in Germany last year.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Last week the former
Olympian and World Champs representative fractured a vertebrae in her lower
back when she was bowled by one of her young horses, and only just got the
green light from her doctor.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">I’m so excited to be
allowed to ride again,” said McVean, who will compete aboard Dunstan Daffodil.
“I would love to be at the world final again and I think Daffodil is just
continuing to improve all the time.”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">But it’s not going to be
an easy ride.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The fracture means I
can’t sit in the saddle how I normally do, and it aches.”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">She’s got a commanding
lead on the World Cup (NZ) leaderboard, and goes into the last two legs of the
New Zealand league with a 13 point buffer on her nearest rival, Maurice Beatson
(Dannevirke), who was her team-mate at the 2010 World Champs.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">But Beatson won’t be
competing this week, opting to save his top horse, 17-year-old Mr Gollywog for
the coming NZ Horse of the Year Show, and having to rest eight-year-old
Schimmel Warrior, who is a little sore.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Tess Williams (Gisborne)
is in third spot on the leaderboard, and will be looking to do well on her big
grey Alltech Craighaven Nitro.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">There are 10
combinations entered for the final two rounds – the first a speed class late on
Thursday afternoon at the Mills Reef Winery and the final on Sunday at the
Tauranga Racecourse.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Bernard Denton
(Gisborne) and Suzuki have a good track record in World Cup New Zealand finals,
having won it in 2009 and placing second in 2011. Denton is on 21 points.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Also entered are
Olympian and World Champs representative Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) aboard
Witheze, former series winner Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) on Swinger, Lisa Coupe
(Hawke’s Bay) on her two mounts My Ocean Wave and Bates Amaretto MVNZ, young
gun Bridget Hansen (Ocean Beach) who with Nicalette NZPH is really showing the
benefit of her Australian campaign, Paula Mussen (Auckland) on Meersbrook
Flintstone and Sam Peters (Whangarei) on Likeable NZPH.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Missing from the line-up
are a run of top showjumpers who have been sold offshore including Phillip
Steiner’s (Tauranga) Annandale Online NZPH and Oliver Edgecombe’s (Waipukurau)
Billistic who have both headed to the US, with Danielle Maurer’s (Auckland) Blue
Rinse now in Australia.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Picking league winners
is a tricky affair, as riders with two mounts must nominate the right horse to
get the points, which are worked out on the number of starters. Final tallies
are only from their best four outings of the league.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The world final is in
s-Hertogenbosch, in Holland, in April.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The Tauranga show has
attracted nearly 500 combinations from all over the country, well up on recent
years. Thursday’s World Cup speed class at the Mills Reef Winery kicks off at
4pm in what organisers promise will be a stunning affair. The remainder of the
show runs through until Sunday at the Tauranga Racecourse, culminating with the
World Cup NZ final at 2pm.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Bayer World Cup League
2011-2012 points (best four rounds): Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) 52 points,
Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) 39, Tess Williams (Gisborne) 28, Phillip Steiner
(Tauranga) 25, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) 22, Bernard Denton (Gisborne) 21, Ross
Smith (Canterbury) 15, Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) 11, Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge)
10.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"></p>
