<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><strong style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: white; ">Lisa Coupe has won the
New Zealand league FEI World Cup final today at Tauranga, with defending champ
Katie McVean making history in taking the series for the third consecutive
year.</strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: white; "> <br> </span></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; ">McVean (Mystery Creek)
and her home-bred mare Dunstan Daffodil – half sister to her World Champs
superstar Dunstan Delphi who was sold for an undisclosed multimillion dollar
deal to Saudi Arabia last year – had to settle for fourth today after having an
uncharacteristic refusal at the wall in the jump-off.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">While the series win
gives them the right to represent New Zealand at the world final in Holland in
April, McVean has decided she won’t be going.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Last year she and Delphi
finished sixth equal at the world final, which McVean says would be a big ask
for Daffodil.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">I would have loved to
take Daffodil but it is so far away and very expensive,” she said. “She’s never
jumped that big either. At least with Delphi, we had been to Spruce Meadows, so
I knew she could jump the heights.”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">McVean competed today
with a lower back fracture which she says wasn’t painful as much as awkward.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">I just wasn’t as strong
as usual so I wasn’t riding well but my horses looked after me.”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">She plans to have a
quiet winter in New Zealand and will look at taking a few horses to the United
States in 2013, and in the meantime, will defend the Olympic Cup at the New
Zealand Horse of the Year Show in Hawke’s Bay in March.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Nine started the world
cup class in Tauranga today, with four going clear and through to the second
round. Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) and her eight-year-old Bates Amaretto MVNZ were
first out and set a cracking pace.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">When I first walked the
course I thought it was challenging, but not too big,” says Coupe, who had two
into the jump-off.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">She and her horses have
truly hit a purple patch, but going first she knew she had to give it
everything with former series winners Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) on Swinger and
McVean on Daffodil following her.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Coupe laid a mighty
challenge, going clear in 47.67. Wilson and the 17-year-old Swinger took a
brick in the wall and stopped the clock at 52.63, while Coupe and My Ocean Wave
dropped a rail and picked up time faults for third spot.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Beetle (Amaretto) was
just such a machine, he just couldn’t have gone any better. I never really
thought I would win the final, even though we’ve had a good lead-up.”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">She too is having a
quiet couple of weekends before the series finals in Hawera in early March
followed by the Horse of the Year Show later that month.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Coupe bought Amaretto as
an unbroken two-year-old and has carefully brought him up through the grades.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">He’s just an amazing
horse,” she said. “Incredible!”<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Results - <br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Bayer FEI World Cup (NZ
League) Final: Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) Bates Amaretto MVNZ, Simon Wilson
(Waipukurau) Swinger 2, Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) My Ocean Wave (owned by the
Green family) 3, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Daffodil 4, Bernard
Denton (Gisborne) Suzuki 5, Tessa Williams (Gisborne) Alltech Craighaven Nitro
6.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">World Cup final
standings (best four to count): Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) 52 points, Maurice
Beatson (Dannevirke) 39, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) 37, Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay)
35, Tess Williams (Gisborne) 32, Bernard Denton (Gisborne 31.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="background-color: white; "><br><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Cushionride Seven Year
Old: Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) Lights Out 1, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek)
Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark 2, Rachel McGregor (Cambridge) Henton Encore 3, Jaime
Campbell (Auckland) Socrates De La Vie Z 4, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek)
Dunstan Delilah 5, Greg Jamieson (Paeroa) Vollrath Chagall 6.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><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; ">Iverquantel Amateur
Rider: Courtney Fox (Karaka) Bush Magic 1, Jo Peachey (Katikati) Fibonacci 2,
Angie Bruce (Auckland) Qualine De Kergane 3, Sharon Cann (Te Awamutu)
Blackheart II 4, Rosie Richards (Pokeno) Firthview Dakota 5, Judith Williams
(Hamilton) Timeless Romance 6.</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; ">Giltrap Audi Young Rider<strong>:
</strong>Rosie Commons (Auckland) Glenara Chandon 1, Tim Myers (Taranaki) Pick Me
NZPH 2, Rachael Bentall (Hastings) 3, Luke Dee (Gisborne) Dunstan Zasjany D 4,
Ella Varcoe (Auckland) 6, Josh Barker (Tauranga) Anuburtha 6.</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; ">JLT Bloodstock Pony
Grand Prix:<strong> </strong>Elle Phillips (Cambridge) Guess Once More 1, Nakeysha
Lammers (Whangarei) Airborne Magic 2, Rebekah van Tiel (Auckland) Guthrie 3,
Lily Tootill (Auckland) Millbrook 4, Elle Phillips (Cambridge) Fruitilicious 5,
Melanie Weal (Te Awamutu) Hopeful Illusion 6.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><o:p> </o:p></p>
