NZ EQUESTRIAN News


Plenty of Competition in World Cup Opener in Hawke’s Bay
Thursday, 22 October 2015


The cream of New Zealand’s showjumpers line up on Friday in the opening round of one of the most important series in the nation.

The Ultra•Mox FEI World Cup New Zealand series gets under way on Friday at the Hawke’s Bay A and P Show.

Eleven top combinations have entered, including former series winners Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) and Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) who in past years have both travelled to the world final.

Last year’s series winner Laurie – New Zealand’s best placed finisher at a world cup final with her sixth equal in 2011 aboard Dunstan Delphi – lines up Dunstan Breeze and Dunstan Lucca at Hawke’s Bay.

“They have both been jumping really well,” says four-time series winner Laurie, who will be without her former Horse of the Year winner Dunstan Springfield for much of the first half of the season.

He got a small infection in a leg and needs time for it to heal before he can come back to competition.

Ten Year old Breeze had just two world cup starts last season for a third and fourth, while nine-year-old Lucca finished fourth in his only start.

“I think Helen is going to be a very strong competitor and one to beat this year,” she said.

She’s talking about Helen McNaught-McFarlane who may have only been in New Zealand just over a year but has more than made her presence felt.

The two duelled it out constantly last season, with Laurie winning the series by just five points ahead of her British rival aboard her nine-year-old grey Carnutelabryere – or Brian as he is generally known.

McNaught-McFarlane (Taupo) is looking forward to the series.

“I never have any big expectations of Brian,” she says. “If he is sound and happy and I do my job then I expect him to do as well as he can.”

Brian won the grand prix at the recent Equidays, so heads to the show in good form.

Dannevirke farmer Beatson has Conyers and Schimmel Warrior entered.
Schimmel also won a recent grand prix.

“I’d just like to win as many as I can,” says Beatson. “One day I would like to go back to the world final.”

Also entered are young guns Rose Alfeld (Christchurch) aboard My Super Nova, Olivia Robertson (North Canterbury) on Ngahiwi Cisco and Jesse Linton (Hastings) on Strathcarron Zaurak – all of whom can be very dangerous on any given day.

Former Lady Rider of the Year Lucy Akers (Opiki) has Tinapai starting, while Paula Mussen (Pukekohe) is in on KK Tane Mahuta and Josh Barker
(Auckland) is entered on Eros K.

The next world cup round is at Mystery Creek (October 31-November1), followed by Feilding (December 4-5), Taupo’s Christmas Classic (December 16-20) and Dannevirke (January 8-10), with the final at Waitemata (January 15-17).

The best four rounds will count in the series. The winner of the New Zealand league has the opportunity to represent the country at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2015/2016 Final which is being held in Gothenburg, Sweden from March 23-28, 2016.