Briar Notches Mighty Win in Gisborne
Saturday, 25 January 2014

Briar Burnett-Grant cast aside self-doubt to win the FEI Children’s International Showjumping Competition this morning (Saturday) at the Larsen Sawmilling North Island Championships in Gisborne.

The 13-year-old from Taupo entered the last day of the competition on four faults and had gone to bed last night without dinner and “completely depressed”.

“I just didn’t think it was going to be possible to get past the boys who were both clear,” she said of Matthew Irvine (Hawke’s Bay) and Tom Moffett (Hawke’s Bay).

Irvine and Fun House led into the fourth and final round, having gone clear in the three previous, but an unlucky rail changed everything, and Burnett-Grant had the luxury of following the two leaders.

Never one to waste time, she guided the 17-year-old Mighty Maximus around the course, cutting every corner possible and taking fences at the tightest of angles.

And it all paid off, when she crossed through the finish flags clear, giving her a total of four faults over the four rounds with a time of 92.05 seconds from the two speed rounds.

Irvine had to settle for second with his four faults and 96.67 seconds.

Steffi Whittaker (Christchurch) and Moonlight Glow got up for third with her four faults in 96.9, Moffett was fourth with four faults in 99.54 and Molly Buist-Brown (Christchurch) aboard Pull the Trigger II fifth with four faults in 103.6.

The New Zealand team – of Burnett-Grant, Irvine, Whittaker and Buist-Brown – finished up with 12 faults from the three best scores.

Burnett-Grant must now wait to see if her score is the best in this region – comprising New Zealand, Australia and Japan – earning her the right to head to the world final in Mexico later in the year.

The teenager has twice won the New Zealand competition, and once the Australian one, and the only time she went to the world final she finished seventh.

It is the last year she can enter the competition and she says she was determined to do well.

“I saw Steffi go and knew I had to really go fast as she had gone quick but was still in second place.”

Burnett-Grant admits even she got a little bit scared going into the second to last, but praised the efforts of Maximus who got them out of trouble.

The competition is for 12-14 year olds, with combinations the world over jumping the same course, and the top 20-or-so heading to the final in Mexico.

Results -

FEI Children’s International Showjumping Competition: Briar Burnett-Grant (Taupo) Mighty Maximus 1, Matthew Irvine (Hawke’s Bay) Fun House 2, Steffi Whittaker (Christchurch) Moonlight Glow 3, Tom Moffett (Hawke’s Bay) Tane Mahuta 4, Molly Buist-Brown (Christchurch) Pull the Trigger II 5.