HORSE TALK

Press, 11 July 1979, Page 16

HORSE TALK

For Sonya Glennie and Brandon from Wanganui, the winning of the national one-day and threeday events concluded a successful season, they having already competed in the New Zealand pony club championships. The pair won the Forest Gate Trophy, held at Tokokino, for the second successive year, heating in convincing style Blyth Tait’s Santorini (Whangarei) and Mrs G. Wood's Southern Comfort (Hawke’s Bay) ridden by Sue Thompson. The visiting South Island horses were unplaced.

The Waiteko Trophy for intermediate horses ( was won by the experienced Nicoli Fife (Putaruru) on Truxton with the second place going to Hamish Cameron (Wairarapa) on Lucky Chance. This conbination had recently w r on the A.I. Cup at the pony club championships and the New Zealand Equitation final. Third was Susan Herbert (Auckland) on Kestral. The former Blenheim horse, Sutherland's Law, is going well for his new owner, Mary Hamilton, one of the New Zealand riders to compete in Kentucky, and was placed second in the novice event. Heavy course

Heavy rain played havoc with the Wills New Zealand three day event held in Dannevirke, causing the course to be shortened by 800 m by cutting out the crossings of the swollen Tuki Tuki River. A record 29 entries started in the open class. Brandon held third place at the end of the dressage phase, behind Truxton and the Southland rider, Sharon MacFarlane, on Callanlight. Only 1.1 penalties separated these three riders. Clear in all endurance phases on the second day, Brandon went into the lead from Truxton and Joanne Abram’s Raszarda (Auckland) and Kim Boyce’s Odette (Tokoroa). In the final day’s show jumping phase, Brandon produced one of nine clear rounds to win on his dressage score of 25.1 penalties.

Raszarda moved up to second place with a clear round and final score of 29.4, followed by Odette, also clear to finish with 32.4. In dropping two rails in the show jumping, Truxton dropped down to ninth place.

Of the South Island horses competing, Callenlight went well for eighth place, while the fairly inexperienced Willoughby, ridden by Kathy Taylor (South Canterbury), went, well for thirteenth place, being newly up-

graded. Willoughby was clear on the endurance day, apart from 16.4 cross-country time faults, and dropped a rail in the show jumping. The Ashburton rider, Mrs Marlene Letham, did not fare so well on Cyclone, having a heavy crash in the steeplechase phase and spending a night in hospital.

Deidre Hosking (Otago) on Elka was eliminated in the cross-country, while Gary Sellar (Southland) oit Navajo, after going well in the endurance phase withdrew before the show jumping with suspected tendon trouble. The Wills Novice class with 24 starters provided an exciting close scoring finish with Lynly Fife (Putaruru) on Tomalin holding her dressage lead throughout the three days to win on her dressage score of 13.9 penalties. Second place went to the promising Sutherland’s Law with 19.3, followed closely by Miss D. Gordon’s Lady Mission, ridden by Debbie Atkinson (Inglewood), with 20.1. Two South Island horses competed. Sally Clarke’s Rauwhiti (Otago) completed the course, collecting 30 penalties in the cross-country and 30 in the show-jumping. Lynda MacDonald's Hurricane, from Mosgiel, after a pen-alty-free first roads and tracks and steeplechase, retired in the second roads and tracks. At last In winning the Atlantic Silver Stirtups open horse two-day event at his third attempt. Dusky Bay, ridden by Mrs Florence West (Loburn), was indeed pop- i ular in his success as victory in this event has always just eluded him. Competing in his first two-day event in 1972, Dusky Bay won the novice class. In 1973 he was second in the open class to the Southland horse, Silver Idol, ridden by Malcolm McCall. An unfortunate injury saw him scratched the next year, while in 1975 at the Wills New Zealand three-day event at Riccarton Racecourse. a bad crash at the last cross-country fence put paid to his chances.

Bad weather cancelled out the 1976 two-day event, but in 1977, success once again eluded Dusky Bay when he finished second again, this time to Julies Foster's Windsor Grey.

Again attempting to win that elusive “big one” at Riccarton in 1978, Dusky Bay was second in the Wills New Zealand open three-day event. However, 1979 was his year and a well deserved win.