Mrs Lamb adds to record

Press, 10 November 1983, Page 24

Mrs Lamb adds to record

All the skills which have put her in the New Zealand team were required by Southland’s Mrs Ngaire Lamb, riding Naudu, to win the first main showjumping competition of the Canter- ■ bury A. and P. show yesterday. The win, in the table AMS event for A and B grade horses, extended Mrs Lamb’s winning sequence from last year’s show in which she won all three A grade titles. Her victory, yesterday, however, was by no means easily achieved. Eight horses, including Miss June Creswell’s Tzigany and lan Bell’s Golan Heights, were , clear after the first round and were required to ride over a shortened, raised course of six jumps. Chances of a Canterbury victory looked good after Tzigany completed the round in 35.85, in spite of tapping both the first and last fences, but it was not to be.

Mrs Donna Smith, riding Ernie Mite, a distinctive piebald, was the first to better the time. Mrs Smith took her chances by taking most fences at an angle, pushing Ernie Mite steadily

around the course and dealing cleverly with the treble, which was approached by a 180 degree turn. But it was Mrs Lamb who had the final say. She balanced Naudu beautifully, cut comers deceptively and angled the big bay over the last jump to finish with the best clear time of 34.55.

If there was one unlucky rider it was Julie Srhoy, with Samuel, the second last pair to ride. The young Ashburton woman pushed Samuel desperately hard, rapping fences on the way to the fastest time of the day, and it was with much disappointment that the crowd saw a rail drop on the last fence. Miss Srhoy, however, had her revenge in the Hamster Basket power and speed jumping, the next event. Samuel, slightly smaller than many of the other horses, was again in top form and produced a fast, dashing round, this time without a rail down. Mrs Smith shared second with lan Bell and Golan Heights, with Lex Peddie, on Palanger, fourth. Kate Hom, on Falconite, took the honours in the A and B grade pony Gamblers’ Stakes.