N.Z. leads world equestrian event

Press, 24 May 1986, Page 8

N.Z. leads world equestrian event

Special correspondent In its first full-blooded assault on the world championship, the New Zealand team has taken the lead after the first phase, the dressage, at the world three-day equestrian event at Gawler, South Australia.

Mark Todd, the Olympic champion and New Zealand’s big hope for the individual title, caused a big cheer around the dressage arena at Gawler race course when his mount, Woolrest Charisma, produced an at times nervewracking test, but one good enough to earn him 49.2 penalty points which put him in the lead.

That, however, was short lived as the American, Torrence Fleischmann, on Finvarra, was next to ride and the combination eclipsed TdfjJ’s performance to score

The second New Zealand team member to ride yesterday, Tinks Pottinger, got the best out of her big horse, Volunteer, to score 54.4 points, good enough for equal seventh position. With Chief and Merran Hain scoring 59.6 penalties on the first day on Thursday, New Zealand, with a score of 163.2, leads the team section. The American team’ of Fleischmann, Derek Di Grazia (52.2 and fourth equal): Karen Lende (66.2 and equal 23rd with a New Zealander, Trudy Boyce) is second with 164.4 penalties. Great Britain’s team of Loma Clarke, lan Stark, the Badminton champion, and Virginia Leng (plus Clarissa Strachan, whose dressage score is the lowest of the four riders), is in third place, mpe poinjjbehind the Americans.