Olympic riders scoring well

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 41

Olympic riders scoring well

GETS

TALK

Despite lacking their top rides, the Olympic riders, Harvey Wilson and Maurice Beatson, are scoring well on their second string horses as the spring show jumping season comes to an end. While Beatson scored in the first and second rounds of the Kiwi Lager World Cup series at Gisborne, where he won, and Hastings where he was placed, Wilson made his first appearance in the third round at Carterton, where he was second. However, in the fourth competition in the series at Palmerston North, Wilson had a win to put him in the lead. Beatson is third and the Olympic pair are divided by one of the younger riders in contention, Angela Illston. There are three rounds still to go in the series, with a trip to the World Cup Final at Tampa, Florida, next April as the winner’s incentive.

With the probability of bigger scores in the final three rounds — the points tally depends on the number of starters in each round — the situation has every chance of changing dramatically. The riders will total the points from their best three rounds, so some of the earlier scores might well be discarded.

Beatson ■ and Jefferson Junior, his Olympic horse, won at Bay of Plenty last year and he will be looking for a double on one of this other horses, Minalinka or Home Guard. Jefferson Junior arrived home with the rest of the Olympic team horses only this week, so is unlikely to start at Tauranga. Wilson’s Olympic horse, Crosby, has gone to England as the advance guard of a Wilson family assault on the English circuit next year, so he will be depending on Broadway and Mayday. But they will both have to contend with Illston on Cavatina, who is hanging on determinedly at the top of the points table. The Canterbury Saddlery Dressage with Jumping day, being held on December 17 by the Canterbury Area of the Horse Society, will bring its 1988 season to a close. Closing date for entries has been extended to this Friday because of small entries so far. Charlie Micklem, a well-

known English horse trial instructor, is taking lessons this week at the National Equestrian Centre, McLeans Island, because of a cancellation of the Ashburton course. He will return to Christchurch from January 2 to 6. Next season’s horse trials will start with another dressage with jumping day on February 4. The Guthrey’s travel open novice horse trials circuit will run in conjunction with the Pony Club area trials, ending with the novice class at the group’s one-day horse trial on Anzac Day at Riccarton Racecourse. The annual two-day horse trial will once again return to its usual time of Queen’s Birthday week-end, June 3 and 4.

On the first day of the Ayton Printpak Canterbury Dressage Championships, held last week-end at the South Island Equestrian Centre, McLeans Island, Pam McGregor (Ashburton), riding Kestrel, one of the top advanced combinations in the country, won both the Prix St George and Grand Prix. Sally Field-Dodgson on Huntaway and Sue Wells on Aztec came in second and third in the Prix St George, but these placings were reversed in the Grand Prix. Fourth in the Prix St George was Marion Petrie on Doongara.

However, on Sunday, Aztec came out on top in the Intermediate 11, which earned him F.E.I. dressage points in the national competition. But Pam McGregor’s two wins on Saturday gave her the advanced championship, with Aztec and Huntaway equal reserve.

Other grade winners: Medium: E. McKenzie’s Fijo and G. Thompson’s Sorbonne equal, K. Boon’s Bezique reserve. Elementary: S. Field-Dodg-son’s Amaco and Zorba, champion and reserve respectively. Novice: S. Wigley's Sea Law, S. Chart’s Stanza reserve.

Preliminary: C. Hamer’s Athena, J. Adair’s Dashing Fox reserve. A newcomer to the dressage scene, Dashing Fox, impressed the judges, and achieved two wins, one of these earning him the Ayton Printpak Cup for the highest

percentage score (74 per cent) over all grades in the tournament.

The Yeti memorial trophy for the highest percentage score in the musical freestyle classes was awarded to Sally Field-Dodgson’s Huntaway. Starting with good weather on both days, the over-all impression gained was that the championship was a great success and ran smoothly, with few hiccups. The irrigation of the ground had certainly made riding conditions much better than otherwise would have been the case. Full results:

Preliminary 1.3 (a): V. Caldwell’s Command Performance 1; G. Evan’s Sterling 2; L. Snellex’s Rustler and L. Sandford’s Maple Park Cologne 3 equal. Preliminary 1.3 (b): A. Geddes’ Magnum Hunter 1; K. Menzies’ Ipswich 2; E. Bell’s Paddington Bear and L. Cullen’s Larcomb 3 equal. Preliminary (c): J. Harley’s Pacemaker 1; C. Hamer's Athena 2; J. Hill’s The Craftsman and A. Saunders’ Ashley Rosella 3 equal. Novice 2.2 (a): C. Schaffer’s Kibbutz and G. Thomson’s Lochinvar 1 equal; A. Logan’s Glenwood Chief 3.

Novice 2.2 (b): S. Chart’s Stanza 1; S. Wigley’s Sea Law and H. Barrer’s War Lord 2 equal.

Constance Carroll elementary freestyle: L. Inglis’s Kildonan Disco 1; S. Field-Dodg-son’s Amaco 2; C. French’s Mission 3.

Medium 4.3: G. Thompson’s Sorbonne 1; K. Boon’s Bezique 2; J. Mitchell’s Kinross 3. Prix St George: P. McGregor’s Kestrel 1; S. Well’s Az-

tec 2; S> Field-Dodgson’s Huntaway 3.

Grand Prix: Kestrel 1; Huntaway 2; Aztec 3. Preliminary 1.4 (a): Paddington Bear 1; J. Stobart’s Fandango 2; The Craftsman 3.

Preliminary 1.4 (b): Z. Chart’s Alf 1; Magnum Hunter, P. Sinclair’s Libby and W. Adams’ Ginger Ray 2 equal. Preliminary 1.4 (c): Athena 1; T. Parris’ Spartagus 2; S. Horn’s Delight 3.

Novice 2.5 (a): Stanza 1; Ipswich 2; T. Archbald’s Oakville 3.

Novice 2.5 (b): Sea Law; Kibbutz 2; K. Marsh’s Sieg-

fried 3. Elementary 3.3: Kibbutz 1; S. Field-Dodgson’s Zorba 2; J. Stobart’s William the Red 3. Constance Carroll medium freestyle: Bezique 1; Kinross 2; Fijo 3. Advanced 5.1: Doongara 1; S. Alleyne’s The Reverend 2; P. Ydgren’s Jazz 3. Junior elementary . 3.2: Stanza 1; E. Stoothoffs Second Thoughts 2; A. Vincent’s Penny Lane 3. Preliminary 1.5 (a): R. Ayton’s Sir Walter 1; Athena 2; P. Ayton’s Galway Gilpin 3. Preliminary 1.5 (b): J. Adair’s Dashing Fox 1; Fandango 2; Pacemaker 3. Preliminary 1.5 (c): Libby and Oscar 1 equal; Quadro’s Jewel 3.

Novice 2.3 (a): Kibbutz 1; E. Liddell’s Bahrain 2; K. Gardner's Costalot 3. Novice 2.3 (b): Sea Law 1; K. Gardner’s Diplomat 2; Libby 3. Elementary 3.1: Sea Law 1; Amaco 2; Kibbutz and J. Lamb’s Le Havre 3 equal. Medium 4.1: Fijo 1; Zorba 2; M. Turner’s Baroque 3. Open freestyle: Huntaway 1; Kestrel 2; Aztec 3. Preliminary 1.1 (a): Athena 1; C. Schaffer’s Devilment 2; P. Ydgren’s Good Heavens and K. Buckley’s Scotts Grey 3 equal. Preliminary 1.1 (b): S. Goldsmith’s Surprise Package 1; Fandango 2; A. Vincent's Cadbury.

Preliminary 1.1 (c): Dashing Fox 1; Larcomb 2; Quadro’s Jewel 3.

Constance Carroll novice freestyle: Fandango 1; Magnum Hunter 2; J. Mackenzie’s Quintille 3.

Elementary 3.5: Zorba and Amaco 1 equal; T. Ball’s Coptic 3. Medium 4.5: Sorbonne 1; Fijo 2; Allamond 3. Intermediate II: Aztec 1; Kestrel 2; Huntaway 3. The 1987-88 New Zealand riding pony performance competition place-getters were: A. Brown's Golden Girl 1; N. Shore's Poutokoroa Little Meg 2; J. Bells’ Gypsy Rose 3; M. Armstrong’s Drummacott Fairtale 4; T. Giles’ Kelly’s Legend 5; Ataahua Elite 6. Both parents registered: Drummacott Fairytale 1; Ataahua Elite 2; Tara-Jayne Stapleton’s Wardendale Countess 3. Provincial winners: Marlborough, Kelly’s Legend 1; Canterbury, Golden Girl 2; Otago, Poutokoroa Little Meg 3. Most versatile pony: Gypsy Rose. Height winners: 147.5 cm, Kelly’s Legend 1; 137.5 cm, Golden Girl 2; 127.5 cm, Little Meg 3. Four members of the Oxford Pony Club passed their D certificate recently. They were Lauren Johnson, Michelle Doody, Nicole Kerr and Rosslyn Mcleod. In the 1987-88 national Welsh performance competition, the Clifton Trophy was won by Murfre Allbright, ridden by Melance Smeath, of Ashburton. Second was Wellington. ridden by Kirsty Shaw, also of Ashburton, and Helen McGrath (Oxford) won the Committee Shield for versatility, riding Glendale Timothy.