Great start to World Cup Festival

Some great jumping, some fresh horses, rain, wind and sun featured at the first day of the Continental Cars Audi World Cup Festival.

Katie Laurie started her show in ominous form, making up for a bit of a horror run she has had at the last couple of shows. Katie puts the change in fortunes down to hay. “We changed our hay, the last lot was quite green and the horses all went silly on it! We’ve changed a few other things, mainly the hay and taken them off the grass.”  The new diet certainly was paying dividends today with Katie winning both the classes she competed in.

As to who she might be picking for the big class, the final of the World Cup Series which will be held on Sunday, Katie was very pleased with Dunstan Breeze. “She felt really good today.”

The last class on the card today in the Continental Cars Premier Arena was the 1m Pony Grand Prix and the competition was fierce. While many riders had parents, coaches and supporters getting them ready and commiserating or celebrating with them as they came out of the arena, the winner was here all by herself. Sasha Kyd, from Waiuku is at the show by herself. “Dad is a dairy farmer, and he dropped me off this morning and will come and pick me up on Sunday. He has to milk the cows!”

On her keen grey pony Cha Ching, she recorded the fastest clear round, after doing some great corners and riding really forward to the jumps. Sasha just has the one pony she is competing on over the weekend, and she obviously treasures Cha Ching.

Another treasured pony, Tony the Pony, looked very impressive in the earlier class over 1.15 in the Fiber Fresh class. Ally still has another season on ponies, but is contemplating making the step up onto the hacks, already competing one, and has to face the decision whether to keep her ponies going another season or take the plunge onto horses. But in the meantime, she is in awesome form on Tony, and we look forward to seeing what else they can do in whatever time they have together.

The show starts again at 8am in the morning, with a big programme to get through but it should be a fabulous day of jumping.

Results

Pacific Motor Group Pony 1m Grand Prix
1 – CHA CHING & Sasha Kyd
2 – WILFUL & Madison Jackson
3 – SINBAD THE SAILOR (CR2) & Yazmin Todd
4 – LORD JIMMY & Sophie Forster
5 – MF SPOT ON & Kirsty Browne

Harney Teas Horse 90cm AM5 2 phase

1 – LADY GAGA & Hester Gerrand
2 – SMITTEN & Nicholas Beal
3 – CHARLOTTE ANNE & Emma Gaze
4 – ASTEK GANDALF & Abigail Smithies
5 – MR. SANDMAN (CR2) & Olivia Brown Douglas
6 – PITTORI & Courtney Agent

Lothlorien Wines Open Horse 1.20m (Part of Continental Cars Audi New Zealand Championship Series)
1 – SHOWTYM STARDUST & Ellie Bestwick
2 – BRENWOOD PURE BLONDE & Briar Woolley
3 – DOUBLE SHOTT & Drew Carson
4 – STRIKING GLADIATOR & Elise Stables
5 – IN DISGUISE & Clarke Johnstone

FMG Young Rider Series AM5 Sponsored by DOM Health
1 – FIBER FRESH VEROANA & Briar Burnett-Grant
2 – ULYSSES NZPH & Lily Tootill
3 – ALL EXPENSES OF RENTON & Nakeysha Lammers
4 – SNOW STORM & Mikayla Herbert
5 – MR JERRACO & Josephine Schermacher Larsen
6 – AMARULA MVNZ & Keean Cooper

Torque Digital Horse 1.10m (Part of Continental Cars Audi NZ Championship Series) AM5 2 phase
1 – WAITANGI ATTACHMENT & Cerene Marsh
1 – BUNNY HOP & Jessica Collinson
2 – LC SHOWTYM CASSINII & Vicki Wilson
2 – SHOWTYM STARDUST & Ellie Bestwick
3 – REDCLIFFS B & W PURE HEART & Kate Hewlett
3 – REDCLIFFS ARMANI & Vicki Wilson
4 – NGAHIWI RUMOUR HAS IT & Maddison Marshall
4 – DOSTI SHAYARI & Oliver Croucher
5 – FIBER FRESH CASALLITA & Briar Burnett-Grant
5 – MISTER MACLOUD & Laura Mcgregor

Woodview Construction Horse 1.35m Classic AM5