Samantha Felton successfully defended her title in the NZ Horse & Pony National Young Event Horse Championship, winning the 2017 class with Ricker Ridge Riley. Sam won last year on Ricker Ridge Mystery Man and was also second on Sooty GNZ. Her groom, Maddie Banks, rode Riley in the 2016 four-year-old class, coming sixth. But this year Riley was the only horse Sam rode in the class and she had confidence that he could do well as “he is a real all-rounder.”
Riley is a five-year-old warmblood by Donnerubin and out of Rosetta. The horse is another Sam purchased off John Twomey, having already developed a very successful partnership with another from him, Ricker Ridge Escada, who is competing this weekend in the CIC3*. This time, however, John can only take the credit for breeding the horse as Sam and her team have done all the work since she and her mother saw Riley as a foal.
“Mum and I were at EquiBreed one day and noticed this really lovely upstanding foal,” Sam says. “He had a lovely-looking face and was very inquisitive. John had already left the country and they were not quite sure what to do with him, so we bought him. It was quite a random thing to do but looks like it has paid off.”
Riley has already had some good placings out eventing, including fourth in his first one-star class at Puhinui. He is too young to compete in the FEI classes here at the Taupo Three-Day Event. “He has done very well, he has been consistent from the start. He’s got such a great personality, he’s such a dude. It would be lovely to get an owner involved now,” said Sam, who depends on good support from owners and sponsors to keep going in her sport.
Artist, ridden by Monica Oakley, finished in second place, and also won the NZ Horse & Pony prize for the best registered thoroughbred. He is by Guillotine out of Maxamore. Third was Dark Envy, who also won the AMS Saddlery prize as the best four-year-old, ridden by Laken Rose of Dannevirke.
The best mare was Cutting Edge, ridden by Vicky Browne-Cole.
Full Results: NZ Horse & Pony Young Event Horse National Championship 2017: Samantha Felton (Matangi) Ricker Ridge Riley 81.18% 1, Monica Oakley (Waipukurau) Artist 78.97% 2, Laken Rose (Dannevirke) Dark Envy 78.48% 3, Amanda Pottinger (Havelock North) Timeless 77.29% 4, Brent Jury (Cust) SE Gorky Park 77.11% 5, Tayla Mason (Paraparaumu) Centennial 76.84% 6.
AMS Saddlery Best Four-Year-Old: Laken Rose (Dannevirke) Dark Envy
NZ Horse & Pony Best Mare: Vicky Browne-Cole (Waiuku) Cutting Edge
NZ Horse & Pony Best Registered Thoroughbred: Monica Oakley (Waipukurau) Artist
