In a classy display on the flat, the Australian visitors have the upper hand in the Land Rover CCI4* at Hastings at the conclusion of the dressage phase.
Australian riders are sitting first, second, fourth and fifth individually, with team rider Andrew Barnett and Go Tosca (ABOVE) the top of the pile, scoring an average of 72.36% for a penalty score of 27.6, and Oliver Barrett is second on Sandshills Special, just 0.4 behind.
In the Oceania Championship, with the best three scores counting, the Senior Australian team have a total of 89.4 at this early stage, just ahead of the New Zealand team with 90.6 penalties.
The best performance from home side came from Madison Seivwright and Waitangi Pinterest (BELOW), who scored 28.7 and are individually third. Charlotte Penny and Festival are fifth equal, on a score of 30.8, with Shane Rose and Virgil – despite being the most experienced of the Aussies, Shane is riding as an individual. Christen Lane and Bellhaven Cumbria are seventh on 31.1.
There was significant discrepancy in the judging, howver, with only one of the three placing Andrew first. One judge had him just sixth. Shane’s ride was also polarising, with one judge placing him first, one third, and one just eighth.
In the Fiber Fresh CCI3*, which includes the Young Rider Oceania competition, the New Zealand team is ahead by 3.5 penalties, with the best three scores counting.
Australian team rider Olivia Shore with Dreamcatcher are first individually, on 28.1, having top scored with all three judges. But the young Kiwis were very consistent: Bridie Quigley and Oranoa Greyson are in fifth place on 33.4, closely followed by Mackenzie Marlo and CHS Diplomat who are sixth on 33.8, Mia Gilbert and Schnapps MH, who are seventh on 34, and Scout Lodder and Overnight Success, who are ninth equal on 36.9.
The other Australian team riders are down the scoreboard at 12th (Molly Lines and Tadpole), 13th (Mackenzie Walch and Eliva Corduroy) and 15th (Bethany Hirst and Sandhills Bliss).
In the individual stakes, Alena Dorotich and Cassiana Xtreme are second in the three-star class on 31.4, and Donna Edwards-Smith is third with DSE Tommy Thomson on 31.8.
