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Bundy Philpott has had the biggest win of her eventing career, with victory in the Honda NZ CCI3* on Tresca NZPH. The pair were third going into the show jumping, but advanced to the winner’s spot on the podium when Corey Wood and Pick Up Line picked up quite a few rails, and Emily Cammock and Shaw Lee rubbed one jump just a little too hard and had a rail down.
“My focus was on doing my job. These guys are all good friends of mine and we all wish each other well,” says Bundy.
She has had the eleven-year-old Tresca NZPH since he was four. “I’m not quick at producing young horses, I like them to go slowly at their pace, but he has been easy to produce.
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“I have some amazing coaches: I work with Vaughn Jefferis, you can’t get much better. He is to-the-point and straightforward and makes sure the job gets done.” As for dressage, it was a quinella for coach Christine Weal, who helps both Emily and Bundy with their work.
Tresca NZPH is now destined for a holiday and will come back into work in time for the Kihikihi three-star, in which he and Bundy were second last year.
While disappointed, Emily is very upbeat about her horse and finishing second. “He was great, he jumped super-well; it was just one of those things. I probably didn’t get quite as good a distance and it came down.” Emily says she covered all bases this weekend: “I’ve done the whole round of highs and lows, thrills and spills!”
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Corey, too, is delighted with his placing and his horse. He is aiming for Taupo three-day next year, but as he works as the stock manager on a dairy runoff block, he keeps pretty busy. While he was born in the North Island, he has settled in the South Island and doesn’t plan on shifting. “I’m an outdoors man, I enjoy my rugby, or going out pig hunting and there is plenty available.” Corey seems to have some regrets that he isn’t allowed to take ‘Sarge’ out pig-hunting any more; he has shot pigs while riding him and “he’s had a few pigs thrown on his back before – he’s multi-talented.”
1 |
Tresca NZPH |
Bundy Philpott |
62.6 |
2 |
Shaw Lee |
Emily Cammock |
64 |
3 |
Pick Up Line |
Corey Wood |
77.6 |
4 |
Rubinstar HH |
Renee Faulkner |
82.4 |
5 |
Ricker Ridge Divine Right |
Samantha Felton |
85.4 |
Honda New Zealand CCI** Young Rider
Jackson Bovill has a party to organise, as not only did he win the Young Rider title, he also turned 21 on Saturday. As his friend Nick Brooks says, “It is the worst luck having an 8am trot-up on the Sunday morning after your 21st!” However, it sounds like there will be a good party coming up.
Jackson was delighted to win the Young Rider on what was his last chance to fit into the age criteria. He set out on the show jumping round on a mission, and rode a fast clear (the only one in the class), finishing on his dressage score and taking the win when the overnight leader, Sophie Alexander on World Famous, had two rails. “I can be a bit cautious, I’ve even been called a nana, so didn’t want to make a mistake or have time faults,” he says.
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Jackson is a full-time student at Waikato University, studying marketing and communications. He has one year to go and will then be looking for a job. Visionnaire is his only horse. “I love having just one to focus on, and she is very special,” he says.
Visionnaire also won the Best Mare in Show award: “An awesome bonus,” says Jackson.
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1 |
Visionnaire |
Jackson Bovill |
50.3 |
2 |
Alto et Audax |
Beth Wilson |
54.3 |
3 |
Delta Legacy |
Kimberley Rear |
55.7 |
4 |
World Famous |
Sophie Alexander |
58.1 |
5 |
Pintado Prima Rosa |
Gemma Hampson |
64 |
CCI2*
Clarke Johnstone’s top form continued into the Puhinui event, and he took out the two-star competition on Kate Wood’s Wolf Whistle II, finishing on his dressage score. Clarke thought he may have been lucky to be let into first place, after being third after dressage, but did say he thought he had a good chance coming into the competition. “He is quite experienced at this level and I was certainly hoping to do well.”
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Wolf Whistle is another horse for sale, and Clarke says that he is doing the best he can to help his good friend Kate with that. Kate herself was very excited with the win. “I have had just as much – if not more – enjoyment with Clarke riding my horse than I did competing him myself!” Kate, having two young children, working and also on the ESNZ Eventing board, just doesn’t have the time “to even change a horse’s cover” so decided to get Clarke to ride Wolf Whistle. “Clarke was the obvious choice; it is so cool to have a horse with the ultimate professional.” While the decision was made 12 months ago, Clarke and the horse haven’t done much competing together, with Clarke being out with injury for a while.
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1 |
Wolf Whistle II |
Clarke Johnstone |
47.8 |
2 |
Lyrical |
Angela Lloyd |
63.5 |
3 |
Your Attorney |
Diane Gilder |
64.1 |
4 |
For Fame |
Nick Brooks |
69.5 |
5 |
Apteryx |
Kyle Calder |
72.1 |
NZ Horse & Pony CCN105
Ten-year-old Scout Lodder was a very popular winner of our sponsored class. While Scout had to overcome withdrawing her beloved Pioneer Makokomiko at the final trot-up when they were in second place after cross-country, it was the seven-year-old Overnight Success who came through for her to finish on their dressage score and take the win. The crowd was very quiet as she show jumped, and quite a few were holding their breath, too, but everyone erupted when she jumped everything clear.
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Scout herself said she was very nervous going into the arena. “I was shaking and it wasn’t until I got over the third fence that it started to feel good!”
Dannie, Scout’s mother, was finding it impossible to stay still on the sideline, and said afterwards that it was the worst feeling ever!
“I had no control! I just want her to be happy.”
Scout certainly was happy, with the biggest grin in Auckland. The Bombay school pupil (in year 6) was also looking forward to the holidays which start in a week. “We’re going to the beach and taking the ponies!”
Rowan Dixon was delighted to be on hand to award the prize to Scout, noting that it was only a couple of years ago that she presented the prize to Dannie.
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1 |
Overnight Success |
Scout Lodder |
27.5 |
2 |
Good Timing |
Amanda ‘Muzi’ Pottinger |
33.4 |
3 |
Henton Armada |
Christen Lane |
33.6 |
4 |
Mr Tambourine Man |
Ingrid Herdson |
34.5 |
5 |
El Novio |
Sarah Bleakley |
36.4 |
Vet Associates CCI1*
While Emily had the disappointment of an expensive rail in the Honda CCI3*, she had the elation of a great win in the one-star class, adding just 0.8 to her dressage score to lead from go to whoa. Her very cute horse, Impeccable, didn’t put a foot wrong. Emily was thrilled with him. “It has been by far the biggest event he has ever been to and he was overawed by it all, but when it came time to do his job, he just knuckled down and did it.” The horse is on the market, but after this weekend’s performance, the plan could be changed to syndicate him.
There was great hilarity over the whole event while riders competed to plug their horses for sale at the press conferences – but we’re picking that a few who were for sale might not be anymore – and some which weren’t for sale now are!
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Aleisha Collett show jumped well to cap off a great performance all weekend with Mi Focus in the Vet Associates CCI1*. It was even sweeter for Aleisha, as her talented mare only recently came back from an 18-month injury break.
1 |
Impeccable |
Emily Cammock |
44.2 |
2 |
Mi Focus |
Aleisha Collett |
47.7 |
3 |
Equador MW |
Sarah Young |
49.7 |
4 |
Anonymous |
Abby Lawrence |
51.1 |
5 |
Ricker Ridge Mystery Man |
Samantha Felton |
52.6 |
DEVI Heating Systems CCI*J
Kate Herdson was another who led from go to whoa and finished on her dressage score with her beautiful gelding, Eon. “He’s good at it all,” says Kate of the well-bred horse, a Hanoverian by El Bundy out of a Distelfink mare. “Perhaps he finds the dressage a bit boring now and then, and adds his own moves in.”
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Eon was bred by Sarah Milne and has some famous relations, including John Twomey’s Highly Recommended, and Springfield, who finished third in the World Cup qualifier in Sydney with Katie Laurie this weekend.
He will have a holiday now and then Kate will prepare him for the autumn season, doing more show jumping and aiming for the 2* at Taupo at the end of the season.
1 |
Eon |
Kate Herdson |
45.3 |
2 |
Telestory |
Caroline Howell |
62.1 |
3 |
Absolou |
Fenella Carter |
63.3 |
4 |
Amazing Spy |
Vicky Browne-Cole |
65.2 |
5 |
Wairoa Renegade |
Elizabeth Wylaars |
77.9 |
Thompson Electrical CNC1*
Amanda Illston won the CNC1* class on Verdelho. “I’ve been training hard for this, I knew I was on a good jumper, and he jumped well all weekend.” Amanda bred the Littorio eight-year-old herself, having taken his mother to advanced. “He didn’t get broken in until he was four and then I had my two children, so he has only had light work. While his mum wasn’t that good on the flat, he is the whole package. He’s got the temperament as well as the talent.”
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His half-sister, Henton Armada, was third in the CCN105 and Amanda also has two younger siblings at home, including a four-year-old by Senator VDL, the sire of Balmoral Sensation. Before you get excited about ringing Amanda to make an offer, she is very clear about her young horses and Verdelho. “Not for sale,” she says.
1 |
Verdelho |
Amanda Illston |
33.2 |
2 |
Blazer |
Devon Prangley |
37.6 |
3 |
Orion Star |
Erica Alderton |
43.1 |
4 |
Voluminous |
Elleysha Eastell |
43.7 |
5 |
Samalam |
Lily Macintosh |
46 |
Bucas Rugs CNC 105
Anne-Marie Styles and Giocattolo were both back in the winner’s spot, although this is the first time they have been in it together! Anne-Marie has won many events over the years, and Giocattolo won the one-star class here last year when ridden by Andy Daines. The horse has had quite a bit of time off over the last 12 months and has recently been purchased by a young rider, Charlotte Penny. The Penny family decided Anne-Marie would compete the horse while Charlotte finished off with her pony. “He was great, so good at all three phases,” Anne-Marie says.
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1 |
Giocattolo |
Anne-Marie Styles |
30.6 |
2 |
Xanthus III |
Fiona Fraser |
31.4 |
3 |
Primadonna Boy |
Charlotte Kedzlie |
31.7 |
4 |
Drover EM |
Rainer Hagspihl |
35 |
5 |
Felton Road |
Susan Le Mesurier |
35.4 |
Fiber Fresh 95 cm
1 |
Falstaff |
Rene Ryall |
33.4 |
2 |
DSE Laidback Ollie |
Elise Edwards-Smith |
35.4 |
3 |
Henton Armani |
Sophie Abbott |
35.4 |
4 |
Argenteuil |
Kate Fleming |
37.3 |
5 |
Arohanui II |
Beth Wilson |
39.6 |