McVean Takes Opening Round

It's no secret the McVean family hold high hopes for their home bred mare Dunstan Delphi...so perhaps it was no surprise when Katie and Delphi won the opening round of the New Zealand World Cup series at the Hawke's Bay A and P Show in Hastings on Friday afternoon.
Making the win even more special was the fact that dad Jeff won the very same class on Delphi's dam Flower Power in their first world cup start together 12 years ago.

Twenty-three-year-old Olympian Katie McVean and Delphi were the only one of 12 combinations to go double clear over the Kevin Hansen designed course.
“Delphi jumped well in her first two star grand prix at Gisborne last weekend, so we decided she was ready to step up to this level – she did it without any trouble at all.”

McVean also finished fifth on her Olympic horse Dunstan Forrest II (owned by Natasha Slavich).

Despite making the Olympics and winning all sorts of other top awards in recent years, world cup wins have eluded McVean since her first season competing in them when she was 18. This was just her third world cup round win. It's been a while since McVean won a world cup round – years actually. The only other two rounds she has won were when she was 18 and in her first year competing in them.
Later in the season McVean will bring out the newly imported stallion Corofino II.

Settling for second and third respectively were Team Horse Sales NZ Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) on Right Royal and another former Olympian Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) on Zibibbo who were all clear in the first round but dropped a rail each in the second, with time deciding the placings.

Fourth was 2008-2009 series winner Anna Trent (Hawke's Bay) on Cortaflex Levitation NZPH, with Air Hill the Rajah, who is also a previous series winner, in sixth place in the hands of new rider Julie Davey (Hastings).

Course designer Kevin Hansen (Hawke's Bay) made it clear he would be building a big, challenging and technical course, and he didn't disappoint.

The New Zealand series will be run over nine rounds, with the final two in Gisborne in late January 2010, including a speed round. A new indoor round at Manfield Park in Feilding in the evening of December 12 will add a new spectacle to the series.

A large field will be expected there as any series winner who plans to represent the country at the world final must have competed in the indoor round. The world final will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 14-18.
In the young rider class Bridget Hansen (Hawke's Bay) is stamping an early mark on the series. With just a handful of starts to her credit she won the class in Hawke's Bay on Cortaflex Monamie NZPH and placed third on Cortaflex Oceanbeach NZPH.
Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) totally dominated the horse grand prix taking the trifecta with Jedi Warrior, Once a Warrior and Kiwi Relic.

Results -
Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Delphi 1, Team Horse Sales NZ Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) Right Royal 2, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Zibibbo (owned by Sally Clark) 3, Anna Trent (Hawke's Bay) Cortaflex Levitation NZPH 4, McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Forest II (owned by Natasha Slavich) 5, Julie Davey (Hastings) Air Hill the Rajah 6.
Toyota Young Rider: Bridget Hansen (Hawke's Bay) Cortaflex Monamie NZPH 1, Rachel Bentall (Hastings) Kiwi Brave 2, Hansen (Hawke's Bay) Cortaflex Ocean Beach NZPH 3, Helen Bruce (Palmerston North) Dark Magic 4, Rachel McGregor (Auckland) Kabo Benny Boy 5.
Horse grand prix: Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Jedi Warrior 1, Beatson (Dannevirke) Once a Warrior 2, Beatson (Dannevirke) Kiwi Relic 3, Anna Trent (Hawke's Bay) Cortaflex Nicalette 4, Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) Vespera SL 5, Jason Ellmers (Pongoroa) Millie's Wish 6.
FMG pony grand prix: Jake Lambert (Matamata) Once in a Blue Moon 1, Luke Dee (Gisborne) Maximus 2, Logan Massie (Dannevirke) Kickin the Clouds 3, Alexa Randall (Auckland) Millbrook 4, Dee (Gisborne) Condoleezza 5, Randall (Auckland) Starlight Express 6.

ENDS

John Minto: Supercity contracts out democracy to the private sector

The dangers in the ACT/National coalition agreement are becoming clearer by the day.

The agreement goes well past maximising ACT’s 3.5% electoral support. As part of the arrangement ACT Leader Rodney Hide got himself one of the most influential cabinet roles as Minister of Local Government ahead of the development of the so-called Auckland supercity.

Up till now the focus on democracy has been how the councillors will be elected. Firstly ACT vetoed guaranteed Maori representation on the council but supported the proposal for eight councillors to be elected at large alongside just 12 elected from local wards. More>>