Tootill Aces Olympic Cup
Tootill Aces Olympic Cup
Young Karaka rider Lily
Tootill couldn’t have asked for better preparation for her
upcoming trip to Australia, lifting the prestigious Olympic
Cup at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings today with the
only double clear of the class.
If the 20-year-old and
her nine-year-old chestnut Ulysses NZPH felt the pressure
jumping last in the second round, they didn’t show it,
leaving all the rails up to record the biggest win of her
career.
“I don’t really get nervous, I get quite
excited. I was dancing around the practice ring, I’m happy
that I get to go out there and try again,” she
explained.
“I’m ecstatic. I didn’t think it was
impossible (to win), at the end of the day it is anyone’s
class to win.”
Yesterday’s deluge meant the footing
was testing, but a packed grandstand appreciated the jumping
from some of the nation’s best this afternoon, despite the
trying conditions.
“My horse is a bit of a mud lark, so
he felt pretty happy out there. Actually, he didn’t feel
any different to normal.”
With the weather playing its
part in the competition, and rain starting to fall again
just as the class began, riders were given the option to
jump a practice fence in the ring, before commencing their
rounds.
Twenty-one started the two-round competition over
the course built by German designer Werner Deeg. The going
was tough and certainly took its toll on the horses and
riders, with rails falling around the course.
The crowd
went wild when Tootill and Ulysses NZPH delivered the only
clear of the first round.
Those on eight faults or less
– nine combinations – came back for the second round
over a shortened course.
There were five clears in that
second round, coming from Samantha Morrison (Tauranga) and
Biarritz and Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) with Dunstan On
the Point Eve, both carrying eight faults, and Maurice
Beatson (Dannevirke) aboard Mandalay Cove and defending
champion Helen McNaught-McFarlane (Taupo) with
Carnutelabryere, who both brought four faults
through.
McNaught-McFarlane stopped the clock in 58.6
seconds and Beatson was also clear but slower, in
61.19.
Tootill came out knowing she had to jump clear,
but if not, she needed to be faster than
McNaught-McFarlane.
“The time was quite tight, which
helped me keep things flowing,” said Tootill.
But she
needn’t have worried, as in the end all the rails stayed
up, with McNaught-McFarlane and Beatson second and third
respectively. Laurie was fourth, Morrison fifth and the
youngest competitor, 17-year-old Emily Hayward-Morgan (Te
Awamutu) aboard AP Ninja sixth.
Tootill had a great show,
also coming second in the Young Rider of the Year and sixth
in the Lady Rider class, but it was the Olympic Cup that
really topped it all off.
The combination is also part of
the New Zealand team to compete in Australia later this
month, and today’s win gives her plenty of confidence
heading into the tour.
Taranaki’s Abbie Deken (Taranaki)
had the biggest win of her career, riding off with the
Dressage Horse of the Year crown on her lovely chestnut KH
Ambrose.
It hasn’t been an easy road for the pair, but
all the hard work paid off for Deken, who did a personal
best in today’s musical freestyle to clinch the
title.
KH Ambrose is a 14-year-old gelding by Anamour and
was bred by John McGrath. Deken bought him as an unbroken
three-year-old.
Deken’s goal for the show was to
improve on her nationals performance and ride better. She
and coach Vanessa Way had worked hard on the passage piaffe
work, and that paid off today.
“I had a nice feeling
throughout the test and a smile on my face,” said Deken.
“I went into it thinking, ‘let’s try to enjoy it’,
and I did. To get the win on top of that is the icing on the
cake.”
It was a battle between Deken and John Thompson
(Gordonton), who won the grand prix special yesterday and
looked on track to defend his title.
But Deken and KH
Ambrose had a blinder in the CDI*** FEI Grand Prix Freestyle
today, scoring 72.9% for the win and sealing the overall
Dressage Horse of the Year title for 2017.
Thompson and
JHT Antonello were second in the musical freestyle today
with 71.825% and second overall. Third overall was Penny
Castle (Ashhurst) with Magnus Spero and fourth was Jody
Hartstone (Raglan) and Ali Baba.
HOY director Dave Mee
said the weather was against organisers but overall felt the
event went well.
“When the weather is against you
it’s really challenging to be on your toes and find
solutions,” said Mee.
Feedback from the eventing riders
that they didn’t feel it was safe to jump meant it was
quite a simple decision to cancel the eventing yesterday in
the end, although they did explore every possible option to
keep the event alive.
Mee said the two events today, the
Olympic Cup and Dressage Horse of the Year, were classes
they needed to protect and only three classes were
cancelled.
“I think that was a good outcome. In more
than 20 years in events this would be the wettest I have
ever seen.”
Going into the event pre-sales were up 30%,
which was a good sign. Unsurprisingly, Saturday gate numbers
were down on last year.
“I think we will come out
similar to last year (numbers wise). We are quite relieved,
to be honest.”
Although the show had insurance
policies, unfortunately the insurance would not kick in, as
the rain fell at the wrong time.
“Despite the weather,
coming in to our second time organising the event we still
had a long way to go, but we felt more confident in the
equestrian space.
“We’ve had positive feedback from
sponsors and also the non-equestrian events worked well –
we want the event to be something the whole community can
get behind.”
In other showjumping classes,
Christchurch’s Steffi Whittaker and Moonlight Glow were
the only double clear in the two-round Pony of the Year
class, lifting the Somerset Fair Cup.
An emotional
Whittaker was clearly thrilled to win the class, thanking
her granddad and nana for giving her the pony in front of a
packed grandstand.
“I told granddad before we left, if
I don’t get it this time I’m never going to get it,”
said Whittaker.
Local rider Ruby Mason and Mr Acho was
the only four-faulter to jump a clear second round, adding
nothing to her first round tally, to finish
second.
Waiuku’s Tyla Hackett and Gin emerged
victorious in a very competitive Junior Rider of the Year
class, blitzing the jump-off with a clear round and stopping
the clock in 26.85 seconds.
In the dressage, Caitlin
Benzie (Pukekohe) and Rosari Royal Gem were the Young Rider
of the Year for 2017.
Vanessa Way and NRM Andreas scored
67.7% to win the Harney & Sons Musical Freestyle and clinch
the overall Advanced Dressage Horse of the Year title.
In
the Level 8 Dressage Horse of the Year competition Susan
Tomlin (Palmerston North) and Dancealong were the winners,
winning all three tests.
ends