All Roads Lead to Puhinui International Three Day Event

All Roads Lead to Puhinui International Three Day Event This Weekend

Horse and rider combinations from throughout the country gather in Auckland this weekend for the Puhinui International Three-day Event at the Puhinui Reserve on the Manakau harbour. Nearly 200 horse and rider combinations will face the starters over the 3 days with dressage on Friday, cross country Saturday, and show jumping on Sunday.

The top class, the Honda New Zealand CCI3* has attracted a quality field of ten combinations, and the line up includes Olympian and former Badminton winner Jock Paget, now the Eventing Performance Development Coach, riding Heelan Tompkins’ Snow Leopard. This will be the first 3* start for the horse.

Paget, based near Taupo, won the top class at Rotorua at the end of November, and said afterwards, “We are not an established partnership yet, but I stepped it up a cog today and he went well. He is ready to step up.”

However Paget’s competiton could be cut short this weekend as wife Teegan is expecting the couple’s first baby. “She’s already overdue so it may be a quick trip down to Rotorua for me,” he said.

The current National Three-day Event champion, Emily Cammock from Christchurch, has both her title holding horse Shaw Lee and his stable mate Lewis entered, and Corey Wood, also a South Islander now, is bringing Pick Up Line for his first long format 3* event.

Donna Edwards-Smith, Te Kauwhata, and Samantha Felton, Matangi, both have horses entered, Edwards-Smith riding Gaye McClunie’s DSE Cluny, and Felton her own Ricker Ridge Rui and Ricker Ridge Divine Right. All three are potential international horses.

The iSpy Horses CCI2* has a competitive line up of nineteen combinations, including Clarke Johnstone, from Matangi, riding Kate Woods’ Wolf Whistle II, who was withdrawn at Rotorua two weeks ago with a stone bruise. Johnstone won his first 4 star event in Adelaide last month with his Rio Olympic mount Balmoral Sensation.

Larissa Srhoy is bringing Rockquest from Canterbury, having had a successful raid to the North Island earlier in the season, while former Cantabrian Madison Crowe, now an accountant in Hamilton, has both Waitangi Pinterest and Lucius GNZ entered. Diane Gilder, Auckland, returns with her handsome Australian thoroughbred Your Attorney, feeling their way back to top level after time out.

Our younger combinations will be trying to impress the national selectors who will name their 2018 talent squads after the weekend.

The current leader of the Junior Rider series, Elizabeth Wylaars on Wairoa Renegade, makes the long trip from the South Island, while Caroline Howell, from Hawkes Bay, holding second place with Telestory, will be keen to keep the pressure on hoping to regain top spot.

The Veterinary Associates CCI1* has twenty-three entrants, many being well performed riders bringing on young horses, but also some young riders on well performed horses gaining great experience for the future. One of these is Greer Caddigan, Hamilton, forging a good partnership with the former Campbell Draper horse Mr Mancini, and leading the Mitavite Young Rider series by a big margin.

ENDS

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