Friday at the Show
Friday at the Show
It is as Canterbury as red and black, Canterbury Anniversary Day or Showday as it is known throughout the region is people’s day at the Canterbury A&P Show. The official holiday for the anniversary day of the province was shifted from 16 December (the date of the arrival of the First Four Ships) to the Friday of the Show back in the 1950’s. The change meant a holiday for banks and businesses giving people from both town and country the opportunity to attend the Canterbury A&P Show.
The Show has since grown to New Zealand’s largest Agricultural and Pastoral Show, with over 60,000 people expected to attend Showday today.
Judging
Highlights
8.30-11.25am Showjumping – Main
Arena
9.30-9.45am Supreme Champion Pony – Isaac 1
Arena
10.30am The Lady Isaac Scholarship (Cattle &
Sheep) – Alliance NZ Sheep Pavilion & The ANZ
Lawn
11.00-11.25am Supreme Champion Horse – Main
Arena
12.30pm Heartland Young Auctioneers Competition
– The ANZ Lawn
1.00pm Guess the Weight competition
winner announced – The ANZ Lawn
12.00pm Veteran
Herdspersons Competition – The ANZ Lawn
2.00pm New
Zealand vs Australia Blade Shearing Test – Shearing
Pavilion
3.30pm NZ Corriedale Blade & Machine Final –
Shearing Pavilion
Entertainment Highlights
11.15
& 1.30pm Mandy Pickering and Band - MORE FM Stage, Village
Green
11.25am SuperValue and FreshChoice Lolly Scramble
– Main Arena
12.15 & 4.00pm Moorhouse - MORE FM Stage,
Village Green
2.30pm 150th Anniversary Equestrian Parade
– Main Arena
2.35pm Royal Visit
3.15pm Shetland
Grand National – Main Arena
3.25pm Supreme Champion
Animal of Show – Main Arena
3.30pm Ballantynes Grand
Parade led by the Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band – Main
Arena
4.00pm Eukanuba Dog Trial Demonstration – Main
Arena
Showjumping
This year’s showjumping
programme includes some highlight events on Friday morning.
The Horse Speed Championship (approx. 9.30am) is a great
showjumping event that is easy for the general public to
follow. Riders and their horses tackle the course, racing
against the clock with time penatlies incurred for knocking
over rails. With most riders expected to clear the course in
60 seconds, spectators will be on the edge of their seats as
they follow the time clock. The Ballantynes Grand Prix
follows this event (approx. 10.30am) and includes some top
placed New Zealand riders and horses. Ross Smith will be
riding Quite Cassini, a world cup qualifier and Susie
Hawyard will be riding Andretti, who has also accumulated
word cup points.
The Lady Isaac
Scholarship
Thanks to the generous support of Isaac
Construction, The Lady Isaac Scholarship enables the top
placed New Zealand competitor to travel to Australia to
compete at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the New South
Wales Junior Judging Competition. The competition is held
over the sheep, beef and dairy cattle sections at the 150th
Canterbury A&P Show.
Heartland Young Auctioneers
Competition
The Canterbury A&P Association is hosting
the inaugural Heartland Young Auctioneers Competition. The
competition aims to showcase and develop young auctioneers
and improve the standard of auctioneering across the board.
During the judging, which includes a test of auction rules
and a mock auction, each entrant will be required to sell
two lots of heifers/bulls. The stock will be valued prior to
the auction by stud agents and entrants will be given 24
hours’ notice of lots to sell and access to the breeder.
They will be judged on overall performance including voice,
diction, manner and values.
Guess the Weight
A
rather large Charolais and Friesian Cross Steer has made his
home at this year’s Canterbury A&P Show. He has been on
display on The ANZ Lawn with Show visitors having the chance
to guess his weight to win a fishing charter trip for 12 at
Motunau Island. All proceeds will go to Abreast of Life, a
team of breast cancer survivors. Two years ago the beast
topped the scales at the Prime Cattle Competition at
1234kg.
Veteran Herdspersons Competition
The
Veterans Herdspersons Competition is in celebration of the
150th anniversary of the Show. The competition is open to
exhibitors of any age, who are required to be dressed in
period costume as they lead their beef animal in a parade.
The presiding judge is Barbara Lemon the First Lady of the
Canterbury A&P Association.
New Zealand vs
Australia Blade Shearing Test
The Shearing Section
at the Canterbury A&P Show will be hosting an international
test with a team of shearers travelling from Australia to
compete in blade shearing.
Shetland Grand
National
A highlight of the racing calendar, this
long standing event sees eleven ponies and jockeys taking to
the field, steeplechase style. The event has built a strong
following in Canterbury and has grown to be one of the main
attractions at the Show.
Supreme Champion Animal of
Show
The Award is the culmination of three days of
judging with the best of the best Supreme Champion entrants
from horse, sheep, cattle, alpaca, llama, donkey/mule and
goat battling it out for the top title. The 2011 Supreme
Champion Animal of Show was awarded to the Supreme Champion
In Hand Pony.
Ballantynes Grand Parade
The
Ballantynes Grand Parade is a showcase of the best of the
best with prize winners across most livestock and equestrian
sections parading their ribbons in the Main Arena, led by
the Canterbury Caledonian Royal Stewart and Balmoral Pipe
Bands.
Royal Visit
Canterbury welcomes The
Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the 150th
Canterbury A&P Show. Their Royal Highnesses are visiting New
Zealand to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The 2012 Canterbury A&P Show will be held Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 November at Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch. It is the largest A&P Show in the country attracting over 100,000 people, close to 7000 livestock and feature competition entries and 600 trade exhibitors.
-ENDS-