Breezing In To Take Honours

Katie Laurie and Dunstan Breeze made easy work of the latest Ultra•Mox FEI World Cup New Zealand showjumping class, with a double clear to take the win at the Feilding A and P Show.

Nine started the class, with just Laurie (Mystery Creek) and international Helen McNaught-McFarlane (Taupo) aboard Carnutelabryere finishing the first round with clean slates. Young gun Sam Morrison and Biarritz sat on four faults after the first round with the rest of the field bagging 12 faults or more.

First time starters Lucy Akers (Opiki) aboard Letitbe GNZ had 12 faults on the board, while Olivia Robertson (Canterbury) and DHS Ceniki had 16.
Seven came back for the second round over the Gary Sinclair-designed course, with McNaught-McFarlane taking three rails to finish on 12 and take second place and take the lead in the series. Former World Cup series winner Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) and Schimmel Warrior adding nothing to his first round tally of 16 for third. Morrison was fourth while débutantes Akers and Robertson were fifth and sixth respectively.

Laurie was rapt with the efforts of her 10-year-old bay mare.
“She jumped a super double clear to win,” says Laurie, who notched New Zealand’s best-ever result at a World Cup final with her sixth equal finish in 2011 aboard Dunstan Delphi.

It was Breeze’s fifth World Cup start over two seasons and her first win.
“She stepped up last year for her first couple of bigger ones and this is her first proper season being the top horse. She’s doing really well.”

Breeze was second in the Mystery Creek World Cup class in early November. If she continues to do well, Laurie says she would love to take her offshore to compete.

Laurie felt the course, held indoors at Manfeild, was “tough enough but nice”.
The Ultra•Mox FEI World Cup New Zealand series runs over six rounds, including the final at Waitemata (January 15-17). The next round is at Taupo’s Christmas Classic (December 16-20).

The best four rounds will count in the series. The winner of the New Zealand league has the opportunity to represent the country at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2015/2016 Final which is being held in Gothenburg, Sweden from March 23-28, 2016.

Results -
Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Breeze 1, Helen McNaught-McFarlane (Taupo) aboard Carnutelabryere 2, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Schimmel Warrior 3, Sam Morrison (Tauranga) Biarritz 4, Lucy Akers (Opiki) Letitbe GNZ 5, Olivia Robertson (Canterbury) DHS Ceniki 6.

ENDS

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