Canterbury’s eventing golden girl Emily Butcher has started the new season in dominant fashion winning the Open Intermediate class at Canterbury Park on Saturday.

Butcher, riding the less-experienced, Transcend, took the overall honours on 70.3 penalties, well clear of Katharine van Tuyl riding the Montgomery family’s Tanqueray, second on 102.2 penalties; the only two combinations to finish the three phases.

Butcher was leading after the dressage phase on her Advanced mount Let’s Be Frank, making his return to the sport after more than a year out with injury. He was subsequently withdrawn after the show jumping phase and did not start the cross country.

The Advanced was a non-event with Ashburton’s Larrisa Srhoy the only starter, after Dunedin’s Christen Hayde scratched Tandarra Sweet As. After a strong dressage performance, Srhoy missed a fence on the cross country and was eliminated.

Katie Rankin on Tango was victorious in the hotly contested Open Novice class. Equal leader after the dressage, Rankin moved up to take the lead with strong cross country performance adding just 0.8 of a time penalty and one show jumping rail to her dressage score, finishing on 38.5 penalties. Second went to Kate Cavanagh on Mendelssohn ahead of Frances Buckley on Evolution RS, third, the only combination to finish the class on their dressage score.

Boosted by pony club riders wanting a final hit before the annual Springtson Trophy teams’ competition which is being held at the Sheds NZ National Equestrian Centre McLeans Island, Christchurch, on October 3-5, competition was tough across the lower levels.

International rider Annabel Wigley, competing at her first competition back in New Zealand having tackled the prestigious 4-star Burghley Horse Trials this month, showed her class taking out one of the Pre Novice classes with Frog Rock, while the other went to James Avery on Amarillo.

In the two Training classes honours went to Stuart Bishell on Te Awara Amabassador and Georgie Meredith on Just In Case respectively, while the two Pre Training classes were won by Amy McCartin on Opal Nera, and Holly Sinclair on Memphis.


SOURCE: ESNZ