Hat-Trick There for the Taking

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Hat-Trick There for the Taking

Published on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 in General

Katie McVean may be on the cusp of securing her third World Cup series but there will still be plenty of competition for final honours in Tauranga this week at the New Zealand World Cup Final Show.

It was touch and go as to whether McVean (Mystery Creek) would even get to start in the final two rounds, which would have been heartbreaking as she’s sitting on a hat-trick, having won the series in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, and finished sixth equal at the world final in Germany last year.

Last week the former Olympian and World Champs representative fractured a vertebrae in her lower back when she was bowled by one of her young horses, and only just got the green light from her doctor.

“I’m so excited to be allowed to ride again,” said McVean, who will compete aboard Dunstan Daffodil. “I would love to be at the world final again and I think Daffodil is just continuing to improve all the time.”

But it’s not going to be an easy ride.

“The fracture means I can’t sit in the saddle how I normally do, and it aches.”

She’s got a commanding lead on the World Cup (NZ) leaderboard, and goes into the last two legs of the New Zealand league with a 13 point buffer on her nearest rival, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke), who was her team-mate at the 2010 World Champs.

But Beatson won’t be competing this week, opting to save his top horse, 17-year-old My Gollywog for the coming NZ Horse of the Year Show, and having to rest eight-year-old Schimmel Warrior, who is a little sore.

Tess Williams (Gisborne) is in third spot on the leaderboard, and will be looking to do well on her big grey Alltech Craighaven Nitro.

There are 10 combinations entered for the final two rounds – the first a speed class late on Thursday afternoon at the Mills Reef Winery and the final on Sunday at the Tauranga Racecourse.

Bernard Denton (Gisborne) and Suzuki have a good track record in World Cup New Zealand finals, having won it in 2009 and placing second in 2011. Denton is on 21 points.

Also entered are Olympian and World Champs representative Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) aboard Witheze, former series winner Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) on Swinger, Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) on her two mounts My Ocean Wave and Bates Amaretto MVNZ, young gun Bridget Hansen (Ocean Beach) who with Nicalette NZPH is really showing the benefit of her Australian campaign, Paula Mussen (Auckland) on Meersbrook Flintstone and Sam Peters (Whangarei) on Likeable NZPH.

Missing from the line-up are a run of top showjumpers who have been sold offshore including Phillip Steiner’s (Tauranga) Annandale Online NZPH and Oliver Edgecombe’s (Waipukurau) Billistic who have both headed to the US, with Danielle Maurer’s (Auckland) Blue Rinse now in Australia.

Picking league winners is a tricky affair, as riders with two mounts must nominate the right horse to get the points, which are worked out on the number of starters. Final tallies are only from their best four outings of the league.

The world final is in s-Hertogenbosch, in Holland, in April.

The Tauranga show has attracted nearly 500 combinations from all over the country, well up on recent years. Thursday’s World Cup speed class at the Mills Reef Winery kicks off at 4pm in what organisers promise will be a stunning affair. The remainder of the show runs through until Sunday at the Tauranga Racecourse, culminating with the World Cup NZ final at 2pm.

Bayer World Cup League 2011-2012 points (best four rounds): Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) 52 points, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) 39, Tess Williams (Gisborne) 28, Phillip Steiner (Tauranga) 25, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) 22, Bernard Denton (Gisborne) 21, Ross Smith (Canterbury) 15, Lisa Coupe (Hawke’s Bay) 11, Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) 10.

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Katie at the 2011 World Cup Final on Dunstan Delphi

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