North Island Raiders on Hunt for More Spoils in NZ

Following their successes at the NZ National Show Jumping Championships at week ago, sister-act Vicki and Amanda Wilson all the way down from Hikurangi in Northland head the northern offensive.

The first qualifying rounds of the hotly-contested $3000 1.20m Futurity Stakes and $3000 Tru Test Group 1.10m Futurity Stakes kick off today’s jumping action. Twenty-three combinations will battle it out for the finals in the 1.20m, while 29 are down to contest the 1.10m

The Tru Test Group Futurity Stakes is for 1.10m horses that have not been placed first, second or third in a 1.20m class from the start of the season through to December 31 2012, while 1.20m Futurity Stakes is for horses that have not been placed first, second or third at 1.30m or over up till December 31. The qualifying rounds are run over a 1.10m and 1.20m tracks and are separate competitions in their own right with the top 10 placings going into the finals on Sunday which are run over 1.20m and 1.30m courses respectively.

The big action starts tomorrow (Saturday) with the Telford Young Rider where Invercargill teen Nicole White will be looking to further her lead in the national young rider series, backing up from winning the NZ National Young Rider crown a week ago.

White comes up against a small but quality field of seven, which includes arch southern rivals Olivia Robertson (Ohoka) on Ngahiwi Cisco, Rose Alfeld (Leeston) on Caprerra and My Super Nova,  and Kayla James (Christchurch) on Berry Desayo, as well as sole North Island starter Amanda Wilson (Hikurangi) on Showtym Viking and Showtym Cassanova.

Saturday also features the age group series classes, as well as the second rounds of the futurity stakes.

Aside from Sunday’s highly anticipated futurity finals, many of the South Island’s top one star horses will line up in the One Star Horse Grand Prix with a field of 16 down to battle it out for the Marion Kelly Memorial Trophy, but they will be up against the Wilson sisters with no less than five horses entered between them.

Disappointingly, the Bayer Super League SI Horse Championship has attracted just the two starters with Vicki Wilson and Ngahiwi Showtym Premier going head to head with Susie Hayward (Ashburton) and her starry stallion Andretti.

The battle for pony supremacy continues with nine to contest the Country TV Pony Grand Prix, with Steffi Whittaker and Moonlight Glow, the current South and North Island champion, looking to make amends for an uncharacteristic performance at Nationals. She’ll be up against new national champion Lucy Turner (Broadfields) on Tallyho Mystic, as well as runner-up Ashburton’s Lucinda Askin on Totem and Buckle Up, amongst others.

All other series classes have been well-supported with tough competition expected throughout the weekend.

Action gets runs through to Sunday from 8.30am. Entry to the grounds is FREE, and food and refreshments will be available.

ESNZ Show Jumping Canterbury

Canterbury 3* Championship Show

February 14-16

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