30 January – 2 February 2025
Steffi grabs the lead at the National SJ Champs
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Steffi Whittaker, from Springston, Canterbury has thrown down the gauntlet to the other competitors in the main class on the first day of the Tavendale & Partners' National Show Jumping & Show Hunter Championship in Christchurch.
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Steffi rode a very accomplished round of the Dunstan Horsefeeds & Equifibre NZ National Grand Prix Horses championship (in conjunction with Wilcox Perlas Potatoes), jumping a lovely clear round with the fastest time of the day.
Tegan Fitzsimon and her superstar horse Windermere Cappuccino, recent winners of the World Cup series, had to settle for second as well as third on Double J Monarch, as while Tegan did beautiful clear rounds, Steffi was just a bit faster, thanks to a couple of sharper turns. Steffi was very happy with her chestnut stallion.
"He jumped super, and it was great a win today, especially with such a strong field," Steffi said afterwards. "My plan is to jump clear on Sunday. He jumped double clear the last two premiers so hopefully he can keep going doing that but you never know how it is going to be.”
The pair have good form coming into the competition. “He has been jumping really well, and he keeps stepping up so hopefully it will continue,” said Steffi. “He's ready to go, and he's really fresh after having a weekend off last weekend when I went to Gisborne." Steffi had been competing in Gisborne as part of the victorious New Zealand Young Rider team against Australia.
Steffi will be back in the arena tomorrow where she is competing in the Young Rider class riding On the Point Eve and she is also riding Cappuccino NZPH in the show hunter.
Southland's Tyler McKee took out the quinella on his two greys in the first round of the Tavendale & Partners 1.20m Horse Championship, which was the first class in the main arena this morning. He won the class on Stratos, and was second on Lumarzo.
This is the first Nationals for the horses. Lumarzo, aged 10, didn't start jumping until he was a six-year-old. Stratos is a seven-year-old Centavos mare who won the FEI challenge this year. “We've been doing the Pro-Ams and going up the grades,” Tyler said. “I thought Lumarzo would have been the winner, just because Stratos is young and with all the travel, I thought it might have been a bit much for her.”
Tyler, who hails from Wendonside, about half an hour from Gore, bought just the two horses to the show and he will be doing the Pro-Am tomorrow and then the finals of the 1.20m class on Sunday.
Queenstown’s Lauren Buckley had two wins today, the first in the Brough Equestrian 1.10 non-championship class on Quantum Queen GNZ and the second in the Table Downs Sport Horses' 1.20 non championship class on Icey Storm. Lauren said that Quantum Queen GNZ is just getting some confidence at 1.10m. "She was feeling pretty quick today. She always runs better when I give her a challenge and she absolutely loves jumping and loves to run."
Lauren used the 1.20 class as a warm-up for Icey Storm who is being targeted at the Pro-Am class tomorrow. Lauren and her husband have their own hospitality business in Queenstown. "It's been going really well," she said. "It is our busy time of the year so I was very fortunate to get this week and next week off for the Canterbury champs as well!" Lauren made the trip up yesterday, stopping during the seven hour journey at Twizel for a few hours to give the horses a chance to cool down on the hot day.
Harriet Stock and EB Esperenza have the upper hand after the first round of the Fiber Fresh NZ National Pony Championship, 1.20-1.25cm after doing a great clear round in a quick time. Just the second competitor out, she set the standard, and the others couldn't head her off. Harriet, from Ashburton, has had EB Esperenza for about a year and a half now.
"He went so well," said Harriet. "He is pretty new to Grand Prix so I was really stoked. We were trying to go quite quick but trying to keep the fences up, and be quite careful. The course was a good one for us."
Angela Frewer, from Leithfield in North Canterbury, rode Donala Dundee to win the first round of the Hygain NZ National 1.30m Championship.
"I just went out there and thought I would try and move along a little bit. It was a nice forward track that was built. I wanted to go as clean as we could and it paid off!"
Donala Dundee has a day off tomorrow, and will go into the final round on Sunday in the pole position. He too also has really good form leading into this competition. "He won the mini-prix last week, and won the 1.30m champs at Waimate two weeks ago, so he is on a bit of a roll.”
Donala Dundee is a special horse, and is the only horse Angela is riding at the show. Angela has had him for about ten years now. "He's 18-years-old, he's half Clydey and half thoroughbred, and is a real character, very sensitive but he just loves to jump and loves his jump."
Invercargill’s Nicole White won the first round of the Hilton Press NZ National 1.10m Horse Championship on her ten-year-old mare, LC Umhlanga Rocks. Nicole was very happy.
"The round was really good, she was listening and she was having a lot of fun and it always makes it easier when they are having fun,” she said.
“The first round at the Nationals you are always aiming to get a good place and put yourself in a good position for the next round of the competition. She really jumped well so I am happy!”
The show continues tomorrow with the feature classes being the Junior and Young rider as well as the very competitive Prom-Am and Amateur classes. The second rounds of the championship classes are on Sunday.
Show Jumping Results
Tavendale & Partners’ Ring 1
Tavendale & Partners first round NZ National 1.20 Horse Championship Table c/38
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Stratos, Tyler McKee (Southland)
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Lumarzo, Tyler McKee
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Burberry, Zoe Shore
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Kingslea Kiwi, Sophie Townsend
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Winterberg, Lucinda Askin
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Casanova NZPH, Georgina Dormer
Fiber Fresh first round NZ National Pony Championship Country TV Pony Grand Prix Series
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EB Esperenza, Harriet Stock (Ashburton)
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Te Ngaio Raggamuffin, Sophie Geddes
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MF Spot Me, Ella Wylie
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Benrose Silver Shadow, Sophie Geddes
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Ellen Vanin Untouchable, Rosa Buist-Brown
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BG Lennox, Peita Milne
Hygain First Competition NZ National 1.30m Horse Championship, Table C38
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Donala Dunee, Angela Frewer (Leithfield, North Canterbury)
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Vali, Molly Buist-Brown
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Alacazam MH, Nicole White
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Lil LeRoux, Nicole White
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WS Paradise, Rebecca Wardle
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Kiwi Spirit, Grace Percy
In Conjunction with Wilcox Perlas Potatoes, First Competition Dunstan Horsefeeds & Equifibre NZ National Grand Prix Horse Championship C38 1.4
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Eros K, Steffi Whittaker (Springston, Canterbury)
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Windermere Cappuccino, Tegan Fitzsimon
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Double J Monarch, Tegan Fitzsimon
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Glenrbooke Archie Bunker, Chris Harris
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Kace, Kimberleigh McCabe
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Cera Cassina, Kimberley Bird
Christchurch City Council Ring 2
Brough Equestrian Pony 1.10m Non-championship
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Tallyho Primrose, Ella Rae-Wood (Greymouth)
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Galaxy Masterpiece, Madeline Woods
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Mararoa Kobie Breeze, Sophie Sinclair
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Benrose Eclipse, Emma Gillies
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Wembleybrook Tiffany, Johanna Wylaars
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Missing Pieces, Summer Borrie
Brough’s Equestrian Horse 1.10m non-championship
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Quantum Queen GNZ, Lauren Buckley (Queenstown)
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Miss Serendipity II, Candace Kingsbury
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Ngahiwi Little Regan, Anna Maley-Blease
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Global PH Anna Lena, Genevieve Kirwan
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Flirtini, Harry Feast
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Valkyrie II, Anna Robertson
Table Down Sport Horses' Horse 1.20m Non-Championship Art 274.5.3
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Icey Storm, Lauren Buckley (Queenstown)
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Enzo GTO, Milly Robinson
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By Hoki, Courtney Davis
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On the Point Eve, Steffi Whittaker
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RH Kukumoa, Olivia Brown
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Golden Mile, Adam Ford
First Competition Hilton Press NZ National 1.10m Horse Championship Table C/38
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LC Umhlanga Rocks, Nicole White
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Williby Wisdom, Victoria Brown
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RH Royally, Olivia Brown
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Sunny Disposition, Grace Percy
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Ignition, Olivia Shinn
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Grey Shades, Augusta
First Competition Zilco NZ National 1.00m Horse Championship Table C/38
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Firebird, Timothy Richards
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Leopoldo TSH, Ella Rae-Wood
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Little Bad Girl Emily Burrows
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Wotsup, Emma Harrington
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TarzanGeorgia Urquhart
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Good Luck Charlie, Abbey Baker
Ring 3
Four Winds Horse 90cm Art 238.2.2 IJO
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Axel Rose, Sacha Holm-Smith
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Tiraumea Dustin, Angela Cotton
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Lucatello, Holly Micayla Crean
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Lottery WS, Linda Cotton
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Ngahiwi Deja Blue, Liz Zwart
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Zactac Blush, Liz Zwart
Four Winds Horse 1m Art 238.2.2 IJO
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Little Bad Girl, Emily Burrows
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Tiraumea Dustin, Angela Cotton
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Zactac Blush, Liz Zwart
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Gosh Yam It GNZ, Emma Power
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Remi Lion King, Sophie Scott
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Helmsley Aspiring, Sarah Eaves
Four Winds Pony 90cm Art 238.2.2 IJO
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Puzzle, Hayley Graham
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Telesun's Teleta, Lily Plunkett
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Benrose Obbi, Ellie Templeton
Four Winds Pony 1m Art 238.2.2 IJO
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Missing Pieces, Summer Borrie
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Buckle Up, Quinn Coutts
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Sweet Cappuccino, Olivia Adams
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Telesun's Teleta, Lily Plunkett
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Dingmac Fable, Johanna Wylaars
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Halcyon Eleven, Erin Wilson