Katie McVean’s dynamic form in the south has continued with a dominant win in the McMillan Equine Feeds/Bayer NZ Senior Horse Championship with Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark (owned by June Berrington) at the NZ National Jumping and Show Hunter Championships in Christchurch today. Backing up from a big payday in the $50,000 McMillan Equine Feeds Super Gran Prix as part of Ride The Rhythm in Dunedin last weekend, McVean came in as the one to beat and did not disappoint leading from the outset in the gruelling three-day competition. Coming into today’s final round, McVean and Dunstan Kiwi Ironmark had more than two rails in-hand over Dannervirke’s Logan Massie and Kiwi Ludo (owned by Massie and Annette Scott), who was chasing hard on 8.89 penalties with McVean lying third on her second ride Dunstan Springfield (owned by McVean, Chele Clarkin and Sarah Milne) on 9 penalties. Riding in reverse order of penalties, a clear round to Claudia Hay (Mosgiel) and her lovely stallion Euro Sport Centavos upped the pressure on the leaders. Fresh from winning the June Cresswell Memorial NZ 1.30m Championship earlier in the day aboard Double J Cloud 9, Massie and Ludo couldn’t replicate the performance, knocking wo rails to drop him down the order. Having taken a rail with Dunstan Springfield, McVean came in last with Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark and produced a stunning clear, giving her a handy three-rail advantage going in to round two, but the competition was on for the minors with less than a rail separating second to fifth. Going into the final round McVean held first and second, but a 5-fault round with Dunstan Springfield dropped him to fourth, behind Hay on Euro Sport Centavos and Massie on Kiwi Ludo, who both came home with clears. McVean had three in hand. She had one rail down, but in the end it didn’t matter, giving her the win along with victory earlier in the Fiber Fresh One Star Grand Prix earlier aboard Dunstan Breeze from Vicki Wilson (Hikurangi) Showtym Levado GNZ, second, and Claire Wilson (Waipukurau) on Tipsey third. The much-anticipated The Press in association with Country TV NZ Open Pony Grand Prix lived up to expectation with local lass Lucy Turner and Tallyho Mystic coming through to win ahead of Ashburton’s Lucinda Askin on Totem, with Briar Burnett-Grant (Taupo) and Pioneer Jade having to settle for third.
