No bookie would have given Tegan Fitzsimon and Windermere Cappuccino short odds after they pulled four shoes in two days at the Wairarapa A&P Show in Carterton at the weekend.

But this is one well-performed horse who was the undisputed star of the 2018-2019 season and despite everything being against the Christchurch combination, they came out flying and won the Equissage Horse Grand Prix double clear, by three comfy seconds.

There were 19 on the card, with nine coming back for the jump-off where clears were common and it all came down to time. Tegan and Cappuccino jumped just a single fence as their warm-up for the jump-off but pulled the same shoe again. “I asked the judges if they would hold the class which they did and we got the shoe put back on but then had a 60-second call to get into the ring,” says Tegan. “I sprinted to the ring and got on him with no warm-up.”

But true to form, the nine-year-old warmblood gelding was all class. “Brooke (Edgecombe) was leading until I went in and I knew she had been quite quick. I think the adrenalin was still high from running into the ring!”

Earlier in the show Tegan had pulled Windermere Cappuccino from the mini prix jump-off after losing the same shoe twice. “There was a bit of drama over the weekend but we got there in the end.”

Tegan and her team now head to the Showjumping Auckland North Island Championship Show. “We’ve never done the North Island Champs before so we are looking forward to it,” she said.

Tegan says she feels she needs to “calm down a little”. It was tough to back up a season like the last one where they won the World Cup, Premier and Grand Prix series, won at Takapoto and Nationals and were third in the Olympic Cup. “You just can’t back up a season like that and I feel I am being a little tough on him and expecting a bit much.”

Placing third in the World Cup opener in Hawke’s Bay last month had put things in perspective. “He is a horse, not an engine and he can have fences down so now we are just going to take each show at a time.”

The Country TV Pony Grand Prix was won by Samantha Carrington (Takapau) aboard Colours of Lansing, heading home 10 other combinations to take the class. Samantha also picked up a third in the FMG Young Rider class aboard Double J Breeze On.

 

Results –

Equissage Horse Grand Prix: Tegan Fitzsimon (Christchurch) Windermere Cappuccino 1, Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) LT Holst Andrea 2, Nakeysha Lammers (New Plymouth) Resolution 3, Kimberley Mason (New Plymouth) Damiana 4, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Central Park 5, Sophie Scott (Wellington) Lakota 6.

 

Country TV Pony Grand Prix: Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Colours of Lansing 1, Lucy Buchanan (Havelock North) Redcliffs Colour Me Quick 2, Annie Moffett (Napier) Tane Mahuta 3, Dylan Bibby (Onga Onga) Daisy Patch 4, Lily Moore (Havelock North) Fun House 5, Isabella Narracci (Hastings) Te Urewera Magic 6.

 

FMG Young Rider Series: Sophie Scott (Wellington) Lakota 1, Ike Baker (Hawke’s Bay) NW Conrado 2, Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Breeze On 3, Nicholas O’Leary (Wanganui) Obeone Kanobe 4, Nicholas O’Leary (Wanganui) Centiare 5, Brigitte Smith (Taihape) HR Lanardo 6

 

Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider Series: Tasha Brown (Hastings ) Kiwi Cheroline 1, Jessie Goggin (Wellington) Miss Cassini MS 2, Natalia Page (Manukau) The Dark Horse 3, Graeme Isaacson (Waipukurau) Pokere 4, Janine Kirkbeck (Wellington) Kiwi Exalt 5, Nicole Watson (Stratford) Ohmyholly 6.

 

EquiFibre Junior Rider Series: Amy Gibbs (Marlborough) Soho 1, Dylan Bibby (Onga Onga) Wenrose Vertigo 2, Kimberley Carrington (Takapau) Double J Barmaid 3, Chantelle Smith (Palmerston North) Cravino STS 4, Tim Wilson (Waipukurau) McMillans Tipsey 5, Zara Waldin (Havelock North) U Can Dance NZPH 6.

 

Harrison Lane Pro-Amateur Rider Series: Lucy Fell (Longburn) Faratona STS 1, Marcus Rose (Dannevirke) Kaipara Hold Up 2, Ashley Hart (Hastings) Kiwi Showtime 3, Kelly Smith (Foxton) Corlinka 4, Jake Barham (Wairarapa) Atlan 5, Sarah Jocelyn (Wairarapa) Curioso 6.

 

Matthews Hanoverians Seven-Year-Old Series: Jesse Linton (Hastings) LT Holst Elsbeth 1, Tegan Fitzsimon (Christchurch) Campari 2, Heloise Tolo (Wellington) Doris NZPH 3, Sally Clark (Dannevirke) Sun Flake 4, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) Constellation 5, Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) LT Holst Elizabeth 6.

 

Cheleken Equestrian and UltraMox Six-Year-Old Series: Anna Trent (Kapiti Coast) Joop Box and Jenna-lee Rose (Dannevirke) Silent Witness =1.

 

East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old Series: Makayla White (Napier) Kiwi Princess, Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) LT Holst Francis, Shanae McKay (Levin) ME Joy Ride II and Rachel Nelson (Waimarama) Ocean Lady =1.

 

For full results, head to www.main-events.com 

 

By Diana Dobson

6th November 2019