Helen McNaught became the first British rider to the Olympic Cup showjumping title at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings today.
Riding the same horse, Carnutelabryere, she finished second on last year, McNaught, who has been Taupo-based since 2014, was one of two riders to qualify for a jump off, after two double clear rounds.
Auckland's Amanda Wilson and Showtym Cassanova were the other combo.
In front of a crowd of more than 10,000 people at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds, McNaught went clear again and stopped the clock at 52.28s when riding first in the jump off.
When Wilson put a rail down at the second jump the $40,000 first prize was McNaught's.