Hawke's Bay's Amanda Pottinger delivered the best Mother's Day present possible to her Olympian mum Tinks on Sunday when she won the NRM CCI3* open national championship crown in Taupo.
Pottinger and Just Kidding led from the start of the three-day event, were the fastest combination across a challenging cross country, and on Sunday added just four faults to finish on 36.4 penalty points. She won the Wills Trophy for her efforts, a cup her mother and 1988 Seoul Olympian has also previously won.
Nick Brooks of Cambridge and For Fame were second in their first-ever CCI3* start, rounding out an incredible weekend for them with a clear showjumping round to finish with 38.9 penalty points. Ohaupo's Jessica Woods and Just de Manzana were third on 49.8 and Bundy Philpott of Cambridge aboard Tresca NZPH fourth on 54.3.
Chris Ross' cross country on Saturday gave the field a huge shake up, and saw five combinations drop out of the competition, and just nine start the final test on Sunday.
Havelock North's Pottinger, who last won the title in 2016, had a few lives during the showjumping and admitted she felt a little like Badminton winner Jonelle Price who rattled a few rails en route to her success.
"He [Just Kidding] really tried so hard out there – that rail was 100 per cent my fault," said Pottinger. "We surely lived much more dangerously than previous rounds."