Horse of the year: Two clear rounds gives fairy tale ending

Mystery Creek's Katie McVean celebrates her fifth JB Olympic Cup title at the Horse of the Year Show.

Talk about a fairytale-type end to the NRM Horse of the Year Show for Waikato showjumper Katie McVean yesterday.

With two clear rounds McVean, who is expecting her first baby in July and gets married to fiance Jackson Laurie on Saturday, won the show's most prestigious trophy, the JB Olympic Cup, for a fifth time in front of a capacity crowd at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds. On the fifth different horse she has used to win the trophy, Dunstan Springfield, McVean beat current world champion Philippe Le Jeune, of Belgium, who was riding her other horse Dunstan Kiwi Iron as well as Andretti, and tied for second with Hawke's Bay's Luke Dee on Ombudsman and Cambridge's Samantha McIntosh on Estina.

Dunstan Springfield was the same horse McVean won the New Zealand World Cup final on this season.

"This is unbelievable ... he was amazing out there. Those were two tough rounds and it meant so much to me today because he tried so hard. He has only jumped three star level since January," McVean, 24, said.

"I've promised him a winter of carrots and apples every day but there might be one day I miss," McVean explained referring to that important July date.

McVean said she will take the winter off, but plans to compete in Canada after next year's HOY.

If Dunstan Springfield performs well overseas she will consider a crack at the 2016 Olympics.

McVean quipped if it wasn't for dressage she would give eventing a crack. Considering what the queen of New Zealand showjumping has done and is about to do she would be a more than handy eventing exponent.

Fifteen started the class on a course designed by Orangeville-based Australian John Vallance. The first round of was a qualifier for this year's world championships for those who finished with eight faults or less.

Another five-time winner of the cup and defending champion, Hawke's Bay's Maurice Beatson, and his home-bred My Gollywog, were eliminated in the first round after parting company at the 11th fence. The 19-year-old horse got to fence nine clear, but then had four in a row down.

Beatson also retired Conyers in the first round after a run of fences hit the turf.

McVean produced the only clear in the first round, with McIntosh, Le Jeune on Andretti, Dee and Aussie Sarah Beale on Alpha Centauri all on four faults.

Eleven came back with six going clear - McIntosh, Aussie Brooke Dobbin on Silvo, Le Jeune, Aussie Sheridan Manuel on Renmano, McVean, Dee and Le Jeune on Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark.

But the clean slate of McVean said it all - with double clears, she couldn't be touched, with Le Jeune on Andretti, Dee and McIntosh all on four faults and sharing second place.

Meanwhile, another Waikato rider Clarke Johnstone yesterday won the CIC3* in the eventing at the show. Aboard Balmoral Sensation, a horse he only paired with six weeks ago, Johnstone, a team bronze medal winner from the 2010 World Champs, led home the remaining 12 combinations.

He and Sensation (owned by the Johnstone family) were the only ones to go clear and inside time over the final phase of the three-discipline event, finishing just over five faults ahead of defending champion Simon Gordon (Karaka) and Fletch.Com, with Joseph Waldron (Te Awamutu) on Springvale All Black just 0.3 points behind.

Gordon went clear in the showjumping, but picked up three time faults for his caution.

Waikato's Bill Noble and Airthrey Highlander (owned by Linda Moughan) won the Dressage Horse of the Year crown. As was the case for McVean, it was Noble's fifth title win.