Beijing an incentive at one day champs

The incentive of possible qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will guarantee hot competition in the premier section, the advanced class, at the national one day equestrian championships at Tauherenikau tomorrow and Sunday.
As many as 15 riders will be seeking major honours there, including past winners of the title in Bryce Newman (Bulls), Matthew Grayling (Taranaki) and Emily Butcher (Canterbury) and talented 19-year-old Otago finance student Clarke Johnstone, all of whom have been in good enough recent form to suggest another victory is well within their capabilities.
Butcher is the defending champion and will again team up with her star eventer Southern Ben in what will actually be the last national one day champs to be hosted by Eventing Wairarapa on their testing Tauherenikau course.
After eight years of successfully hosting this competition they have decided it is time for a change and the championships will be staged in the Canterbury region next year.
Grayling will ride his previous champion NRM Gordon this weekend while Newman will be resting his hopes on the well-performed Bates Our Questionaire.
Johnstone is likely to be on Oakley Vision, the horse on whom he won the New Zealand qualifier for the World Cup at Kihikihi near Te Awamutu last Easter weekend. Interestingly enough Grayling actually led that competition after the dressage phase but a fall at the water jump in the cross country catapulted from first to last on the points table.
This weekend's championships have attracted an entry of around 80 in all with Wairarapa interest also focusing on the novice class where three local members of the successful Wellington-Wairarapa Pony Club team in Emma Cameron, James Blackwood and Amanda Pottinger are anticipated to be amongst the leading contenders.
Tomorrow's action in all grades will centre on dressage with the cross country and show jumping disciplines being held on Sunday.