Olympic points up for grabs

Olympic selection will be very much on the minds of the top-ranked competitors in the advanced class at the national one-day championships to be hosted by Eventing Wairarapa at Tauhenerikau on Saturday and Sunday.
Earning enough points to help them on the way to next year's Beijing Olympics is sure to be the prime objective of riders like Bryce Newman (Bulls), Matthew Grayling (Taranaki), Emily Butcher (Canterbury) and Craig Johnstone (Dunedin,)all of whom, incidentally, are past winners of the advanced class title.
Eventing Wairarapa chairperson Tinks Pottinger, an Olympic medallist herself, considers the high quality of the 15-strong field should make these championships something special.
"The pressure is on and how they react to that will have a big say in who finishes where,"she said.
The championships have attracted an entry of 80 riders in all and there will considerable Wairarapa interest in the novice championship class where the leading contenders will include three local members of the successful Wellington-Wairarapa Pony Club team, Emma Cameron, James Blackwood and Amanda Pottinger.
Dressage classes will be the centre of attention on Saturday with cross country and show jumping the following day.