Pottinger makes history

Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding, 2016 national champions. PHOTO/FILE

FORMER St Matthew's Collegiate student Amanda Pottinger won the NRM national three-day eventing championship at Taupo during the weekend, and grabbed third place in the Equestrian New Zealand super league in the process.

The top two spots in the super league were all tied up before what was the last event in the series but it was a fascinating tussle for third place with the result going down to the wire on the final day's showjumping.

Pottinger, now resident in Waipukurau, was lying sixth-equal going into the Taupo competition and she produced a top performance in all three phases to win the national title on the 9-year-old thoroughbred gelding Just Kidding.

They took the lead after Friday's dressage, despite a course error, and survived a "life" on Saturday's cross-country when Just Kidding stumbled on landing in the last water, both disappearing in the resulting splash, but emerging together to complete a clear round, but with 16 time penalties.

This allowed Sarah Dalziell-Clout, of Masterton, to take the lead on Benrose Super Star by a narrow margin, with the super league winners, Katharine Van Tuyl and Double J Sunshine, a close third after the fastest round of the day, thereby making up for the worst dressage performance of their career, which saw them tail the 16-strong field.

Van Tuyl put pressure on the two leaders by showjumping clear on Sunday, but Pottinger, has been training with Jeff McVean and improving this phase throughout the season, produced her first clear showjumping round at this level to hold her place, meaning Dalziell-Clout had to do likewise.

They had one rail down to finish second, their best result to date, but it allowed Pottinger to take the title and the spoils.

Pottinger's mother, former Olympian Tinks Pottinger, who lives at Tinui, won the national title in 1985 on another thoroughbred, the former steeplechaser Graphic, raced by her parents Eric and Tiny White. Tinks Pottinger now grooms for her daughter, while a proud Tiny White was there to see her granddaughter make history, no other family having two generations of winners on the Wills Trophy.

The presentation was made by Anton Koolman, who won the first three-day event in New Zealand, at Rotorua in 1966. He had travelled from Sydney, and was impressed by the technical demands of the sport now, although it is no longer a test of real stamina, after the removal of the steeplechase and roads and tracks phases from cross-country day.

ESNZ super league series final result: Katharine Van Tuyl (Palmerston Nth), Double J Sunshine, 306 points, 1; Clarke Johnstone (Matangi/UK), Balmoral Sensation, 210pts, 2; Amanda Pottinger (Waipukurau), Just Kidding, 108pts, 3; Virginia Thompson (Kaukapakapa), Star Nouveau, 102pts, 4; Andrew Daines (Kumeu), Spring Panorama, 96 pts, 5; Giles Gormack (Rangiora), Lucero, 84 pts, 6.