Equestrian: Grayling 'will be hard to beat'

Matthew Grayling is the one to beat in this weekend's Puhinui International three-day event, in Heelan Tompkins' estimation.

Grayling and Tompkins, who are neighbours in New Plymouth, are among the 25 entrants in the three-star competition, which starts in Auckland today.

With the world equestrian games in Germany next year, the event is a chance for riders to impress selectors and seek the qualifications they need to compete at the highest four-star level.

Although the likes of UK-based Andrew Nicholson, Caroline Powell and Daniel Jocelyn will be in the front line for selection, there is a group of home-based riders who will be vying for a team berth at Aachen in August. Grayling and his horse Gordon will start at Puhinui as one of the favourites.

"Matthew is pretty sharp," Tompkins said. "He has got a really nice young horse and will be hard to beat."

Tompkins also rates two-time Puhinui winner Kate Lambie and her horse Charlton Noted.

"If I was a betting man, I'd definitely back Matthew and Kate," she said.

Other contenders in the three-star competition are Katharine van Tuyl (Woodville) with Underhand, Ella Matthews (Rotorua) with Major Difference, and Kate Wood (Whangarei) with Staccato.

Andrew Scott (Feilding), a member of the 1990 gold medal team at the world games who captained the transtasman team at Adelaide, will ride Mitavite X-Factor and Mitavite Duncan.

Last year's winner, Annabel Wigley, is also back with her horse Black Drum.