Equestrian: Jump for joy at Lambie's ride to top

By JULIE ASH

Dale Lambie jumped with delight after her daughter Kate yesterday won the international three-day event at Puhinui, South Auckland.

After 20 years in the sport, Kate Lambie had captured her first three-star title - the Auckland Airport Regency three-day event - on the mare Alibi.

Lambie was third after the first day's dressage competition behind Australians Christine Bates and Tim Boland.

But with strong performances in the cross-country and showjumping, Lambie took the overall title from fellow New Zealanders Catriona Williams, on NRM Toffee Pops and Bryce Newman, on Dunstan Springbok.



"We are very proud, this is a big achievement - it is New Zealand's premier event," said Dale Lambie, who spent the weekend at Puhinui with husband John watching their daughter.

"We were up at 4.30 this morning. Alibi was just charging and raring to get out there."

For Kate Lambie, it was the biggest win of her career and made up for her disappointing performance in last month's four-star Adelaide event where she was eliminated in the cross-country.

The win at Puhinui should take her a step closer to making the New Zealand team for next year's world championships in Spain. A national training squad will be named next month.

While it is a dream to compete in the world championships, the 26-year-old is not looking too far ahead.

"I have to go home and think about the future," she said.

"I would like to go overseas and prepare for the worlds but I'd like a second horse to take with me. But the problem is finding another good horse."

Trained by David Goodin and Mark Todd, Lambie might also consider competing in a three-day event in Kentucky next year before going to Europe.

"I have to be realistic, I haven't had the mileage that Blyth Tait, Bryce Newman and Andrew Nicholson and all those guys have had.

"But I know I have got a good horse and I know I can do it, but I just want to sit down and have a think about what is best."

National selector Glen Beal said overall the standard of competition was not too bad considering the rain on Friday and Saturday turned the Puhinui reserve into a mudbath.

"The weather made it difficult for the horses and the riders but the experienced riders rose to the occasion," he said.

"There were also a number of encouraging performances in the two and three-star competitions."

He said Lambie would have been rapt with the win.

"She certainly has improved her chances of making the world championship team but so have many others.

"We are hoping to send three to five horses from New Zealand and there are a lot of good riders here and riding overseas at the moment."

Todd, now retired from international competition, is involved in training the New Zealand squad and like Beal said the weather was a dampener on the competition.

"Obviously the weather played a big part which was a great shame," he said.

"Yesterday [Saturday] it was diabolical. At least it didn't rain for the showjumping but the conditions were pretty wet under foot."

Todd said over the three days he saw some impressive combinations.

"Kate Lambie's done particularly well, Heelan Tompkins is in the frame and Bryce Newman is very experienced.

"There are some good combinations coming through, which is good leading up to next year's world championships."