Horse of the Year title to Gisborne rider Tombleson

Gisborne's Fraser Tombleson and Mr Shelby on their way to victory in the Five-Year-Old class at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings. Photo / Michelle Clarke Photography

Gisborne horse Mr Shelby is proving quite the star and underlined that at the Defender Horse of the Year in Hastings this week.

Gisborne rider Fraser Tombleson and his homebred grey gelding Mr Shelby won the Arena Surfaces NZ Five-Year-Old Horse of the Year (HOY) crown on Wednesday, adding it to the title they won at the National Young Horse Show last year.

The combo is also leading the East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old national series.

Twenty started Wednesday’s HOY class and just four combinations produced clear rounds to progress to a jump-off.

Makenzie Causer (Christchurch), aboard Aspen Park Cera Casallo, set the pace with a clear 35.11 second round.

Next came Fraser Babbington (Gisborne), on HCPH Blinky Bill, who wasted no time in bettering Causer with a 34.75 clear effort.

Tombleson and Mr Shelby jumped third and were deceptively fast - a slick inside turn giving them the much-needed edge to come home clear in 34.19.

Last to go was Vicki Wilson (Hawke’s Bay), on her showy homebred Dark N Spicy, who had the fastest time of the round - 33.07- but dropped a rail mid-course.

“I had to work for it out there to beat Fraser (Babbington),” Tombleson said.

The win was even more special as Mr Shelby is out of Fraser’s World Cup mare Mea II, who won the Six-Year-Old crown at HOY a few years back, but died in a paddock accident.

“It’s pretty cool he’s out of Mea,” said Tombleson, who farms 1000 hectares on the outskirts of Gisborne. “I think he’s definitely showing all the right signs, but I am just not sure I am the one to do it with him.

“Any title class is neat to win and with just one horse here, I try to make it count.”

The Horse of the Year is New Zealand’s premier equestrian event, featuring 1400 riders from all over the country.