Penny Borthwick rides Rednalhgih Cowan. PHOTO CREDIT Cornege Photography
Wairarapa teen Penny Borthwick is riding high after another Country TV Pony Grand Prix victory, this time at the Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre World Cup Final Show in Hawera at the weekend.
She won the class aboard Rednalhgih Cowan and placed third with Foxden’s Merlot – each pony has now won five Grand Prix apiece this season and sit in second and third on the series leaderboard.
“They both have been performing very well,” says 15-year-old Penny, a year 11 student at St Matthews in Masterton. Despite putting in plenty of work over winter and during lockdown, even Penny is surprised at just how well her team is going.
Twelve started the Pony Grand Prix at Hawera with just three combinations coming back to jump-off over a technical Gary Sinclair-designed course – Tessa Mason (Hawke’s Bay) aboard Mr Acho and Penny with both her ponies.
“My plan at the weekend was to just go clear, try to make the jump-off and then see how things went from there. The course was technical but rode well for my two.”
But it didn’t all go exactly to plan – Foxden’s Merlot got a fright when she saw a flower on the ground just before the first of the double, which she had down. “She regrouped well though and carried on.”
Penny was the only double clear from the class, stopping the clock at 36.01 seconds with Tessa picking up four faults in her 39.66-second round, and Foxden’s Merlot coming home in 45.47 seconds.
Eleven-year-old Rednalhgih Cowan joined the Borthwick stable at Glistening Waters last year, while 11-year-old Foxden’s Merlot arrived five years ago and has been carefully produced by Penny. “I do love them both equally but they are so different – Rednalhgih Cowan is quite bulshy, very quick and quirky, while Foxden’s Merlot is very sensitive and little things can upset her.”
Penny has input from Jesse Linton and sometimes Wendy Jacobs. She lives on a sheep and beef farm that has lots of hills for training.
Nakeysha Lammers (Hamilton) and Balboa NZPH picked up their third FEI CSI1* win when they proved too clean and fast in the Craigs Investment Partners-sponsored class.
Twenty-two stepped up to be challenged by the Philippa Howells-designed course, with 11 clears coming back for the second round where the top six all kept their slates clean. It was the speedy Nakeysha and Balboa NZPH who won the day with their 46.11 second effort. Olympian Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) and Takapoto Alaid de Chez Nous came in for second, just a smidgen behind in 46.24 with Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) aboard Briar Burnett-Grant’s Fiber Fresh Chesall crossing the flags in 49.15 seconds for third.
Nakeysha and Balboa have twice won the CSI1* class at Taupo and in December were third in the same class at the Young Horse Championships.
Results –
Craigs Investment Partners FEI CSI1*: Nakeysha Lammers (Hamilton) Balboa NZPH 1, Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) Takapoto Alaid de Chez Nous 2, Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) Fiber Fresh Chesall 3, Emelia Forsyth (Clevedon) Henton Faberge 4, Katharine Van Tuyl (Palmerston North) Double J Sunshine 5, Glen Beal (Waikato) Soprano 6.
Country TV Pony Grand Prix Series (in conjunction with Mag & Tyre): Penny Borthwick (Masterton) Rednalhgih Cowan 1, Tessa Mason (Hawke’s Bay) Mr Acho 2, Penny Borthwick (Masterton) Foxden’s Merlot 3, Zara Main (Auckland) Blue Crush 4, Zara Preece-Twose (Auckland) TC Piano Man 5, Chloe Roylance (New Plymouth) Tallyho Cleopatra 6.
FMG Young Rider Series (in conjunction with Highfields Farm): Ben Weir (Auckland) Lanice van de Heffinck 1, Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Breeze On 2, Karis Spurway (Taranaki) Maddox Allheart 3, Tyla Hackett (Waiuku) Global PH Cocofino 4, Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) Lakota 5, Dylan Burton (Taumarunui) Kiwi Supakee 6.
Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series (in conjunction with Greymouth Petroleum): Jas Flowerday (Te Puke) Hit Parade 1, Mikayla Trott (Auckland) Redcliffs Armani RF 2, Abe Baker (Ruakawa) Hawkesdale Mahe 3, Samantha-Lee Wakeling (Wellsford) BMW Braveheart 4, Emma Singleton (Reporoa) Double J Cyclone 5, Jas Flowerday (Te Puke) Finch Farm Corsage 6.
Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider Series (in conjunction with Highfields Farm): Shanae McKay (Levin) ME Joy Ride II 1, Brent Anderson (Taranaki) Detailed MSH 2, Georgina Forsyth (Clevedon) Catapult Xtreme 3, Amanda Steele (Dannevirke) Rosehill Park Hermes 4, Dean Morgan (Hamilton) Sobraon Park Coldplay 5, Laura Pratt (Te Pahu) Monet X Change 6.
Harrison Lane Pro-Am Rider Series (in conjunction with Skin On): Carissa McCall (Taupaki) Oaks Diabella 1, Noni Morgan (Hastings) Starlight Discovery 2, Alex Hammond (Cambridge) Le Bam 3, Sally Clark (Dannevirke) Victoria’s Secret 4, Sally Steiner (Tauranga) Cartoon NZPH 5, Kristi Salonius (Cambridge) MF Starbound 6.
Matthews Hanoverian Seven-Year-Old Series (in conjunction with Taranaki Forge): Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Hurricane 1, Jesse Linton (Hastings) Aeronautic 2, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) WSJ Apache 3, Julie Davey (Hastings) LT Holst Freda 4, Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) Fiber Fresh Kasalla 5, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) WSJ Astros 6.
UltraMox Six-Year-Old Series (in conjunction with EH Design): Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) Takapoto Tinka 1.
East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old Series (in conjunction with Skin On): Ike Baker (Raukawa) LT Holst Emric, Paige Mackay (New Plymouth) Eloquence D, Samantha Carrington (Takapau) Double J Odin, Dirk Waldin (Havelock North) Lagertha VWNZ and Aline Tirant (Cambridge) Takapoto Formaggio =1.
For full results, head to www.evoevents.co.nz .
Jumping Team
1 February 2022