Woods Powers Round Cross Country   20 Apr 2015

Woods Powers Round Cross Country

WHAT: ESNZ Eventing Canterbury 2015 FEI South Island Three Day Event

WHEN: Thursday April 16 to Sunday, April 19, 2015-04-18

WHERE: South Island National Equestrian Centre, McLeans Island, Christchurch

WOOD POWERS ROUND CROSS COUNTRY TO RETAIN LEAD IN SI3DE

Southland visitor Corey Wood powered round today’s Nick Pyke-designed cross country aboard his and Carmen Steel’s nine-year-old Thoroughbred Pick Up Line to retain the lead in the CC12*.

Last out in the three strong field, Wood put in a sublime round to finish clear and inside the time to sit on his overnight score of 57.8 penalties. After an uncharacteristic dressage performance yesterday, Amberley’s Giles Gormack and the lovely, Lucero, moved up to second with a clear round, finishing just one second over the time to end the day on 64 penalties, with Sophie Abbott and Time To Tango Too, third on 64.4.

Wood, who originally hailed from Cambridge before moving south last July to work on a dairy farm near Wyndam, was thrilled with the former racehorse’s performance over the bold track. “I was absolutely stoked,” said the 25-year-old. “It’s (cross country) usually his favourite phase but I was I was a little bit nervous about it. It wasn’t the jumps that worried me but getting the striding right in some of the combinations. He took everything in his stride though and made it feel quite easy really.”

Wood will head into tomorrow’s final showjumping phase in pole position. While he’s pleased, he’s under no illusion that it might have been a different story if the strong North Island contingent had made it across Cook Strait to compete after a run of cancelled ferry sailings this week due to poor weather.

There was little change at the top of the leaderboard in the CCI1* with West Melton’s Kirsty Sharapoff and Shoot The Breeze putting in another determined performance across country to stay on her dressage score of 48 penalties, with Lucy Turner (Broadfields) on Carbon moving up a place to second with a clear round inside the time allowed. A clear round, penalty free, also saw Claudia Wilson and Citadelle move up to third.

Wellington’s Lauren Currie was another to post a classy cross country performance to stay ahead of the field in the Hei Hei Pharmacy CCN105 with Rockdon Wildfire, while Louise Turner andRosura Mac II moved up to take the lead the Striding Edge Sporthorses CCN95 with a faultless performance.

Overnight leader Sophie Griffith (Kaiapoi) on Chocolat Moka will go into tomorrow’s showjumping with more than a rail in hand in the Saddlery Barn Young Horse CCN95 for four, five and six year olds, whereas the Canterbury Equine Clinic and Rangiora Vet Centre CCN80 remains a tight affair with little separating the top placegetters headed by Louise Poultney (Christchurch) and Glendale Blackjack on 27.5.

The final showjumping phase is set to get underway at 9.45am after the final vet inspection with two rings operating. Prizegiving is scheduled for 2pm.

ENDS

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