JOHNSTONE CLINCHES FEI WORLD CUP™ EVENTING 2011 SERIES VICTORY

Clarke Johnstone (NZL) on Orient Express seals victory in FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011. Photo: PSV J. Morel.

Clarke Johnstone (NZL) was celebrating with a large bottle of champagne, part of his spoils from Haras du Pin (FRA), where he finally sealed victory in the FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011.

 “I’ve just flown five horses from New Zealand to England, so I’m not really in credit at the moment!” joked Johnstone. “But this is a very satisfying result and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Johnstone is perennially successful in FEI World Cup™ Eventing - he finished fifth overall last year - but this time the 24-year-old World team bronze medallist set an unmatchable target right from the start of the season. He scored a win and a third place in his native New Zealand, at Kihikihi, and when he also triumphed in the next event in the series, at Sydney (AUS), the dye was cast.

For good measure, Johnstone completed Haras du Pin (FRA), the seventh and final event in the 2011 series, in sixth place on Kihikihi winner Orient Express, but his overall series victory was assured even before the competition started at the French venue.

Another of the younger riders, Christopher Burton (AUS), tracked Johnstone all the way, only finishing four points shy to take second place in the series.

Burton put up a magnificent fight. Having slotted into second at Kihkihi (NZL) and second and fifth at Sydney (AUS); riding the same two horses, Newsprint and Holstein Park Leilani, he then finished second and third at Haras du Pin to close the gap. But even if he had won the series climax, he would still have been an agonising one point in arrears behind Johnstone.

At the culmination of seven fiercely contested CIC3*s in seven countries, Belarusian rider Aliaksandr Faminou has made history as the highest placed rider from Eastern Europe in the history of the FEI World Cup™ Eventing. His brilliant achievement of three placings at Minsk (BLR) proved highly profitable, leaving him third in this year’s series.

Southern hemisphere riders filled seven out of the top 10 places at Haras du Pin (FRA), site of a French national stud and one of the most attractive venues in the calendar. In a tight finish, Clayton Fredericks (AUS), twice an FEI World Cup™ Eventing champion, riding Dunges Laurent Rose, won by less than one penalty ahead of Burton on Newsprint.

Fredericks had led after Cross Country on his other horse, the German-bred mare Be My Guest, but an expensive 16 Jumping faults dropped the partnership to fourth behind Burton’s Holstein Park Leilani.

After a relatively trouble-free Cross Country phase, the Jumping proved hugely influential - there was only one clear round from the 34 riders to complete the competition.

International FEI World Cup™ Eventing

“The efforts of New Zealand and Australia to gain points in Europe this year have really  paid off, with Clarke Johnstone, Christopher Burton, Shane Rose and Clayton Fredericks all in the top six,” said Catrin Norinder, Director of Eventing & Olympic at the FEI.

“The fact that eight nations made it into the top ten of this year’s FEI World Cup Eventing is also testament to how widely this trophy is contested globally.

“Riders from 15 countries competed on the series this year and this has really captured the imaginations of Eventing fans around the world, who have followed the series right through to its culmination in Haras du Pin.”

About the winner

Clarke Johnstone (NZL), 24, is from New Zealand’s South Island where his parents farm sheep and cattle. He started riding at the age of 12 and after graduating from Otago University, he spent three years based near Hamilton, North Island. He has now travelled to Gloucestershire, England, with five horses and the aim of competing at next year’s London Olympic Games.

He was long-listed for the 2008 Olympics with Oakley Vision, a horse he started riding when he was only 14, and made his team debut last year with Orient Express, a horse produced by 2000 Olympian Paul O’Brien (NZL), winning a team bronze medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky (USA).

He now heads to Burghley CCI4* (GBR) with Incognito and Taupo CCI3* winner Kolora Stud Secrets and to Blenheim CCI3* (GBR) with Orient Express.

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Standings (after 7 of 7 events)

1 Clarke Johnstone (NZL) 118
2 Christopher Burton (AUS) 114
3 Aliaksandr Faminou (BLR) 92
4 Michael Jung (GER) 79
5 Shane Rose (AUS) 70
6 Clayton Fredericks (AUS) 77
7 Yoshiaki Oiwa (JPN) 68
8 Mykhailo Nastenko (RUS) 64
9 Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) 62
10 Peter Thomsen (GER) 56

For full standings, please click here.

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Prize-Money

1 Clarke Johnstone (NZL) €15,000
2 Chris Burton (AUS) €9,000
3 Aliaksandr Faminou (BLR) €4,000

*The total prize money for FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011 is €28,000. This year there were seven legs in the series, with each leg contributing €4,000. 

Results from Haras du Pin

1 Clayton Fredericks/Dunges Laurent Rose (AUS) 43.5 + 3.2 + 4 = 50.7
2 Christopher Burton/Newsprint (AUS) 43.5 + 0 + 8 = 51.5
3 Christopher Burton/Holstein Park Leilani 50.6 + 0 + 8 = 58.6
4 Clayton Fredericks/Be My Guest (AUS) 43.3 + 0 + 16 = 59.3
5 Alix de Herce/Minx du Mane Roz (FRA) 52.6 + 3.6 + 4 = 60.2
6 Clarke Johnstone/Orient Express (NZL) 48.9 + 0 + 12 = 60.9
7 Cedric Lyard/Narcos de Soulac (FRA) 49.1 + 4 + 8 = 61.1
8 Mark Todd/NZB Campino (NZL) 43.7 + 10 + 8 = 61.7
9 Regis Prud Hon/Debiut (FRA) 52.2 + 5.6 + 4 = 61.8
10 Paul Tapner/Kilfinnie ll (AUS) 45.6 + 0 + 17 = 62.6
11 Eddy Sans/Kramique (FRA) 45.0 + 9.2 + 12 = 66.2

Full results on www.legrandcomplet.com

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NEW ZEALAND’S JOHNSTONE HAS ONE LAST PUSH IN FEI WORLD CUP™ EVENTING

Clarke Johnstone (NZL) - leader since first leg of FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011 in Kihikihi (NZL) Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI

FEI PRESS RELEASE
Lausanne (SUI), 19 August 2011

Antipodean riders Clarke Johnstone (NZL) and Chris Burton (AUS) are making absolutely sure of their FEI World Cup™ Eventing bonus by travelling to the last event in the 2011 series, which is underway at Haras du Pin (FRA) today.

Both riders are now based in Britain, where they are making quite an impact on the national circuit.

They will be hard to beat in the race to secure the FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011 champion title and for Clarke Johnstone this would be a sweet victory after his brilliant wins at the first and second legs at Kihikihi (NZL) and Sydney (AUS).

A strong field of 47 riders representing 12 nations will contest this popular event, including several leading French names and Olympians such as Mark Todd (NZL) and Clayton Fredericks (AUS), so the Antipodean influence is expected to be strong.

Emily Baldwin, who scored a one-two-three on Drivetime at FEI World Cup™ Eventing's third leg at Chatsworth (GBR), and was last year's Le Pin winner, had signalled that she would be returning to the final leg of the 2011 series in her quest for further points. She will be missed after suffering a broken collarbone at Gatcombe.

Follow the event on www.legrandcomplet.com

A full report on Haras du Pin and the final standings in the FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011 will be published after the event.

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Standings (after 6 of 7 events)
1 Clarke Johnstone (NZL) 118
2 Chris Burton (AUS) 108
3 Aliaksandr Faminou (BLR) 96
4 Michael Jung (GER) 79
5 Shane Rose (AUS) 70
6 Yoshiaki Oiwa (JAP) 66
7 Mykhailo Nastenko (RUS) 64
8 Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) 62
9 Peter Thomsen (GER) 56
10 Niklas Lindback (SWE) 41

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Calendar for 2011
1 Kihikihi (NZL), 07-10 April 2011
2 Sydney (AUS), 06-08 May 2011
3  Chatsworth (GBR), 14-15 May 2011
4 Strzegom (POL), 23-26 June 2011
5 Minsk (BLR), 13-17 July 2011
6 Malmö (SWE), 05-07 August 2011
7 Le Pin au Haras (FRA), 18-21 August 2011

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Aussie challenge for the 2011 FEI Eventing World Cup title

Australian Christopher Burton will join riders from 12 countries on 47 horses in France this weekend to contest the final leg of the FEI Eventing World Cup series at the Haras du Pin national stud farm in Normandy.

29-year-old Burton is currently in second place on the FEI World Cup leader-board behind Clarke Johnstone of New Zealand. Burton will start two horses this weekend in his bid to claim the 2011 FEI World Cup Eventing title,  his 2010 World Equestrian Games mount Holstein Park Leilani and  Newsprint, a winner of the 2008 Adelaide CCI4* and runner-up in 2010.

“I am grateful to the owners of the horses, Jean and Jade Findlay and Lou Verway for the opportunity to have these horses in Europe and for the chance to challenge for the World Cup title,” said Burton.

“I will be trying to win it. Both these horse are capable of very good performances, Barry [Newsprint] had a god run at Gatcombe and Leilani is going well so fingers crossed I will be in with a good chance.”

Points gained at each qualifier count towards a prize pot awarded to the best riders at the end of the series. After eight CIC-W3* events in eight countries across three continents, the three most successful riders will share a valuable prize fund worth € 32'000.

In 2010 Australia’s Megan Jones finished second overall out of 133 riders from 25 nations.

In June, Burton relocated from Sydney to the United Kingdom to campaign for next year’s Olympic Games. He took a strong team of horses with him and is already achieving some impressive results in the Northern Hemisphere. Earlier this month Burton placed fifth at the British Open Championship at Gatcombe riding Newsprint.

Johnstone and Burton have gone head-to-head twice in the FEI World Cup series so far this year, at Kihikihi (NZL) and Sydney (AUS).  Johnstone has won both classes aboard his talented New Zealand Thoroughbred Orient Express whilst Burton finished a close second on both occasions riding Holstein Park Leilani. Johnstone will be competing on Orient Express this weekend.

Johnstone currently sits on 118 points on the FEI World Cup leader-board, Burton on 108 and in third place is Aliaksandr Faminou of Belarus, who will not be competing this weekend.

Australia will also be represented in the CIC3*-W at Haras du Pin by world class competitors Clayton Fredericks (2005 and 2008 FEI World Cup winner and Olympic Silver medallist), Sam Griffiths (2010 World Equestrian Games representative) and Paul Tapner (2010 Badminton winner and 2010 World Equestrian Games representative).

The CIC3*-W start list includes some of the best riders from around the globe. The living legend Mark Todd (NZL), 2011 Badminton winner and dual gold medallist, will return to ‘Le Pin’.  Last year’s Le Pin winner, Emily Baldwin (GBR) is back to defend her title.

The Haras du Pin national stud-farm will welcome a record 266 horses from 14 nations participating in three international classes over the weekend. Riders from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Great-Britain, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and USA are taking part.

For all 2011 Haras du Pin results stay tuned to http://www.legrandcomplet.com/english/start-lists-results/

For more information regarding the FEI World Cup Eventing including the point allocation system, series rules and leader boards please see the FEI web site,  http://www.feiworldcup.org/Eventing/Pages/FEIWorldCupEvents.aspx

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JUNG ROCKETS TO THIRD PLACE IN FEI WORLD CUP EVENTING RANKINGS

Reigning World Champion Michael Jung (GER) has established his position in the 2011 FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings after Strzegom (POL), the fourth leg of the series.

FEI PRESS RELEASE
Lausanne (SUI), 28 June 2011

Reigning World Champion Michael Jung (GER) has established his position on the 2011 FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings after scoring an emphatic one-two at Strzegom (POL), the fourth leg of the series.

In a remarkable record, Jung, the reigning Series Champion from 2010 and winner of the 2009 FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final in Strzegom was winning at this leading Polish venue for the third consecutive time.

The German rider was in first and second position throughout the competition, only swapping the order of his horses in the final phase when Leopin, which had been re-routed after retiring the previous weekend in Luhmühlen CCI4*, jumped clear to take the top spot. Leopin was the only horse to achieve the optimum Cross Country time and, with his faultless Jumping round, was the only horse in the competition to complete on his Dressage score.

The Cross-Country leader, La Biosthetique Sam, the brilliant horse on which Jung won individual gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ last year, as well as the Luhmühlen CCI4*, the FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final and a European bronze medal in 2009, faulted just once in the final phase to drop to second place.

Jung has now rocketed into third place in the FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings. With just three events left to run, he has to score another win, at Minsk (BLR), Malmö (SWE) or Haras du Pin (FRA), to overtake the series leader Clarke Johnstone (NZL) and claim the major share of the prize-pot.

German-based Japanese rider Yoshiaki Oiwa, who has made a great recovery after his injury in a freak riding accident, finished third and sixth at Strzegom. He now needs to score a win, or two top placings, to feature in the top three of the FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings.

An impressive total of 11 nations featured at Strzegom, with 24 of the 32 starters completing the competition and 17 jumping clear across country, but the major disappointment for the home nation was the withdrawal overnight of Pawel Spisak (POL) from fifth place on his top horse Weriusz.


Results
1.Michael Jung/Leopin (GER) 42.4 + 0.0 + 0 = 42.4
2.Michael Jung/La Biosthetique Sam (GER) 409 + 1.2 + 4 = 46.1
3.Yoshiaki Oiwa/Noonday de Conde (JAP) 47.8 + 4.4 + 0 = 52.2
4.Andreas Dibowski/FRH Fantasia (GER) 46.6 + 6.4 + 4 = 55.0
5.Merel Blom/Rumor Haz It (GER) 49.3 + 9.8 + 8 = 66.9
6.Yoshiaki Oiwa/Gorgeous George (JAP) 55.4 + 0.8 + 12 = 68.2
7.Robert Sirch/Killcross (GER) 55.4 + 14.4 + 0 = 69.8
8.Patrizia Attinger/Raumalpha (GER) 60.9 + 8.0 + 4 = 72.9

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Standings (after 4 of 7 events)
1.Clarke Johnstone (NZL) 118
2.Chris Burton (AUS) 108
3.Michael Jung (GER) 79
4.Shane Rose (AUS) 70
5.Yoshiaki Oiwa (JAP) 66
6.Emily Baldwin (GBR) 41
7.Ruth Edge (GBR) 38
8.Sarah Cohen (GBR) 36
9.Stuart Tinney (AUS) 34
10.Andreas Dibowski (GER) 34

To view the standings online, please click here.

FEI World Cup™ Eventing Calendar for 2011
1.Kihikihi (NZL), 07-10 April 2011
2.Sydney (AUS), 06-08 May 2011
3.Chatsworth (GBR), 14-15 May 2011
4.Strzegom (POL), 23-26 June 2011
5.Minsk (BLR), 13-17 July 2011
6.Malmö (SWE), 05-07 August 2011
7.Le Pin au Haras (FRA), 18-21 August 2011

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Sydney: Johnstone sets the target with double Down Under

 Clarke Johnstone on Orient Express wins again in Sydney at the second leg of the FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011. Photo: Rachel Smith/FEI

FEI PRESS RELEASE

Lausanne (SUI), 9 May 2011

As anticipated, Antipodean riders seized the chance to steal a march on their northern hemisphere colleagues in the 2011 FEI World Cup™ Eventing series by targeting the second leg, at Sydney’s Weekend of Equestrian World Cups (AUS).

New Zealander Clarke Johnstone followed up his victory at Kihikihi (NZL) last month by travelling across the Tasman Sea to pick up another win aboard Orient Express, his team bronze medal-winning mount at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky (USA).

Only three riders have won two FEI World Cup events in a season: Michael Jung (GER) last year, Megan Jones (AUS) in 2009, and Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) in 2007. Johnstone’s two wins, plus a third at Kihikihi, gives him an impressive tally of 119 points.

With riders’ three best results counting towards the final rankings, which carry a first prize of €28,000 the New Zealander could prove hard to beat. He has further chances to improve his tally as he sets off for Britain this month to further his ambition of selection for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cross-Country at Sydney produced a thrillingly tight finish, with just 1.6 penalties covering the top three riders. Olympic silver medallist Shane Rose (AUS) was in pole position on Taurus, the horse on which he was also placed fourth at Kihikihi, but two fences down dropped them to eventual third.

In a repeat of Kihikihi, Chris Burton (AUS) finished second to Johnstone, moving up a place with a clear Jumping round on Holstein Park Leilani, the horse on which he made his Australian squad debut last year. However, Burton, fastest of the day across country on Newsflash, picks up valuable extra points for fifth place on that horse and is now second in the FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings, 11 points in arrears.

Despite his nerves, Johnstone managed to keep a cool head and produce a clear Jumping round to clinch victory. “It was all pretty nerve-racking,” he admitted. “We gave one jump a little rub and because I was so nervous it probably wasn’t my most stylish jump ever!”

Summing up his overall performance, Johnstone said: “In the Dressage, I missed one flying change, but ‘Blue’ (Orient Express) went really well and he was just fantastic across country. It was fast and furious to get the optimum time because the track is hilly and twisty, but we rode it last year and almost got the time, so I knew what I had to do.”

Sixteen combinations went clear across country, but the overnight Dressage leader, Tim Boland (AUS), fell foul of fence 14, correctly predicted by former Australian team coach Wayne Roycroft to be the most difficult fence, a sequence of angled apexes. There were nine stops in total here, including for Shane Rose on his other horse, APH Moritz. Chris Burton also had a mishap with his second string, Haruzac, recording a fall on the flat at a corner. Twenty of the original 30 starters completed the competition.

The FEI World Cup™ Eventing action now moves across the world to Great Britain, where northern hemisphere-based riders will have their first chance to climb the rankings at Chatsworth (May 14-15).

Results

1 Clarke Johnstone/Orient Express (NZL) 45.4 + 0 + 0 = 45.4

2 Chris Burton/Holstein Park Leilani (AUS) 45.9 + 0 + 0 = 45.9

3 Shane Rose/Taurus (AUS) 44.4 + 0 + 8 = 52.3

4 Stuart Tinney/Vettori AUS) 46.3 + 6.4 + 0 = 52.7

5 Chris Burton/Newsflash (AUS) 53.5 + 0 + 0 = 53.5

6 Megan Jones/Kirby Park Allofasudden (AUS) 50.0 + 2.8 + 4 = 56.8

7 Craig Barrett/Sandhills Brillaire (AUS) 56.7 + 4.4 + 0 = 61.1

8 Soigne Jackson/Gold (AUS) 63.2 + 0 + 4 = 67.2



FEI World Cup™ Eventing Standings (after 2 of 7 events)

1 Clarke Johnstone (NZL) 118

2 Chris Burton (AUS) 108

3 Shane Rose (AUS) 70

4 Stuart Tinney (AUS) 34

5 Brent Jury (NZL) 32

6 Megan Jones (AUS) 30

7 Craig Barrett (AUS) 28

8 Soigne Jackson (AUS) 26

9 Heath RYAN(AUS) 2

10 Tallara Barwick (AUS) 2

11 Crystal Conning (AUS) 2

12 Wilhelm Enzinger (AUS) 2

13 Cassie Lowe (AUS) 2

14 Simon Gordon (NZL) 2



FEI World Cup™ Eventing Calendar 2011

Kihikihi (NZL) 7-10 April

Sydney (AUS) 6-8 May

Chatsworth (GBR) 14-15 May

Strzegom (POL) 23-26 June

Minsk (BLR) 13-17 July

Malmö (SWE) 5-7 August

Le Pin au Haras (FRA), 18-21 August 2011

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Sydney: Johnstone bags another FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier

8 May 2011

Twenty-four-year-old Clarke Johnstone travelled across the Tasman with his horse Orient Express to contest the second FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier of the season.  It was well worth his while as he clinched the victory this afternoon at Sydney International Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park, barely a month after winning round one of the FEI World Cup in New Zealand.

Johnstone, who hails from Hamilton (NZL), was in second place going into the final phase.  Less than a rail separated the top three riders. Johnstone’s handsome thoroughbred looked perfectly at ease in the arena and the pair demonstrated cool temperaments and great skill to finish on their Dressage score of 45.4 penalties.

Olympic silver medallist Shane Rose and the 8-year-old Taurus were leading the event going into the show jumping phase and you could hear a pin drop when he entered the arena. But his chance at victory ended at fence 1 as the back rail of the oxer rolled off. A further rail at fence 6 dropped them to third place.

Christopher Burton on Holstein Park Leilani jumped a magnificent clear to finish second.  Stuart Tinney and Vettori showed their experience executing a faultless round to claim fourth.

Johnstone, a team silver medallist from the 2010 World Equestrian Games, won the Kihikihi FEI World Cup qualifier in New Zealand in April.  Today’s results were almost a replica of the New Zealand event where Burton finished second and Rose was fourth (Johnstone also placed was third on another horse, Incognito). Tinney did not make the trip to New Zealand.

Johnstone’s double victory puts him in a strong position to win the overall point-score and the accompanying €30,000 prize money. There are seven FEI Eventing World Cup qualifiers held in seven countries, a rider’s best three results in any of these qualifiers will count toward their final points.

Johnstone is planning to travel to England with Orient Express, where he will be based in the lead-up to the London Olympic Games.  Whilst in the northern hemisphere he will have the opportunity to compete in more FEI World Cup qualifiers. Christopher Burton, currently second on the FEI World Cup leader-board is also headed to the United Kingdom with Holstein Park Leilani.

Full results can be found at www.sydneyeventing.org

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Sydney's Weekend of World Cups starts today!

From Friday 6 May to Sunday 8 May the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, where Australia won Gold at the 2000 Olympic Games, comes alive again with the best Eventing and Show Jumping riders and horses in the country. Nearly 600 horses will converge on the venue for Sydney's Weekend of World Cups. 30 high profile athletes will compete in the Equestrian NSW FEI World Cup Eventing qualifier and 25 in the Jumping NSW Greater Sydney FEI World Cup Jumping qualifier. This weekend's event is of vital importance to Australian riders as they prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The eyes of Australian selectors will be watching the outcome intently.

The Eventing World Cup line up includes the 2010 winner, Christopher Burton who is originally from Queensland, back to defend his title on the lovely mare Holstein Park Leilani owned by Jean and Jade Findlay. Burton has two other rides in the class and is hopeful of another hat‐trick similar to his efforts at Albury CIC in 2010, where he won all three international classes. After this weekend's event Chris' horses will enter quarantine ahead of a journey to England where Chris will continue his preparation towards the London 2012 Olympic Games, aiming for selection on the Australian team.

The 2009 Sydney World Cup winner, Olympic Silver Medallist Megan Jones from Stirling in South Australia is also returning for another crack at the impressive $12,000 prize money on offer. Sydney Gold medallist Stuart Tinney from Maraylya in NSW has two rides in the class and is keen to re-live the triumph from 2000. Beijing Silver Medallist Shane Rose from Werombi in NSW, the fastest man in the world on the cross-country at the 2008 Games, has two rides in this year's event and will be hard to match for time around Sydney's Olympic cross country track. Multi‐discipline Australian representative Heath Ryan from Heatherbrae in NSW is determined to show the younger riders he still has what it takes to make the time. New Zealand 2010 World Equestrian Games Team Bronze medallist Clarke Johnstone from Hamilton in New Zealand recently won the New Zealand World Cup qualifier and will be doing everything he can to take the Aussie title back across the Tasman. A further 18 elite riders make up the Eventing World Cup class all eager to prove they can master the three phases of dressage, cross-country and show jumping to claim the victory in the 2011 Sydney World Cup Qualifier.

Following today’s Dressage phase, is the exciting cross country phase beginning 12pm on Saturday. On Sunday the horses will have to prove their fitness by returning to the indoor arena to show jump for the final placings.

The Show Jumping World Cup line up includes the 2010 winner, Jamie Kermond who now lives in Ebenezer, NSW and the 2009 winner Chris Chugg from Glossodia in NSW who recently returned from helping Australia achieve the highest ever placing in the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Also competing is three time Olympian Vicki Roycroft from Mt White in NSW, the 2010 Australian Junior and Young Rider Champion 17-year-old Tom McDermott, 2010 Summer Classic World Cup winner Brook Dobbin from Victoria and the winner of the 2011 Sydney Royal World Cup qualifier Julia Hargreaves from Wilberforce in NSW. Joining these top riders are another 16 elite competitors from across the country, ensuring spectators will be in for a thrilling competition on Sunday.

The Sydney International Equestrian Centre is just off the M7 at Horsley Park only 45 minutes from the centre of Sydney. Parking at the venue is free and much of the action takes place in the indoor arena making it the perfect event for spectators.

Visit www.sydneyeventing.org  for more information.

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Kihikihi: New Zealander claims FEI World Cup Eventing title at Kihikihi

Clarke Johnstone delivered a clear show-jumping round under intense pressure to win the first FEI World Cup Event at Kihikihi (New Zealand) today.

Even though Johnstone went into the ring with a rail in hand, course-designer Gerrit Beker had set a tough technical challenge for the final phase which left no room for complacency. But Johnstone looked calm and confident aboard Orient Express, and the combination produced a polished round to finish the competition on their dressage score of 45.7 penalties. Australian Chris Burton and the impressive Holstein Park Leilani dropped a rail with 1 time penalty to complete on a final score of 50.9 penalties in 2nd place. Johnstone produced another clear round with 1 time penalty on his younger horse Incognito to also take 3rd place (53.2 penalties). Australian Shane Rose and Taurus dropped into 4th place after lowering a rail to finish the competition on a score of 54.7 penalties. Fifth place went to South Island rider Brent Jury and SE Big (74.5 penalties) and 6th place to Auckland-based Simon Gordon and Fletch.com (75.1 penalties).

The FEI World Cup Eventing series which takes place in eight venues around the world now moves to Sydney (6-8 May).

www.thehorseevent.co.nz

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Kihikihi: Johnstone holds on to lead at Kihikihi World Cup

Clarke Johnstone and Orient Express retained the narrowest of leads after today’s cross-country phase at the FEI World CupTM Event at Kihikihi today. A confident and fast clear round ensured that the pair remained on their dressage score of 45.7 penalties, just ahead of Australian rider Chris Burton on Holstein Park Leilani. Burton also delivered a polished round on his scopey mare to finish on his dressage score of 45.9 penalties, leaving Johnstone absolutely no room for error in the final show-jumping phase tomorrow. Australian Shane Rose shifted into third position (50.7 penalties) with a fast clear round on Taurus, after overnight third-placeholders Lizzie Brown and Henton Attorney General parted company mid-course. Johnstone also guided Incognito round clear and under time to shift up two places into fourth position (52.2 penalties). Kihikihi first-timer Simon Gordon showed expertise well beyond his 21 years to bring his two horses home clear and end the day in fifth (Simply Mitch, 68.9 penalties) and sixth (Fletch.com, 71.1 penalties).

www.thehorseevent.co.nz

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Kihikihi: Johnstone takes narrow early lead at Kihikihi

News from New Zealand's Kihikihi...

Clarke Johnstone and Orient Express produced a consistent and polished dressage test on day 1 of the World CupTM Event at the Kihikihi International Horse Trial to finish on a score of 45.7 penalties, barely a whisker ahead of visiting Australian rider Chris Burton (Holstein Park Leilani) on 45.9 penalties. Lizzie Brown and Henton Attorney General finished in third place on 46.8 penalties after the horse made a couple of uncharacteristic errors which robbed them of a better score. Australian Shane Rose and the talented Taurus and Alice Montgomery and Gordon finished fourth equal on a score of 50.7 penalties after both producing quality rhythmic tests. Spectators were treated to a strong display of dressage from the top half of the field. The action switches tomorrow to the cross-country when riders will tackle John Nicholson’s testing cross-country track. The tight set of scores after day 1 means that there will be little room for complacency.

www.thehorseevent.co.nz

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KIHIKIHI KICKS OFF FEI WORLD CUP™ EVENTING 2011 SERIES

Germany’s Michael Jung, winner of the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2009 and 2010, could make it a series hat-trick in 2011. (Leszek Wójcik/FEI)

 The FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2011 series kicks off at Kihikihi in New Zealand on 7-10 April, when John Nicholson’s imaginative cross-country course will test the mettle of some of the world’s most talented horse and rider combinations.