John Thompson succeeded Penny Castle as the new New Zealand Grand Prix Champion after winning the Nationals held during the 2016 CDI Feilding at Manfield Park on 3 - 7 February 2016. While Thompson claimed the gold, new comer Wendi Williamson caught the attention by finishing in silver medal position ahead of New Zealand's strongest rider of the movement, Julie Brougham.
John Thompson was second in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Kur with 68.94% and 70.775%, winning the special with 69.7006%, followed closely by team mate and overall runner-up Wendi Williamson who took out the Kur with 71.200%.
John Striving for Rio Points
Thompson's ride Antonello was on the operation table for a bad colic just ten weeks before the show, so John was particularly pleased with his 13-year old gelding (by Anamour). He says that despite a very poor preparation for the championship, Antonello worked harder as the competition went on.
“The show was so beautifully ran," John told Eurodressage. “The great thing about a small country is that everybody works with each other and they put on such a fantastic event!”
Scoring their second Olympic qualifying score in the Special John now has two scores down for Rio with two to go. He was very proud of his performance at the show given the recent hurdles.
“At the end of my Grand Prix special there was a moment right after the final halt where I just couldn't believe how well he had worked for me during that test.” John added that his mate Antonello is as crazy as they get, which he knows makes you love him even more for being so different. “They say horses are just like their owners so maybe we can’t blame him!”
Thompson is trained by Australian based Dane Lone Jorgensen and Lyndal Oatley when she's in town and describes both as a huge inspiration. They are always there to steer him in the right direction.
“In the next few months we will be trying to finish qualifying for Rio. We have 5 chances from 3 different shows to try and gain another two scores over 70% in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special.”
Adding that there is something so special about being short listed to represent New Zealand at the Olympics, John cites the real high of the year was having AJ come back into full work after near death.
“Rio is on the cards which is very exciting, and we have a trip to Australia booked to compete in two more CDI’s which is a good stepping stone to see how he travels," he explained.
Williamson Delighted with her Grand Prix Youngster
Wendi Williamson and 10-year old New Zealand bred Hanoverian Dejavu MH (by De Niro) also had a ball at the show. She particularly enjoyed their win in the kur on the Saturday night, which was the feature event of the weekend.
“It waas definitely an unexpected highlight for me,” said Wendi. “Dejavu MH and I had competed at the North Island Championships two weeks earlier and were away from home in between, hence he had definitely lost a bit of his edge coming into the National Championships. However, we are still green at this level so overall I was very pleased with our consistency at the show.”
Williamson described her black gelding as a very smart horse and says Dejavu rarely makes mistakes. He knows his job very well.
“He is a powerful and energetic horse to ride and it feels like he has a lot more yet to come.”
With the “Horse of the Year” show coming up at the beginning of March, the pair will then be looking to push on with strength building over our off-season from April to September.
“I train monthly with New Zealand based trainer Penny Castle and international trainers Peter Storr (UK) and Monique Peutz (The Netherlands) on occasions throughout the year," said Williamson. "I was lucky enough to have lessons with Charlotte Dujardin when she came to New Zealand in 2014 and in 2015. This is the first horse I have ridden at Grand Prix and the first horse I have ridden at CDI level, so I feel proud to have trained him with the help of my trainers to that level all the way from the very beginning.”
Dejavu MH also underwent a recent keyhole surgery for reoccurring low grade colic, but the operation has transformed the horse considerably and the improvement over the past 6 months has been immense.
“I registered on the Rio long list but I think it is too soon to seriously pursue the necessary qualifying scores at this stage in his career," Williamson stated. "I think from New Zealand we need to be looking at scores in the order of 75% to be competitive internationally. I am a way off that yet, but believe that with additional time and strength this is a realistic goal.”
by Sarah Warne - Photos © Libby Law
Related Links
Scores: 2016 CDI Feilding
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