Tegan Fitzsimon and Windermere Cappuccino Photo by Kerry Marshall/KAMPIC. Source: Diana Dobson ESNZ.

Tegan Fitzsimon and Windermere Cappuccino went two from two in winning the second round of the POLi Payments World Cup at the Feilding A, I and P Show at Manfeild.

The West Melton combination were the only ones to come home double clear over the Kevin Hansen-designed course, held in the indoor arena.

It was a small but competitive class that saw clears in the second round from young gun Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) aboard Waitangi Skynet, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) with Central Park and Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) on LT Holst Andrea. However, all were carrying first round faults, leaving it to Tegan to just leave everything up.

“I do love him,” she said of her two-time World Cup series winner. “He was so good out there.”

She knew, with Sophie to follow her in the second round, there was no time for complacency. As it was, this well versed team came home with plenty to spare, crossing the flags in 71.98 seconds for the fastest time of the second round. Sophie and Waitangi Skynet filled second spot with a total of four faults in 74.59 seconds with Maurice third on four faults in 79.06 and Sophie fourth aboard her big grey Glenbrooke Rich as Roses with eight faults in 78.03

.Tegan said she enjoyed the course. “The track rode really nicely and it was a decent height for being indoors. After watching Sophie’s second round on Waitangi Skynet, I knew I had to be quicker so I let him travel the whole way around.”

It was the third consecutive time Windermere Cappuccino had gone double clear at the Feilding December show.

The aim for this South Island duo is always double clear. “That’s the plan,” she says. “Nice consistent double clears and we are just working on consolidating things and tidying up a few loose ends.”

She says much of that input is coming from her trainer Jeff McVean who was working on the finer details, giving her a lot more confidence. “He is making important little changes that are making a big difference this season,” she says. “I am not really used to having someone on the ground like that at shows.”
Attention now shifts to the National Young Horse Show Championships this coming weekend for the third World Cup qualifier in four weekends.

Tessa Mason (Hawke’s Bay) and Mr Acho notched the only clear in the opening round of the Country TV Pony Grand Prix to take the win ahead of Penny Borthwick (Masterton) who was second with Foxden’s Merlot and third on Rednalhgih Cowan who both had four faults in the opener.

It was a good weekend for Takapau’s Carrington sisters with Sam and Double J Breeze On winning the FMG Young Rider class and Kimberley aboard Double J Barmaid taking the Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider class.