Source: Show Jumping Waitemata 

Tegan (West Melton) and Windermere Cappuccino placed second in the final but their incredible form over their four starts in the league saw them win the series overall.

Brooke and LT Holst Andrea picked the right time for their first World Cup win this season, taking out the grand final with the only double clear of the class at the Continental Cars Audi World Cup Festival.

Fourteen started the final with the nine combinations on eight faults or less from the opening round coming back for the second. Clears in the first came from Nakeysha Lammers (New Plymouth) aboard Resolution, the bay warmblood gelding bred by her mother Diana, and Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) aboard her mare LT Holst Andrea.

Clears in the second round came from Tegan, Rio Olympian Clarke Johnstone (Matangi) aboard Quainton Labyrinth and Melody Matheson (Hastings) on Graffiti MH.

Missing out on coming back for the second round was Taupo teen Briar Burnett-Grant who was the series leader coming into the final. She was hugely proud of her feisty roan gelding Fiber Fresh Veroana who still managed to finish third in the series behind Tegan and Brooke but says the stationbred gelding just ran out of puff.

Tegan couldn’t have been happier with her eight-year-old gelding. In their first World Cup season they had just a single rail down over eight rounds. Tegan took full responsibility for the rail. “After that fence I was like ‘that’s it’ so the (series) win is a wee bit unexpected,” she said. “We just put everything on the line and it played out in my favour. The horse really deserves the win . . . I am just so happy.”

The long trip and the heat had been taxing on the horse who travelled from the South Island for the final two rounds of the series. “He’s just been absolutely outstanding. I am so thankful to the Parkes Family (breeders and owners of the horse) for giving me the ride.”

The series win means she has the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the world final in Sweden in April, but Tegan says that is not on her agenda, with a trip to Australia far more likely. She is the second consecutive South Islander to win the series crown.

Brooke too was ecstatic and thankful for the grounded words of advice from husband Oliver himself a previous winner of the series. “He keeps things simple and just said ‘don’t stuff it up’,” said Brooke. “I just tried to do two clear rounds and not over-think things too much.”

And cuddles with Sophie, their 17-month-old daughter had also helped keep things on an even keel.

Today’s final marked the end of New Zealand’s most prestigious and was hosted by Show Jumping Waitemata at Woodhill Sands in Auckland.