Annabel Francis riding high after sealing victory in world cup qualifier
Taupo¯ teen Annabel Francis ticked off one of her big goals for the season with a win in a competitive FEI World Cup qualifier at the Feilding IA and P Show.
The 18-year-old was one of 10 classy combinations to line up in the qualifier of the high-ranking series held in Manfeild’s indoor arena last Saturday.
In the opening round, clears came from Francis on La Quinara, the in-form Tegan Fitzsimon (West Melton) on Windermere Cappuccino and Melody Matheson (Havelock North) on Cortaflex Graffiti MH.
Six of the 10 starters came back for the second round over the Gary Sinclair-designed course, where Fitzsimon and Francis kept their tallies clean.
Two-time series winner Fitzsimon and Windermere Cappuccino stopped the clock at 63.27 seconds, with Francis last to go and flying home in 61.97s.
Robert Steele (Dannevirke) and LT Holst Bernadette picked up a single time penalty in the second round, but carried eight faults from the first, while Fitzsimon aboard her second mount Campari added two time penalties to their five from the opening round.
Fitzsimon filled second and third places with her two horses.
‘‘I am very pleased,’’ Francis said. ‘‘This win means a lot. We have worked really hard on this horse.’’
The German-bred mare La Quinara joined Francis in 2017 and together they campaigned in Europe before heading back to New Zealand.
This was just their third world cup start.
‘‘She is very good indoors because all her shows in Europe were indoors, so I was confident she would go well and we won the 1.45 metres the day before.’’
Francis praised course designer Sinclair and said she had been worried about competing indoors, but needn’t have been.
‘‘It was a nice course and a field filled with very good horses and riders.’’
Francis also started her Australian import Carado GHP as her nominated mount.
The two picked up four penalties in the opening round and were well on the way to a solid second round when they had a duck out and ended up with 12 penalties from the two rounds.
The series comprises six rounds, with just the best four scores to count.
The winner of the New Zealand league usually has the chance to represent the nation at the world cup final in March in Gothenburg, Sweden, but due to Covid-19 it is uncertain where the event will go ahead.
Feilding marked the halfway point in the series, and will be followed by Taupo¯ (December 19) and Dannevirke (January 10), with the final at the Waitemata Show at Woodhill Sands in Auckland (January 17).
The pony grand prix was won by Anna Wilson (Waipukurau) and Redcliffs Bill, who notched the only clear of the opening round of the class. Charlotte Gray of Levin on Bridgemere Havana won the amateur rider series and Palmerston North’s Zara Sutton, riding Chelton Light Secret, won the category A high points series.
‘‘This win means a lot. We have worked really hard on this horse.’’
Annabel Francis