Showjumping: Cubitt squeaks in for double

Lisa Cubitt on Mon Deja Vue won the Bayleys Grand Prix showjumping event at Tauranga racecourse.

It was the tightest of margins, but Cambridge rider Lisa Cubitt pulled off the double at the weekend in the Bay's big equestrian event of the year.

On Thursday evening, with the grounds of Mills Reef Winery as the backdrop, she rode Bates Amaretto MVNZ to victory in the showcase event of the four-day Bayleys Tauranga Show Jumping Championship.

Yesterday she repeated the dose in the Bayleys Grand Prix, this time on Mon Deja Vue.

But it was the tightest of margins, with her winning time less than a second quicker than runner-up Bridget Hansen, from Hawke's Bay, on Shakespeare NZPH.

Of the 30 combinations, five made it through the first round by going clear, Cubitt twice on Mon Deja Vue and Bates Amaretto MVNZ, Hansen matching the feat on Shakespeare NZPH and Toulon NZPH with Helen McNaught on Carnutelabryere.

Hansen laid down the marker with a 58.7sec clear round with Cubit, second into the arena, shaving just 0.76s off the time.

No other combinations managed to go clear.

There was drama in the first round, with Tauranga's Samantha Morrison suffering a fall at the last jump.

Tauranga's Sally Steiner and husband Phillip, part of the team of event organisers, also rode in the Grand Prix. Sally said the whole four-day event was a great success.

"It's been exceptionally busy - they have been very long days, but there has been good competition on a good ground and all the competitors have been really happy."

"Our course designer, Australian John Vallance, who co-designed the course at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, has done an amazing job of creating a course that has encouraged good competition."

Many riders were using the event as part of their build-up to the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings from March 17-22.

Grand Prix result

1, Lisa Cubitt, Mon Deja Vue 57.94s; 2, Bridget Hansen, Shakespeare NZPH 58.7s; 3 Helen McNaught, Carnutelabryere 55.41 (4 penalties); 4 Bridget Hansen, Toulon NZPH 61.99 (4 faults), 5 Lisa Cubitt, Bates Amaretto MVNZ 62.93 (4 faults), 6, Olivia Robertson, Nahiwi Cisco - best rider from first round.