Cameron’s ‘homecoming’ a winning one

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Competing in Gisborne is like coming home for Catherine Cameron. While it has been a few years since she has been here, she made up for it yesterday on the opening day of the Larsen Sawmilling Show Jumping Championships with a solid win in the 1.4m class.

The one-round-against-the clock class became a head-to-head battle between Cameron (Cambridge) aboard WTF Cabello and Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) on two horses — Dunstan Springfield and Dunstan On The Point Sandy. They were the only three combinations to leave everything up.

Laurie and Sandy set the pace with 73.93 seconds, which she bettered aboard Springfield with 68.2. However, Cameron and eight-year-old Cabello made the most of two slick inside turns — they were the only ones to do both — to finish clear in 68 flat.

Laurie filled places second to fourth, with Olivia Robertson (Christchurch) and her imported mare DH’s Ceniki fifth.

Cameron has had Cabello since he was a four-year-old. He was bred by Butch and Lou Thomas who gave him to Cameron to do some work on. Butch had a buyer lined up for him in the States.

“I was having a bit of a sob to Mum about all the good horses getting sold and she bought him for me,” said Cameron.

Cabello is by Helen McNaught-McFarlane’s world cup horse Caballo and is a Holsteiner thoroughbred cross.

“He’s always been a great type with nice technique,” Cameron said of the chestnut gelding. He’s a strong horse with a tough streak and it has only been in the last couple of shows that he has been coming right.

Gisborne was his first competitive step up to the bigger heights and Cameron also has him entered in tomorrow’s grand prix class.

“I’ve taken a while to get him to this level mainly because I am so busy with racing as well, but when I heard John Vallance was designing here I thought it would be the ideal show to step him up,” she says. “He always gets horses jumping confidently before the tough bits come up.”

Vallance is a top-rated Australian course designer who has been part of the design team for four Olympic Games and regularly travels the world designing and sharing his knowledge. He’s no stranger to Kiwi shores, having been at many a Horse of the Year Show as well as other top events around the country.

Tomorrow’s start will also be Cameron’s first grand prix in a few years.

“If I don’t do anything stupid he’ll be fine,” she says.

With 17 racehorses in the stable at home, there is always plenty to do – all of it related to horses.

Cameron has a tight connection with Gisborne, having lived here as a youngster for a while.

“I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Gisborne.”