GP win caps Blundell’s day of firsts

GRAND PRIX FIRST: Daniel Blundell and Lavello on the way to victory in the horse grand prix at the Larsen Sawmilling Showjumping Championships. Picture by Paul Rickard

IT WAS a day of firsts for the winner of the Bayleys Real Estate Horse Grand Prix at the Larsen Sawmilling Showjumping Championships.

Daniel Blundell (Ocean Beach) won his first horse grand prix, with Lavello.

The 11-year-old gelding, owned by the Rennell family, is by Littorio out of dressage rider Louisa Hill’s Olympic horse Gabana.

While Lavello was bred for dressage, Blundell says he simply did not want to do that.

Lavello went on to win the Five-Year-Old of the Year crown in the hands of Lisa Coupe before switching to eventing with Donna Smith. But now he’s back where he is happiest, and on Sunday he showed all his class over the course designed by John Vallance of Australia.

Ten were on the card, and seven came back for the second, shortened round. Of those, Blundell, Jesse Linton (Hastings) on Popeye, and Tess Clark (Gisborne) on Sinatra II were all clear. The rest carried four and eight faults.

In the second round, Lily Tootill (Karaka) on Ulysses NZPH, Keean Cooper (Te Kauwhata) on Amarula MVNZ and Helen Kippen (Ocean Beach) on Velocity NZPH all went clear to remain on their first-round eight-fault scores.

Linton added four to his tally, while Clark added 10, leaving it to Blundell to go clear for the win. Linton took second, Cooper, third, Tootill, fourth, Kippen, fifth, and home-town hero Clark, sixth.

“He is such a big scopey showjumper,” said 26-year-old Blundell, a full-time NZPH rider who used to be a stunt rider.

“It is just awesome. I was thinking I might have to go fast with Jesse and Tess in the field but they had faults, so I just needed to go clear. He is a slow-moving horse and even his fast is not that fast.”

The win was all the more special as the horse was out with injury all of last season, but seems to have come back better then ever.

“I kept him on the hills at NZPH and it did him the world of good,” Blundell said.

This is their third season together, and Blundell has high hopes.

“We’ve done a few clears in first rounds of grands prix, but this was his first double clear. He’s a very strong horse and I changed bits and I think he is now where he needs to be.”

The combination also started in two World Cup rounds this season.

“He is a very good horse for me at this stage,” Blundell said. “He can jump all the height in the world but is also very forgiving if I make a mistake.”

It was an excellent show for the NZPH team. Riders Helen Kippen and Blundell brought 10 up from their Hawke’s Bay base, and headed home with plenty of ribbons.

The 2016-2017 season has been good for breeders, with around 45 horses sold to riders on both sides of the Tasman over the past 12 months.

Co-owner Warwick Hansen says more and more are being sold as four-year-olds, which suits them fine.

More from the champs,

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