With 13 quality combinations entered, including Olympic Cup holder Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) on LT Holst Andrea and Olympian Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) on Central Park, it is guaranteed to be an exciting finish.
It’s anyone’s game in the Horse Grand Prix Series, with 25 points separating the top five.
Edgecombe and Beatson are just 10 points apart at the top of the leaderboard, with Nicole White (Invercargill), on LC Samson, six points behind Beatson, and Fitzsimon two points further back.
The start list comprises 21 combinations, but White is not there, so it will likely be a three-way tussle.
Fitzsimon and Windermere Cappuccino are defending champions.
Penny Borthwick (Masterton) will look to make the most of her hometown advantage in the Pony Grand Prix Series. She heads into the final in first and third spots on the leaderboard, sitting on 108 points on Foxden’s Merlot and 98 points with Rednalhgih Cowan. Johanna Wylaars (Christchurch) and Wembleybrook Tiffany are on 100 points.
It is a star-studded 14-strong start list, with plenty of in-form ponies chasing glory. They include the likes of former Pony of the Year Fun House, ridden by Angus Price (Winton), and Oamaru’s Gillies sisters Emma and Samantha, who have found some brilliant form in their North Island campaign.
Leading the Young Rider Series is Sam Carrington, with Samantha Gillies hot on her heels just six points behind and Sophie Scott just three more back. It is always a cracker of a class and with 14 talented combinations entered this year, it promises much.
Also to be decided are the age-group classes (Five-year-old, Six-year-old and Seven-year-old), alongside the rider classes (Junior, Amateur and Pro-Am) and the Tertiary Challenge.
The Leading Stallion, Top-ranking Mare and top Eight-year-old crowns are decided on points across the season without a specific final class.
The national show hunter series culminates at the Glistening Waters Show.
