Equestrian: Beatson the master at Masterton

Maurice Beatson and Mandalay Cove in action at last year's Hawke's Bay Show.

Hawke's Bay's Maurice Beatson claimed the Equissage Horse Grand Prix as his own at the Masterton A and P Show on Sunday.

The Olympian started three horses in the 14-strong class, and finished first, third and sixth.

The jump off came down to two Hawke's Bay farmers who have both tasted Horse of the Year Show Olympic Cup glory in the past, Dannevirke's Beatson aboard Mandalay Cove and Waipukurau's Simon Wilson on McMillan's Midway Smooth Dude. Beatson dropped a rail mid field, to finish on four faults in 57.33 seconds.

The pressure was on Wilson to go clear, however, it wasn't to be and had to concede the class.

In the opening round, Beatson and Schimmel Warrior had four faults early on, and he also picked up four aboard Conyers, but in a slower time.

In the Country TV Pony Grand Prix, Taranaki's Parys Marshall on Spot You Later, Napier's Ruby Mason on Mr Acho and Pautatahanui's Sophie Scott on Benrose Playtime were all double clear.

However, Marshall's 43.83 second time just edged out her runner-up, Mason, who stopped the clock at 44.5, with Scott at 46.01. Fastest time of the round went to the fourth-placed Shanae McKay of Levin on Guthrie who paid for her 38.73 round with a rail.

Meanwhile Aussie raider James Arkins is warming up for the March 1-6 Farmlands Horse of the Year Show in Hastings in the best way possible . . . by winning.

Aboard his New Zealand-bred Rosthwaite Vigilante II, he again headed home another Kiwi field, this time in the Excel Premier League Grand Prix at the Aon Insurance Premier Show at WoodhillSands in Auckland on Sunday.

He was the only one of the nine strong field to leave his slate clean in the two round competition.

Coming in behind him were Te Awamutu teen Emily Hayward-Morgan aboard AP Ninja and Tash Brookes of Cambridge on her former racehorse Kapattack.

The women finished second equal and have both showed excellent form in recent months.

Earlier in the show Hayward-Morgan and AP Ninja won the Canterbury Equestrian Young Rider class and aboard her other horse Yandoo Lady Gold, she was second in the Telford Junior Rider class.

In the Country TV Pony Grand Prix, Te Puke's Olivia Miller and Kaycee McKay were the only double clears in the 15-strong field, three of whom came through to the jump off.

Pip Howells was the course designer for the two day show, which attracted more than 450 horses.