Showjumping: Beatson gets early jump on field

Maurice Beatson and Schimmel Warrior on their way to victory in the first showjumping event at the show. Photo / Paul Taylor

If Hawke's Bay showjumper Maurice Beatson can finish the Horse of the Year Show week in the manner he started it he will be a happy man.

"This is a good way to start but it's the end of the week when it counts ... while it's nice to be in the winner's circle this is just a warm-up," Dannevirke's Beatson said after winning the Prestige Equestrian Ltd 1.4m event, on Schimmel Warrior, by almost nine seconds.

The 61-year-old 1988 Olympian has made no secret of the fact he wants to add a sixth Olympic Cup to his tally on Sunday. There were a couple of other "good money events", as he described them, including today's first of the biggies in the premier arena, the Virbac Equine Norwood Gold Cup, which Beatson has taken home on four occasions.

Beatson has brought 12-year-old Schimmel Warrior to eight Farmlands Horse of the Year shows and yesterday's was his first title. They were among 14 combinations from the original entry list of 20 who fronted for the event, which was moved from the premier arena at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds to the NRM arena to give the main arena more time to recover from Monday's deluge.

They were one of four combinations to go clear. Beatson and Schimmel Warrior completed their run in 76.35s while second-placed teen Emily Hayward-Morgan of Te Awamutu, on AP Ninja, stopped the clock at 84.99s.

Canterbury's Olivia Robertson and DHs Ceniki were third in 86.43s. Robertson, a daughter of ex-All Black Duncan Robertson, was a member of the New Zealand Young Riders team who beat their Aussie counterparts in a Hastings-hosted three-test series in December.

In contrast to Beatson, Waikato's Katie Laurie, who is also eyeing a sixth, and second consecutive, Olympic Cup win on Sunday, will be hoping yesterday's effort wasn't an omen for the weekend. Riding Fiber Fresh BG Conny, Laurie (nee McVean) bowed out with two refusals.

From today until Sunday, Beatson, who tasted Olympic Cup glory for the first time in 1983, will compete in at least three events each day.

"I treat all of them the same. It will be nice if the weather got a bit better though," he said.

Beatson, who first competed at the Horse of the Year in 1965, has My Gollywog, the 2013 winner and Conveyers entered for Sunday's Olympic Cup.

In addition to the Norwood Gold Cup, today's other feature event is the Mitavite Six Year Old Horse of the Year Championship. Titles up for grabs in the Land Rover Dressage Arena today are the Harrison Lane Level 3 Musical Freestyle, the Summit Grains and Saddlery Level 5 and the BetaVet Level 4.