The 19-year-old who was making his debut in the New Zealand showjumping team provided something for the 1800 spectators to toast as the Kiwis were thrashed by 24 faults in their first test against their Aussie senior counterparts at yesterday's Holy Grail Transtasman Challengehosted by the Church Road Winery in Taradale.
Dee, who has been described as "a young man with an old head" was the best of the Kiwis in both rounds, recording four faults in the first round before riding Ombudsman to a clear second round which fellow Kiwi Samantha McIntosh of Cambridge and Estina matched. While the Aussies were dominant, Dee believed a Kiwi revenge mission was achievable when the two teams meet again at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings on Friday night.
The "veteran" of 12 years competing in the sport nodded in agreement when HOY organiser Kevin Hansen described the main arena at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds as "the Kiwis Golden Acre."
Dee was thrilled to produce polished rides in front of his home crowd and the recent Tauranga World Cup round winner said he couldn't have asked for better lead up to HOY where he will ride six horses and have his first crack at the premier title.
"Not changing anything ... just being consistent was the key today," he added.
Dannevirke's Logan Massie was the toast of the Kiwi Young Riders team after their win against the Aussies yesterday. He produced a clear final ride to give the Kiwis the victory.
Other Hawke's Bay riders in the winning Kiwi team were Melody Matheson of Hastings and Cheltenham and Ocean Beach's Bridget Hansen riding Shakespeare NZPH.
