Horse of the year: Hay soars to cup glory on import

Claudia Hay is the first South Islander to take the Olympic Cup for decades. Photo / Christine Cornege

Two imported German horses took the top titles on the final day of the Farmlands Horse of the Year Show in Hastings yesterday.

Claudia Hay (Mosgiel) and Euro Sport Centavos won the prestigious Bostock International Olympic Cup, heading home a quality 17-strong field, which included previous winners Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) and Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke), alongside other quality international riders Daniel Meech (Clevedon) and Helen McNaught-McFarlane (Taupo).

And Julie Brougham (Palmerston North) and Vom Feinsten created history on their way to winning the Dressage Horse of the Year crown, with an eye-watering 76 per cent in their musical freestyle - a score believed to be the highest achieved in the class in New Zealand.

Hay, the first South Islander to win the $200,000 Olympic Cup since the 1970s, and her black stallion also won the second-richest class of the show, the McMillan Equine Feeds Silver Fern Stakes.

The first round of the Olympic Cup saw clears from just four combinations - teenager Amanda Wilson (Hikurangi) and her coloured horse Showtym Cassanova jumped the round of their lives to leave everything in place, followed by Hay, then former Olympian Meech on his imported mare Queen of Dance WHS, and finally McNaught-McFarlane on her quirky young grey Carnutelabryere.

Those with 12 faults or less came back for the second round where five-time winner Laurie went clear on her 2014 Olympic Cup champ Dunstan Springfield. Beatson and his 20-year-old star My Gollywog, who won the cup in 2013, picked up just a single time fault, to finish on nine faults from the two rounds.

Hay also went clear but had a single time fault, to sit on one, while Laurie and her youngster Dunstan Breeze went clear to sit on eight, and McNaught-McFarlane had a rail at the second to finish on four.

The quietly spoken Hay was rapt.

"This has been our target for the show," she said. "It is just incredible, I can't believe it.

"Centavos has a fantastic temperament and gives 100 per cent every time he goes out."

Hay also won the Leading Rider of the Show.

It was the first time Brougham has won the overall dressage title, but she has been third three times.

This is Vom Feinsten's first year at top level. Next month she heads to Australia with today's runners-up Penny Castle (Ashhurst) and Magnus Spero, to compete at the Sydney CDI.

"I am thrilled," said Brougham. "I have found my superstar in this horse. I really believe in him and his brilliance, but you really have to put the complete package together.

"He really has been foot-perfect over the past two days."

The results - both the title and the musical freestyle mark - were a huge confidence booster for Brougham, who praised her fellow competitors.

"Everyone needs someone there to push you along."