Two new faces will join three team regulars in Pratoni del Vivaro (15-18 September), as the New Zealand World Eventing Championships team is named.
Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) has confirmed its five horse and rider combinations who will travel to Italy next month.
The selected combinations, in alphabetical order, are:
Clarke Johnstone with 12-year-old Menlo Park
Owner: Clarke and his parents’ Jean and Rob
Breeding: by Eurocommerce Berlin, out of a mare by Rock King
Amanda Pottinger with 16-year-old gelding Just Kidding
Owner: The Pottinger family
Breeder: Chelsaus & Orphendale
Breeding: By Fusaichi Pegasus, out of a Sadler’s Wells mare
Jonelle Price with 15-year-old gelding McClaren
Owner: David and Katherine Thomson
Breeder: Dirk Hotze
Breeding: By Clarimo, out of a Landjunge mare
Tim Price with 13-year-old gelding Falco
Owner: Tim and Sue Benson
Breeder: Norbert Nowak
Breeding: By Cardenio 2, out of a Weinberg mare
Monica Spencer with 11-year-old gelding Artist
Owner: Monica and her husband Andrew
Breeder: Windsor Park Stud Ltd
The reserve combinations are:
Jesse Campbell with 12-year-old gelding Diachello
Owner: Jesse and Kent Gardner
Breeder: Thomas Visser
Breeding: By Diarado, out of a Chello I mare
Mathew Grayling with 16-year-old gelding Trudeau
Owner: Winky Foley
Breeder: Winky Foley
Breeding: By Magistad, out of a Valiant mare
Dan Jocelyn with 14-year-old gelding Cooley One To Many
Owner: Lucy and Sophie Allison, Franki Clapham, and Carole King
Breeder: Ronnie Kelly
Breeding: By Jack of Diamonds, out of a Delamain mare
Samantha Lissington with 11-year-old gelding Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ
Owner: Samantha and Pip McCarrol
Breeder: Goldengrove Stud
Breeding: By Caretino, out of a Tristaking mare
World number two Tim and his wife Jonelle are no strangers to the big stage and the 2022 World Eventing Championships marks the fourth championship at which they have ridden on the New Zealand team together.
Tim brings forward his 2021 Pau five-star winner Falco, and world number five Jonelle rides McClaren – whom she joined Tim on the podium with at Pau when she was third. The experienced gelding was formerly piloted by Sir Mark Todd at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.
Clarke was the best-placed Kiwi at the Rio Olympics finishing sixth individually with Balmoral Sensation. In Pratoni he will ride the British-bred Menlo Park, who joined his stable last year.
Monica and Amanda will make their championship debut at the World Eventing Championships. Monica and Artist, who are on their way to Europe from New Zealand for early preparation, have previously won the Puhinui CCI4*-L. Amanda – the daughter of bronze medal-winning Olympic rider Tinks Pottinger – completed her first Badminton this year, where she was 35th with Just Kidding.
Jock Paget, ESNZ high performance general manager, said it is an “exciting team to name as the nation looks towards Paris 2024”.
“It’s encouraging to have the combination of championship debutants and experienced campaigners such as Tim, Jonelle and Clarke in the team. This is our qualifying opportunity for Paris and we are hopeful of contesting the medals,” he said.
“We’ve had a good build-up in terms of training and have invested into more team competition this year – hopefully, this pays dividends on the day.”
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