from Manawatu Standard (dated 22 Nov)

Annabel Wigley returned from riding internationally in England to well and truly wrap up the one-day horse trial at Pukemarama near Tangimoana yesterday.

After a sound dressage, the North Canterbury woman went clear in the showjumping and crosscountry disciplines yesterday to claim the title on her horse, Enzo.

Just to keep everyone else at bay in class one, which was for intermediate novice mounts, she was also runnerup on her other horse, Brogan.

Wigley had been competing in Britain at a high four-star level since 2006 and before returning to New Zealand this year sold her best horse, Black Drum.

They had finished seventh at the 2008 Burghley Horse Trials and 18th at Badminton and were the first reserve for the New Zealand Olympic team to Beijing that year.

She spends the English summers there before returning for each New Zealand season.

Yesterday all of the other riders incurred time faults and Woodville rider Katharine Gillaly was third on Shades of Green and fourth on Black Tuxedo. As Katharine Van Tuyl, she was a New Zealand representative in Australia in 2005.

None of the riders came to grief in the shallow water jump yesterday.

There were 130 horses and 110 riders at the event.

Palmerston North eventer Jolin Morel won the open novice class on Croftlea OTT.

Another Central competitor, Marton's Sandy Fryatt, won class three on Belmont Backstage while Taupo's Derek Booth won the class four pre-novice on Mokai Bungy.

Wairarapa's Amanda Pottinger, 18-year-old daughter of 1988 Seoul Olympic Games bronze medallist eventer, Tinks, won the pre-novice under-21 class on Achilles II. Waikato's Sharon Cann won the amateur pre-novice from Palmerston North's Lydia Fullerton-Smith on Verbier.

In April, Central Districts hosts the international Young Riders Championships at Pukemarama.