Sophie wins Canterbury junior rider series with perfect score

Sophie Townsend has won the Canterbury junior rider series for the second year in a row with three-out-of-three wins during the Canterbury championships.

The 17-year-old from Darfield said she had not been counting her wins this season but was delighted to wrap up the series at the National Equestian Centre at McLeans Island in Christchurch.

“He felt really good,” she said of her horse Kingslea Kiwi.

“It is a nice run up to the South Island championships (this) weekend in Blenheim and then for the horse of the year show in March.”

It was a great competition, with seven combinations coming back for a jump-off.  

Three of them jumped clear in the second round with very little between their times, with Sophie finishing in a time of 39.88sec, just 0.32sec ahead of her nearest rival.

Darfield’s Georgia Allison, riding Hokey Pokey, won the Adrienne Cromie Memorial Trophy for show hunters.

Georgia finished second in this class last year.

“It is really cool to win this class,” she said.