Europe Bound With Fine Form In Hand

Europe Bound With Fine Form In Hand

London Olympic eventing hopeful Clarke Johnstone heads to the UK today (Wednesday) a serious contender to make the New Zealand team next year.

It's not that the 24-year-old from Matangi was himself never serious about his quest, and his efforts as part of the bronze medal-winning team at the World Equestrian Games in 2010 put another tick beside his name, but he heads away after a golden run on both sides of the Tasman and in an enviable spot on the FEI World Cup eventing rankings.

Johnstone sits at the top of the rankings with two wins and a third to his credit – only three riders have ever won two FEI World Cup events in a season...Michael Jung (Germany) who won the individual gold at WEG in 2010, Megan Jones (Australia) in 2009 and Nicolas Touzaint (France) in 2007.

He also just took the quinella at the NRM Three Day Event, and will head offshore with five sound and very in-form horses in Orient Express, KS Secrets, Incognito, Regal Romar and Viper SL.

“It has been an amazing run and to have all of them sound is just awesome. I have a really fantastic team and I finally feel I am ready to go.”

Johnstone has put off basing offshore for years, and he now looks back comfortably on that decision.

“I am so pleased I did hold off for such a long time.”

Part of his golden run is a belief in himself.

“For the last three years I was getting closer and closer to winning in Australia (at the World Cup event) and after Kihikihi when I just headed off Chris Burton, I really thought I could do it.”

Johnstone will base in Gloucestershire and is eying up Aachen for Orient Express in mid July, Burghley for Secrets and Incognito in September, and Blenheim for Orient Express.

He will only start at the final leg of the World Cup league in France in late August if his lead is challenged.

“Hopefully it will be too big an ask for the other riders!”

That league comes with a winner's cheque of $51,000.

But he is under no illusions it is going to be a cake walk in Europe where every event will see him challenged by the best in the world.

“We need to keep performing, doing well and posting good solid results – that consistency.”

He also faces the task of setting up almost from scratch at his new barn, with new vets, trainers, farriers and even gallop tracks, but he's happy in the knowledge that Equestrian Sports New Zealand eventing high performance coach Erik Duvander is right there to help him, having recently relocated to the UK.

Travelling with the horses will be his new groom, Brit Lydia Beales who Johnstone says is “just amazing”. Johnstone will see the horses off in New Zealand and then be on the ground in the UK to meet them.

“They'll have a short break when they get there because they've all had a pretty busy season here, but will be back in work by the second weekend in June.”

There's now a tussle for those New Zealand team slots with Blyth Tait on the comeback trail, the perennial Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson, who have both ridden six times at Olympics, as well as WEG team bronze medallist Caroline Powell and Jonathan Paget, who placed seventh individual at WEG.

ends

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