It’s been a long time between drinks in winning HOY titles for Wairarapa vet Mandy Illston but today she’ll be toasting the town after riding off with the Arena Surfaces New Zealand Six-Year-Old of the Year crown.

She and her warmblood mare Glenara C-Star were last to go in a five-strong jump-off, and all they had to do was go clear. Ahead of them both Jaime Campbell-Ward aboard Silver Scotsman and Amanda Wilson on her homebred gelding Blackstone Smolder had four faults apiece. Fastest round of the jump-off went to eight-faulter Sonya Benison aboard MF Titan who flew home in 30.97 seconds but with eight faults. Vicki Wilson and Ajax VWNZ were also faster than the top three but garnered eight faults.

Mandy has had a great season with her mare who had been a bit of a “crazy purchase”.

“I said to my husband I needed to buy it,” she said. 

That was in June 2024 and in September did a 90cm at Rotorua. “She’s just kept stepping up since then.”

Amanda Illston (Masterton) Glenara C-Star (by Big Star our of Glenara KG Cinderella who is by Conquistador) 1; Jaime Campbell-Ward (Auckland) Silver Scotsman (by Chacco Silver out of Recherche who is by Columbia) 2; Amanda Wilson (Taupo) Blackstone Smolder (by Daminos out of Pixel who is by Lessing) 3.
For full results www.evoevents.co.nz