Fraser Tombleson’s homebred grey gelding today won the Arena Surfaces NZ Five-Year-Old Horse of the Year crown, adding to the one they won at the National Young Horse Show, and they’re also leading the East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old Breeders Series.

Twenty started the class with just four coming home clear to progress to the jump-off. Makenzie Causer was first our aboard Aspen Park Cera Casallo and set the scene with a clear 35.11 second round. Next came Fraser Babbington aboard HCPH Blinky Bill who wasted no time in his clear 34.75-second effort. Fraser Tombleson and Mr Shelby were deceptively fast and their slick inside turn to number 10 gave them the much-needed edge to come home clear in 34.19 seconds. Last to go was Vicki Wilson with her showy homebred Dark N Spicy who notched the fastest time of the round with their 33.07 second round but picked a rail mid-course.

“I had to work for it out there to beat Fraser (Babbington),” said Fraser. 

The win is even more special as Mr Shelby is out of Fraser’s World Cup mare Mea I who won the Six-Year-Old crown at HOY a few years back. Sadly the mare died in a paddock accident.

“It’s pretty cool he’s out of Mea. I think he’s definitely showing all the right signs but I am just not sure I am the one to do it with him. Any title class is neat to win and with just one horse here I try and make it count!”

Fraser with wife Jaime farm 1000 hectares on the outskirts of Gisborne. They also have growing young family with four-year-old twins Jonty and Isabelle and 18-month old Billie.

Fraser Tombleson (Gisborne) Mr Shelby 1; Fraser Babbington (Gisborne) HCPH Blinky Bill 2; Makenzie Causer (Christchurch) Aspen Park Cera 3.