Tight Tussle Beckons at NZ League World Cup Final

Tight Tussle Beckons at NZ League World Cup Final

The top honours for the much-coveted ClipMyHorse FEI World Cup (NZ League) series have come down to a three-horse race that will be decided at Takapoto Estate on Saturday afternoon.
It’s been a compact season for the New Zealand league with four qualifiers and the final and just the top four results to count for each rider. It means Julie Davey (Hastings) Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) and Makenzie Causer (Christchurch) will all have a drop score after Saturday’s final.
Julie and LT Holst Freda lead the charge on 72 points. They’ve had a win, two seconds and a third from their four starts this season but have picked up top points twice when Sophie has nominated her second mount.
Riders with two horses in a World Cup class must nominate their ‘chosen’ horse for the points.
Julie and Freda won the series last season on countback but opted not to go the final, opening the door for runners-up Luke Dee and Gangster WW who placed 31st at the world final.
“It would be nice to win of course,” says Julie, “but my goal is always the same – clear rounds. It could be anyone’s on Saturday.”
Julie was laid flat with a severe tummy bug heading into the penultimate round at Dannevirke and says she’s still not 100%. She’s treating the final like any other class. “Horses and riders can both have off days so if you have done the whole series trying to be consistent it would be a shame if the final was not as good a round as the others.”
Julie and Freda did their first World Cup in 2022 but it wasn’t until August 2024 in Tamworth (AUS) that they bagged their first win, followed by another at Taupo in December.
Sophie Scott sits in second on the leaderboard with 65 points. Her horses Benrose Stellar and Normandy GHP have been incredibly consistent and won a qualifier a piece this season, making it tough for her to pick her preferred mount through the league. “They are both so good. I am incredibly lucky to be in this position,” says Sophie, who won the final last season. “I am excited for the final. The series is the one thing I keep missing out on and it has been a goal for the last few seasons so it would be really nice to make it happen.”
Her plan is – as always – simple. “One jump at a time. The horses are feeling good, as long as I can do my part.”
Makenzie Causer has again made the long trip up from Christchurch to Cambridge. She’s in third on 59 points. It is the first ‘proper’ World Cup season for her and her imported mare Dolce Del Colle and they’ve certainly shone.
“I am so pleased with her,” says Makenzie. “It is quite the commitment coming from the south and hard not having as many shows as you would like to prep for these big classes.”
She’s just hoping it all falls into place. “I am happy with her and have been keeping her fit and fresh. I am just focusing on what (my coach) Lisa (Coupe) and I have talked about. The more classes like this you do, the more confident you feel. Doing a few (big rounds) in a short timeframe has been good for both of us as we learn and grow more as a partnership.”
Looking to build on their breakout qualifier win on debut last weekend will be Tara Gower (Cambridge) and her homebred gelding Riverhills Legend. Also on the start card are Fran Corich (Auckland) and Bannockburn ECPH who have had two World Cup starts this season for a fourth and a fifth.
On debut at World Cup level for the final are Laura Inkster (Auckland) and Rodrigo MVNZ, Edward Bullock (Auckland ) aboard Kiwi Sundance, and Samantha van Lierde (Cambridge) with her stallion Stallone K.
Canadian Peter Holmes will again design the New Zealand league final, which offers points-and-a-half for the placegetters to decide the series results. The class is set to go late on Saturday afternoon in the sand arena at Takapoto Estate.
The winner of the New Zealand series has the opportunity to travel to the world final in Fort Worth, Texas in April. Luke Dee and Gangster WW represented New Zealand at the world final this year in Switzerland, finishing 31st. Katie Laurie remains New Zealand’s best-placed finisher at a showjumping World Cup final with her sixth in 2011.
 
ClipMyHorse FEI World Cup (NZ League) leaderboard -
Julie Davey (Hastings) 72, Sophie Scott (Palmerston North) 65, Makenzie Causer (Christchurch) 59, Tristan Thomas (Rotorua) 38, Kimberley Carrington (Takapau) 37, Fran Corich (Auckland) 25, Emma Gillies (Oamaru) 23, Tara Gower (Matangi) 20,
Oliver Croucher (Cambridge) 12.
 
WHAT: ClipMyHorse FEI World Cup (NZ League) Final
WHERE: Takapoto Estate, Cambridge
WHEN: Saturday, January 17, 2026
START LISTS AND RESULTS: https://online.equipe.com/shows/76327
LIVESTREAM: www.clipmyhorse.tv