Caboolture rider wins from Allora horsewoman in eventing
KATIE Gorell was the happiest rider at Morgan Park on Sunday after winning the two star at the Inglewood Quarries One Day Event riding Katies Performance Dedication.
The Caboolture rider is a regular at Warwick Horse Trials events at Morgan Park but the win was her first in Warwick and her first win at two-star level.
Two star was the highest class contested at the weekend at Morgan Park and Gorell won the Warwick Credit Union Two Star with 33.2 points from Allora rider Eleanor Osborne on Mr Locky who scored 53 points.
Tanya Schmidt was third on Indarra Baci in an event where the top five finishers were horsewomen.
Gorell was excited to finally win at Warwick after half a dozen seconds down the years.
She led from the start when she recorded 32 penalty points in dressage in a sport where the lowest score wins.
All dressage and high level showjumping was on Saturday which meant Gorell had 32 points and Osborne 35 going into the final discipline, cross country, on Sunday.
Both riders went clear in cross country but Gorell only had 1.2 time penalties and Osborne 18 penalties after taking 42 seconds longer than Gorell on the course.
Gorell said it was great to be showjumping on Saturday as the sun set in the west.
"My aim with Katies Performance Dedication is now to compete in four-star in Adelaide, he was amazing in Warwick so it is a definite possibility,” she said.
"I knew I had to go clear in cross country to be sure of winning with four penalty points for each missed jump.”
She also won the rug from Highborne Farm after having the best result for an OTT (Off The Track) horse at the weekend.
She works horses before and after work each day at her Caboolture property in between her work as a payroll specialist and project leader with Brisbane City Council.
Samford rider James Ferrier won the Inglewood Quarries One Star on Sidestep with 37.3 points from Luke Harmer on Belcam Le Canada with 37.4 and Olympian Rebel Morrow who scored 38.1 on Belrieve Squeak.
The event attracted 240 nominations and concluded by lunchtime Sunday which allowed all rugby league fans the chance to get home, put the horses away and watch the footy on television.
More to go online and in print in next three days.