NEIL Spratt is set for his Gatcombe debut this week, and the Purton-based New Zealander is enjoying a purple patch of form.

Spratt, who broke his wrist before Badminton in April, has come back from the injury with an almighty bang - helped by the terrific performances of top horses Elton II, Upleadon and Hugo’s There III, all of whom are Olympic hopes for the Kiwi at next year’s London Games.

And, as he told the Advertiser, Spratt could not have hoped for a better return to the sport he loves after a frustrating time out of the arena.

“It has been a really great couple of months. In fact it might be one of my best periods ever,” he said.

“I’ve been picking up plenty of form and the horses have been performing really well.

“We’re off to Gatcombe this week and everyone is feeling very confident and really ready to compete.

“All of the horses have been winning and it gives me a real buzz in such an important year. Hopefully we can take it on through to the end of the season.”

For such an experienced rider, it is astonishing this year will be Spratt’s first Gatcombe.

The Festival of British Eventing may be one of the showpiece events of the British summer in equestrian, but it falls in a congested period of international and domestic trials which have kept Spratt busy until now.

But with the three-day spectacle rapidly appearing on the not-so-distant horizon, he can’t wait to get involved for the first time in a field which includes such illustrious names as Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson and Clayton Fredericks.

“This is the first time I have ridden at Gatcombe which is amazing really,” he said.

“I think in the past I have had bigger events before or just after it so that has meant I haven’t been involved, but this time I’m there and hopefully can put in a good performance.

“Success breeds success and my recent run has given me a really great feeling about what we can achieve.

“Feeling positive is a big part of the sport and that’s exactly how I feel right now.

“It all means a lot going into next year.”

Spratt attended the Olympic test event at the London 2012 course in Greenwich Park at the beginning of last month, and was immediately gripped by the buzz of the Games.

With just under a year remaining to impress the national selectors, the 31-year-old is still hugely optimistic of forcing himself into the New Zealand side.

And he was given an added incentive by the warm-up event.

Just over 10,000 spectators attended the two-day challenge on the temporary course, which Spratt was mighty impressed with.

And he believes the Greenwich set-up and the lay-out at Gatcombe bear plenty of similarities.

“Gatcombe is one event that is going to be similar to the Olympic course next year,” he said. “It’s quite twisty and hilly and it won’t be easy.

“You’ll need to be quite quick and that will also be very similar to next year.

“I was there at the Olympic test event and they have done a great job with the course.

“It is going to be really tough but then for an event like the Olympics it is right that it is difficult.

“It’s going to be a bit different to most other courses and it’s going to be very tough to get round under the time.

“Being there gives you that extra little bit of incentive to make the Games. There were probably 10,000 people there for it and there was a great atmosphere, but come next year there will be 55,000.

“They will be all over the course and it is quite intimate in that respect. It’s going to be a great event and hopefully I can be involved.”