William Fox-Pitt (GBR) has overtaken team mate Mary King at the head of the HSBC Rankings. Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI.
Lausanne (SUI), 1 September 2011 – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) has taken over from team mate Mary King as world number one in the HSBC Rankings. The British rider, who is competing at the second last leg of the HSBC FEI Classics at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials this week, is now seven points clear of King and will be wearing the HSBC armband at Burghley.
Both Fox-Pitt and King were part of the British team that secured bronze at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen (GER) last weekend, but King failed to finish after a Cross Country fall.
Newly crowned European champion Michael Jung, who picked up team and individual gold in Luhmühlen, has moved up from ninth to fifth in the HSBC Rankings behind Andrew Nicholson (NZL) and Piggy French (GBR) who remain in third and fourth.
Mary King was the first rider to wear the new HSBC armband when it was launched at the beginning of July this year. She remained out in front last month before being overtaken by Fox-Pitt in the new rankings published today. The rider at the top of the HSBC Rankings at the end of the 2011 Eventing season will receive a 50,000 USD bonus.
Caroline Powell (NZL) and Lenamore will be defending their title at this week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)
Lausanne (SUI), 31 August 2011 – An all-star cast heads to this week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), second last leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 (1-4 September).
It is a particularly special year for Burghley, as it is 50 years ago that the historic Lincolnshire estate hosted its first competition by invitation of the 1928 hurdling Olympic gold medallist, the Marquess of Exeter.
Since then, Burghley has hosted eight championships, including the first ever World Championships in 1966, and riders regularly vote it their favourite venue in L’Annee Hippique, the annual review of the equestrian year.
Not only does Burghley boast the beautiful backdrop of the magnificent Elizabethan house and deer park, but it is an event that has consistently been at the forefront of innovation, with its own irrigation system for the dedicated Cross Country track and all-weather warm-up arenas.
“Burghley has such charm,” explains five-times winner Mark Todd (NZL). “It is a magical place and I always feel excited when I come in through the gates.”
Besides Todd, eight other former Burghley winners have entered for this year’s golden jubilee, including Mary King (GBR), the current runaway leader of the HSBC FEI Classics.
Kiwi Caroline Powell became the first New Zealand woman to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England at the weekend. Caroline, who hails from Christchurch but is now based on the Scottish Borders at Kelso, joins fellow countrymen Blyth Tait, Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd on the roll of honour.
Riding the popular 17-year-old grey gelding, Lenamore, they put in a foot perfect performance and remained unphased by pressure after finishing dressage and cross country in pole position with a score of 38.7. Lenamore was one of the oldest horses in the competition and stands at just 15.3 hh.
Seventy six riders from twelve different nations competed for this coveted title, with first ever entries from China and Lithuania. Renown as being a tough challenge with its undulating cross country course and thirty demanding fences, Burghley requires both skill and stamina in abundance.
Caroline Powell (NZL) and Lenamore on their lap of honour after winning the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
5 September 2010 – Caroline Powell rode a perfect Jumping round under pressure to become the first New Zealand female rider to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
The win has propelled her into third place in the HSBC FEI Classics, behind William Fox-Pitt (GBR), the new leader, and Andreas Dibowski (GER) with one event left, Les Etoiles de Pau in France in November, where Fox-Pitt has already declared a possible runner in Navigator.
Powell, 37, did not put a foot wrong all weekend on the 17-year-old Lenamore, who stands only 15.2hh. “He was such a wee star,” she said.
“The owner, Lexi Mackinnon, is getting married next week. I’d told her that I hadn’t got her a wedding present and that I’d try and win Burghley for her! I can’t believe that’s come off.”
Caroline Powell (NZL) and Lenamore produced a sparkling Cross-Country performance to take over the lead at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)
4 September 2010 – New Zealander Caroline Powell is poised to become the fourth rider from her country to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
The 37-year-old, who is based in Scotland, produced a foot-perfect round on the 17-year-old grey Lenamore, one of the best cross-country horses on the international circuit.
Powell has never won a CCI4* before, and she was cautious in her celebrations tonight as she does not have a Jumping fence in hand over two Britons, Oliver Townend, the defending champion on Carousel Quest, and five-times winner William Fox-Pitt, who is lying third on Seacookie.
The New Zealander had to call on all her experience to remain focused during a one-hour delay while medical staff attended to Nicola Malcolm (GBR), Powell’s near neighbour in Scotland, who was airlifted to hospital after a fall with McFly at fence 19, a hedge. Malcolm was later reported to be conscious and likely to be discharged from hospital tomorrow morning.
Ruth Edge (GBR) and Two Thyme head the leaderboard after the Dressage phase at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)
3 September 2010 – Ruth Edge (GBR) and the 17-year-old Two Thyme lead the clutch of superbly executed Dressage tests which brought the first phase of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, to a close today.
However, Edge, a renowned exponent of this phase, has just 0.4 of a penalty in hand over New Zealander Caroline Powell, who scored a career best on another 17-year-old, the evergreen Lenamore, and defending champions Oliver Townend and Carousel Quest, who produced the only other sub-40 penalty test, are a further 0.5 of a penalty behind in third.
Two Thyme is only competed sparingly these days – his last Cross-Country run was in June – but Edge has prepared him specifically for his first crack at the Land Rover Trophy.
“He always tries so hard,” said Edge, whose previous best placing at Burghley was 17th on Marsh Mayfly in 2006. “He’s on great form and feels really up for it.”
Mary King and Apache Sauce have a two-point lead after the first day of Dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)
2 September 2010 – Mary King (GBR) showed all her experience to take the lead after an eventful first day of Dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
King, 49, has been riding at Burghley for more than 20 years – she won it in 1996 on Star Appeal – but a momentary lapse in concentration which meant she had to correct an error of course will have cost her valuable marks.
Riding the 14-year-old white-faced chestnut Apache Sauce, fourth here in 2008, she missed part of the final canter work and, on arriving at halt, had to be interrupted by Ground Jury member Marilyn Payne (USA).
“I haven’t done that for years,” a smiling King said afterwards, confessing to a “blonde moment”.
31 August 2010 – Paul Tapner (AUS) and William Fox-Pitt (GBR) are the riders with most to gain from a big result at this weekend’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR, September 2-5). It is the fourth leg of the 2010 HSBC FEI Classics, which carries a prize-pot of US$333,000 to be shared by the five most successful riders across five CCI4* events.
The current standings leader, Andreas Dibowski (GER), who has a healthy 7-point lead over this year’s Badminton and Lexington winners, is an absentee from Burghley, and Tapner and Fox-Pitt are poised to pounce.
Tapner, who looks set to make his debut on the Australian squad at the forthcoming Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, has two horses with useful CCI4* form: Kilfinnie, 15th last year, and Stormhill Michael, 10th at Badminton.
Popular British eventer Oliver Townend won The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials yesterday riding the 14 year old grey, Carousel Quest. Burghley Horse Trials is one of the world´s toughest and most respected 3 day events and forms part of the Rolex Grand Slam, the last leg of which is held in Kentucky next Spring.
Oliver was one of only 80 starters to finish the 3 days of the competition on his dressage score, producing clear rounds in both cross country and show jumping. He finished a comfortable 8 penalties ahead of his nearest rival, Polly Stockton riding Westwood Poser, with only 49 riders completing all phases.
The win completes a rare double for the Yorkshireman, who also won Badminton Horse Trials in May on his other horse Flint Curtis. He is now only the sixth rider in history to complete the double within 12 months. This Burghley win also extends his lead in the HSBC FEI Classics to 12 points over William Fox-Pitt with just Les Etoiles de Pau CCI**** in France to go.
It is 16 years since an American rider – Stephen Bradley in 1993 – last won Burghley. This year 8 riders from the USA made the trip across the Atlantic – including experienced riders Phillip Dutton (Truluck) and Karen O’Connor (Mandiba). Phillip Dutton maintained his strong position in 4th place after the dressage and cross country phases to go go clear in the show jumping, incurring only time penalties, to finish a credible 4th overall.
Photo courtesy of Kit Houghton: Oliver Townend and Carousel Quest at Fence 14 – Rolex Combination, Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials 2009.
Oliver Townend completed the British four-star double yesterday when he added the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials title, on board Carousel Quest, to the one he won at Badminton in May. The combination produced an immaculate clear round show jumping to add to their clear round cross-country and stunning lead dressage score of 39.8 on day one of the competition.
“I’m still celebrating Badminton,” said Townend afterwards. “It’s amazing and there’s no point in saying anything else because it hasn’t sunk in yet and it probably won’t for another year. Hopefully this puts me in a position to keep going forward for the future and to have more top class horses.”
Townend went into the arena with two show jumps in hand, but jumped a perfect round on Carousel Quest to finish 8.7 penalties clear of the rest of the field. Townend’s result now sets up a thrilling competition in Lexington, Kentucky next April, when he could become only the second rider, after Pippa Funnell, to scoop the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam for winning Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky consecutively. “I intend to go all out for it!” Townend said. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=7934
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