(USA, 28 April 2012) – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) riding Parklane Hawk, today Saturday 28 April 2012, is the current leader after the Cross-country phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, in Lexington, having ridden an immaculate clear round over the cross-country and within the optimum time. This puts William currently into 1st position going into tomorrow’s final Show Jumping phase (41.3pts). Allison Springer (USA) riding Arthur, who was the overnight leader after Dressage, went clear cross-country but had 2.8 time penalties, giving her a score of 42.6pts going into Show Jumping.
Quotes from William Fox-Pitt after his clear cross country (link to audio of full interview below):
Q: William, an incredible round you are only the third double clear this morning, you made it look so easy – talk us through it: “Well that’s the idea, it doesn’t always happen like that. It’s great to have a good round here at the Rolex under your belt and really stand me in good stead for the 2012 season ahead. He went very well. He’s a good horse and it was causing trouble as you said and you begin to doubt yourself, you begin to doubt your horse and that’s so dangerous – you’ve just got to really believe that you are riding a very good horse with good form, and this course should be fine – and I was right to think that. He really ate it up and came home easily in the time.”
Q: When you saw all the other horses having so many problems and big riders, did that make you change any approaches to any fences? “It didn’t make me feel very good! I thought yesterday there were a few tricks out there but there wasn’t anything to change. I had in my mind how I might ride number 9 if he hadn’t jumped in well but he was right on line and eyeing up that triple brush coming out very well and I think that was the real bogey fence today – that’s the one we’ve all been dreading and I was very happy to have that behind me.”
Q: Any other scares as you went around: “No, he was superb, he is quite feisty and he can have opinions of his own. Once or twice turning was a little bit untidy but maybe I am being fussy – he was damn good!”
Q: You were about four seconds within the optimum time, how did you get it so close? “He gave me some ride. He is a thoroughbred horse, he has raced in New Zealand, his grandfather is Danehill so I had a huge advantage. He is pure class. I was down at the beginning and you just need to settle him on this course. I knew that 15 seconds down on a horse like that is irrelevant and we just gradually crept back up and by nine to 10 minutes we were spot on and I just cantered home really – I didn’t have to use my legs – it’s a real luxury isn’t it!
It’s another day tomorrow and I just hope he’s ok after today –that’s the first obstacle.”
Having claimed victory at the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, former Rolex Kentucky champion William Fox-Pitt (GBR), is now the current live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam prize. Fox-Pitt faces the daunting challenge of following up his Burghley victory with back-to-back wins required at both Kentucky and Badminton, with just one week apart.
Audio
Please click on the following links for copyright free audio interview with William Fox-Pitt after his clear cross-country round:
https://download.yousendit.com/TEhYZXR6aytnYU0wTWRVag
For more information on the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and full Results/Leaderboard, please visit www.rk3de.org.
Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing
In 2001, Rolex created the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. This trophy is awarded to the rider who manages to win the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials event in any consecutive order. Until now, only British rider Pippa Funnell has managed this staggering achievement, winning the title in 2003.
William Fox-Pitt
Fox-Pitt was the first British rider to earn Eventing’s Number 1 World Ranking, a distinction he achieved in 2002 and again in 2009 and 2010. He has ridden in three Olympic Games—1996 in Atlanta, 2004 in Athens where he won a team Silver Medal, and 2008 at Beijing where he won a team Bronze. He also won a team Bronze Medal at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Jerez, a team Silver at the 2006 WEG in Aachen, and team Gold and individual Silver at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky.
Fox-Pitt is the only rider to have won five of the world’s six Four Star Events, having won Burghley a record six times (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011), Badminton (2004), Luhmühlen (2008), Rolex Kentucky (2010) and Pau (2011). He has won the HSBC FEI Classics twice (2008 & 2010) and finished second in 2011. He has won seven team Gold Medals at European Championships and has been the number one ranked British rider nine times.