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Fox-Pitt rides Chilli Morning into the record books at Badminton

News Desk — Mon, 11 May 2015 07:57:22 +0000

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) and the stallion Chilli Morning make history by winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015. (Jon Stroud/FEI)

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) re-wrote the record books when he became the first rider in history to win a CCI4* on a stallion, jumping a magnificent clear round in today’s final phase on Christopher Stone’s Chilli Morning to capture the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015.

Written by Kate Green

The popular German rider Ingrid Klimke finished runner-up by just 1.2 penalties on her new star Horseware Hale Bob, and New Zealander Jock Paget was third on Clifton Lush, a great achievement on a horse coming back after a year’s lay-off for injury.

The finale could not have been more tense, with three penalties – less than the cost of a rail down – covering the first five riders, and all attention on the great Kiwi rider Andrew Nicholson aiming to win Badminton for the first time in 31 years of trying.

Paget, lying fifth after Cross Country, eased the pressure on his rivals when Clifton Lush hit the 11^th fence to pick up four faults. Klimke, next into the arena, was immaculately prepared, having been competing her German Thoroughbred gelding in Jumping classes over the winter, and they produced a confident clear.

Next to go were the 2014 runners-up, Oliver Townend (GBR) and Armada, but the Yorkshireman had humorously predicted that he wouldn’t be taking home any trophies as the 16-year-old gelding is notoriously difficult in this phase. Four fences down dropped the pair to 11^th.

Fox-Pitt is known for his ability to deal with extreme pressure and the generous Chilli Morning more than rose to the occasion, jumping as if on springs to record a clear and switch the burden onto the shoulders of his New Zealand rival.

As the crowd erupted, Nicholson entered on an unsettled Nereo, the 15-year-old chestnut clearly unnerved by the electric atmosphere, and when he hit the second fence it was all over. Two more rails went as well and the pair dropped to sixth place, but the New Zealander somehow managed to find a smile. “I’ll live to fight another day,” he promised.

Fox-Pitt, the first British rider to win Badminton for six years, last triumphed here in 2004 on Tamarillo. “That was a long time ago, and it makes you realise how hard it is,” he said. “It was very easy to think it was all over with a rider like Andrew in front. He doesn’t make many mistakes.”

Chilli Morning will now return to stud duties and will not compete again this year. “He’s a fantastic horse with a brilliant brain and he wants to work.” Fox-Pitt was quick to heap praise on Nick Gauntlett, the rider who produced the stallion up to four-star level.

Ingrid Klimke said Horseware Hale Bob had given her a great ride in all three phases and she was keen to pay tribute to Chris Bartle, the German team trainer “because he always had faith in us”.

Jock Paget, who withdrew his 2013 winner Clifton Promise (10^th after Cross Country) before Jumping, said he’d had “a good feeling” about Clifton Lush, a ride he took over from fellow Kiwi Joe Meyer. “He did his maximum in every phase,” said Paget. “I knew that even if he jumped clear, I wouldn’t catch the other two.”

Nicola Wilson (GBR) rose 11 places to seventh with a clear round on One Two Many; Aoife Clark (IRL) climbed three places to eighth with four faults on Vaguely North and fellow Irishman Michael Ryan shot up from 21^st to ninth with a penalty-free round on Ballylynch Adventure. Last year’s winners, Sam Griffiths (AUS) and Paulank Brockagh, were 10^th.

Klimke’s second place at Badminton added to her win at Pau (FRA) last year propels her into first place on the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015 leaderboard and she has a good ride, Escada JS, for the fifth leg at Luhmühlen (GER) next month. Fox-Pitt, now second in the rankings, following a fourth place in Kentucky (USA) recently, is also planning to compete at Germany’s premier event, so the contest should go right to the wire at Burghley (GBR) in September.

Final Results

1 William Fox-Pitt/Chilli Morning (GBR) 39.0 + 0 + 0 = 39.0

2 Ingrid Klimke/Horseware Hale Bob (GER) 40.2 + 0 + 0 = 40.2

3 Jock Paget/Clifton Lush (NZL) 40.8 + 0 + 4 = 44.8

4 Mark Todd/Leonidas ll (NZL) 45.8 + 1.2 + 1 = 48.0

5 Bettina Hoy/Designer 10 (GER) 42.8 + 1.6 + 4 = 48.4

6 Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (NZL) 37.8 + 0 + 12 = 49.8

7 Nicola Wilson/One Two Many (GBR) 47.0 + 4 + 0 = 51.0

8 Aoife Clark/Vaguely North (IRL) 42.9 + 4.8 + 4 = 51.7

9 Michael Ryan/Ballylynch Adventure (IRL) 52.1 + 1.2 + 0 = 53.3

10 Sam Griffiths/Paulank Brockagh (AUS) 48.2 + 1.6 + 4 = 53.8

Clark and Ryan in Impressive Top Ten Finish

News Desk — Sun, 10 May 2015 18:06:32 +0000

IN an impressive result for Irish three-day eventing, Aoife Clark with Vaguely North and Michael Ryan on the Irish Sport Horse Ballylynch Adventure finished in the top ten at the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials in England this afternoon (Sunday).

Dublin-born Clark, who was lying in 11th place after the dressage and cross country phase, had just one fence down today to lift her into eighth overall, while Bandon-based Ryan delivered a perfect clear round to hoist him up from overnight 21st to ninth at the end of play.

A deceptively difficult show jumping course saw many international favourites drop down the rankings as poles fell, and the Irish duo benefited by holding their nerve during the vital final phase.

Irish breeding was also well represented at Badminton, with three Irish Sport Horses finishing in the top ten. One Two Many, ridden by Britain’s Nicola Wilson, finished in seventh place, Ryan’s Ballylynch Adventure – owned by Carol and Tom Henry and Sheila Foley – finished in eighth, while last year’s Badminton Winner, Paulank Brockagh, ridden by Australia’s Sam Griffiths, was tenth today.

This year’s victor was William Fox-Pitt with Chilli Morning, the first British winner at Badminton since Oliver Townend took the trophy in 2009 with Flint Curtis.

Ireland’s Vaguely North is owned by the Duchess of Bedford and Jacqueline Norris, while Ballylynch Adventure’s owners are Carol and Tom Henry and Sheila Foley.

Irish scores after the final show jumping phase were:

8th Aoife Clark/Vaguely North 51.7 penalties
9th Michael Ryan/Ballylynch Adventure (ISH) 53.3 penalties
25th Joseph Murphy/Sportsfield Othello (ISH) 66.4 penalties
30th Clare Abbott/Euro Prince (ISH) 69.2 penalties
34th Sam Watson/Horseware Bushman (ISH)(TIH) 73.6 penalties
40th Camilla Speirs/Portersize Just a Jiff (ISH)(TIH) 78.2 penalties
45th Elizabeth Power/September Bliss 82.8 penalties

FEI Classics™: Sam Griffiths fulfils his Badminton dream

News Desk — Mon, 12 May 2014 11:54:17 +0000

Australia’s Sam Griffiths and the Irish-bred Paulank Brockagh on their way to victory in the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, fourth leg of the FEI Classics™. (Kit Houghton/FEI)

Written By Kate Green

Popular Australian rider Sam Griffiths produced a superb display of horsemanship in today’s Jumping phase to win his first major title, the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014, with Paulank Brockagh, the mare that he co-owns with Dinah Posford and Jules Carter.

In a competition of extraordinary twists and turns, Griffiths and the Irish-bred 10-year-old, rose from overnight fifth place with a well-judged four-fault Jumping round that was good enough to win due to the strong influence of Kelvin Bywater’s (GBR) course.

Griffiths’ fellow Australian, Cross Country leader Paul Tapner on Kilronan, had been left a two-rail advantage to win but even this was too close for comfort in the squally weather and he had four fences down plus time penalties to drop to fourth.

Oliver Townend (GBR) hit two rails on the 15-year-old Armada yet moved up two places to take the runner-up spot and Harry Meade (GBR) rose from eighth to a career best of third place with an elegant four-fault round on Wild Lone.

“I had thought that if I did well I could move up, but there were still good riders in front of me and I had no expectations of being on the podium,” said Griffiths, who was well down the field in 25^th place after the Dressage.

Griffiths added: “This is the ultimate dream. As a little boy in Australia, I used to wait for the video tapes of Badminton to arrive, so to ride here was always a major ambition. This means the world to me. Badminton is the pinnacle.”

Townend said: “I’ve told Sam to enjoy every minute of this because it still hasn’t quite sunk in that I’ve won this event [in 2009].”

He added: “I’m thrilled with my result. I was mortified after the Dressage [after which he was 34^th] but this has made up for it. The reason Armada is good across country is because he is tricky in the other two phases. It is a fantastic feeling to be sitting on a Ferrari like him. At certain points yesterday, I felt that this was what Cross Country was all about.”

Harry Meade’s third-place finish is all the more remarkable because he spent months lying helpless in hospital after breaking both elbows in a fall last August. “At the start of the week, I was beyond expectations, but somehow everything added up and I feel that I coped very well,” he said. “My arms felt fine on the Cross Country and I loved the fact that it was windy and wet.”

Meade, who lives only three miles from Badminton and whose father, Richard, won here in 1970 and 1982, explained: “I couldn’t let myself get too excited and today I’ve felt calm and determined to enjoy it. The last few months have rather put things into perspective for me.”

Fourth-placed Tapner managed to be philosophical in defeat. “You start thinking of damage limitation when you hear those rails falling and I tried to change my way of riding. But that’s the way the sport is. I’ve been in both positions here before. One went my way [when he won in 2010] and this one didn’t.”

Pascal Leroy (FRA) dropped from third to fifth on Minos de Petra but still achieved the best result for a French rider since Nicolas Touzaint won in 2008. Three-time winner Pippa Funnell (GBR) held onto sixth place on the exciting prospect Billy Beware with one fence down and four time penalties.

Tim Price (NZL) had warned that Jumping was Ringwood Sky Boy’s weakest phase and he dropped from second to ninth with 19 faults behind Tim Lips (NED) on Keyflow NOP, seventh, and Sweden’s rising star Ludwig Svennerstal on Alexander, eighth.

Three horses were withdrawn overnight before Jumping: Karascanda TSF, ridden by Karl-Steffan Meier (GER), which had leapt 61 places to 20^th after Cross Country, Kelecyn Ice Age (Emma Douglas, AUS, 34^th) and Beltane Queen (Nicola Wilson, GBR, 25^th), which had been awarded 21 penalties for a broken frangible pin.

All 32 horses presented at the final Horse Inspection passed, including Wendy Schaeffer’s (AUS) Koyuna Sun Dancer, which was sent to the holding box. Schaeffer successfully appealed the 20 penalties given for a refusal at the Mirage Pond (fence 16). This elevated her from 26^th to 18^th before Jumping and then she produced the only clear round of the day (albeit with three time penalties) to rise to 12^th.

Although Pau (FRA) and Kentucky (USA) winner William Fox-Pitt surprisingly played no part in the final day at Badminton, he is still the clear leader, by 15 points, in the FEI Classics™. However, Sam Griffiths’ Badminton victory elevates him straight into second place and he and other riders still have chances at Luhmühlen (GER) next month to try and catch up before the series finale at Burghley (GBR) in September.

Final results at Badminton

1 Sam Griffiths/Paulank Brockagh (AUS) 46.3 + 17.6 + 4 = 67.9

2 Oliver Townend/Armada (GBR) 48.7 + 14.0 + 8 = 70.7

3 Harry Meade/Wild Lone (GBR) 51.0 + 16.4 + 4 = 71.4

4 Paul Tapner/Kilronan (AUS) 36.0 + 20.4 + 16 = 72.4

5 Pascal Leroy/Minos de Petra (FRA) 47.3 + 15.2 +10 = 72.5

6 Pippa Funnell/Billy Beware (GBR) 42.3 + 24.0 + 8 = 74.3

7 Tim Lips/Keyflow NOP (NED) 52.5 + 14.0 + 12 = 78.5

8 Ludwig Svennerstal/Alexander (SWE) 53.2 + 18.8 + 8 = 80.0

9 Tim Price/Ringwood Sky Boy (NZL) 50.0 + 11.6 + 19 = 80.6

10 Lara de Liedekerke/Ducati Van Den Overdam (BEL) 49.0 + 26.8 + 8 = 83.8

Full results on www.badminton-horse.co.uk

Wicklow-Bred Irish Sport Horse Wins Badminton Horse Trials

News Desk — Mon, 12 May 2014 11:35:22 +0000

AFTER one of the most dramatic competitions in its 65-year history, an Irish Sport Horse won the Badminton four-star Horse Trials in England today (Sunday), with three other Irish-bred horses finishing in the top ten.

Bred in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow by Paula Cullen – mother of Irish rugby star Leo Cullen – the bay mare Paulank Brockagh moved from 25th place after the dressage phase up to fifth after cross-country, to outright victory after the show jumping phase this afternoon.

Ridden by Australia’s Sam Griffiths, the 11 year-old daughter of Touchdown had just one fence down in the show jumping arena at the Duke of Beaufort’s estate, and came home 2.8 penalty points ahead of British runner-up Oliver Townend and Armada, while Britain’s Harry Meade rode the Irish-bred Wild Lone into third place.

Australia’s Paul Tapner, the overnight leader after cross country, claimed fourth place on the Irish Sport Horse Kilronan, while New Zealand’s Tim price placed yet another Irish Sport Horse, Ringwood Sky Boy, in ninth.

Austin O’Connor was best of the Irish riders at Badminton, finishing in 15th place on Ringwood Mississippi (ISH) after lowering just one pole during show jumping.

This year’s Badminton saw 25 eliminations and 18 riders opting to retire on the tough new-look cross country course, while in show jumping no rider managed to finish on a fault-free score.

The success of Irish-bred horses at Badminton’s four-star event followed close on the heels of victory in the USA’s four-star competition two weeks ago, when another Irish Sport Horse, Bay My Hero – bred by Bryan Maguire in Wexford – took first place in the famous Rolex Kentucky event, ridden by Britain’s William Fox-Pitt.

Ryan Receives Award at Badminton

News Desk — Sat, 10 May 2014 12:32:00 +0000

Mike and Old Road competing in Badminton in 2010 Photo: Nico Morgan

Bandon Based, Michael Ryan may not be competing in Badminton Horse Trials this year, but it will be a special occasion for him as he is one of two riders that will be presented with an Armada Dish from the World famous Badminton Horse Trials this weekend. The award is presented to riders for completing Badminton five times. Ryan, who competed on Old Road on four occasions (2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011) and Ballylynch Skysport (2010), is one of only eight Irish riders to receive the prestigious award. The award which began in the 1960’s includes some of the worlds leading eventing riders such as Andrew Nicholson, Lucinda Green and HRH Princess Anne. Among the Irish recipients are Captain H. Freeman- Jackson (1964), Penny Morten 1965, Lucy Thompson (1999) and Eric Smiley (1995)

Ryan flew over on Wednesday and will join fellow Olympian Pippa Funnell on Sunday to collect his award.

Ryan said “It is one of my biggest achievements to have competed at Badminton Horse Trials, for me it is next to competing at the Olympics. Without a doubt it is one of the most challenging courses in the world and a huge test for both horse and rider. To be selected to compete in Badminton is a great result for any rider, but to complete the course on five different occasions is a testament to the standard of horses your are riding as they need have plenty of heart and skill. Old Road, who is now retired, was such a loyal servant and my only disappointment for him was that he was set to compete in Badminton for the fifth year in 2012, but injury ruled him out. I would like to thank my wife Trish, the team at home and the owners of the horses Tom and Carol Henry and John Butler. Many we enjoy many more years at Badminton”

Seven Irish Riders to Start at 65th Badminton Horse Trials Today

News Desk — Thu, 08 May 2014 07:08:34 +0000

SEVEN Irish competitors, all riding Irish Sport Horses, will take part at Badminton Horse Trials, which starts today (Thursday) at the Duke of Beaufort’s estate in England.

Badminton, which is officially Britain’s largest outdoor sporting event, sees the cream of international talent vying for the coveted Mitsubishi Trophy over four days of top class competition.

A total of 83 horses from 14 nations will take part in the four-star event, and Ireland’s representatives are:

Mark Kyle with Coolio (ISH)
Austin O’Connor with Ringwood Mississippi (ISH)
Capt. Geoff Curran with Shanaclough Crecora (ISH)
Sarah Ennis with Sugar Brown Babe (ISH)
Joseph Murphy with Sportsfield Othello (ISH)
Jim Newsam with Magennis (ISH)
Clare Abbott with Euro Prince (ISH)

All seven Irish horses have now passed the veterinary inspection and are set to start two days of dressage, which will then be followed on Saturday by competition on Badminton’s new-look cross country course, and finishing with the crucial show jumping phase on Sunday, when the winner will be decided.

Aside from the seven Irish Sport Horses, a further 25 Irish-bred horses will be on the start list for Badminton’s 65th year.

Mark Kyle and Sarah Ennis are the first of the Irish contingent to compete on Thursday, with the remaining five undertaking their dressage tests on Friday.

Ireland’s Aoife Clark, who is not competing at the event this year, finished in an impressive eighth place at Badminton in 2013 on the Irish Sport Horse Master Crusoe.

Live coverage of the cross country and show jumping phases will be available on the FEI’s official video platform FEI TV (www.feitv.org), with cross country on BBC television (Red Button) and cross country highlights and live broadcast of show jumping on BBC2 television on Sunday.

Badminton Horse Trials Box Office Opens Monday

News Desk — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 10:31:59 +0000

The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials ( May 7th-11th 2014) public Box Office opens on Monday Jan 13th for advanced bookings.

Giuseppe della Chiesa was appointed course designer by the Duke of Beaufort and Event director Hugh Thomas after last year’s record breaking Trials.

Prize money for the event has risen considerable with the winner now to receive £80,000, up from £65,000 last year. Prize money will also be awarded down to 20th place this year.

This years Badminton ‘Good Cause’ will be Equestrian Team GBR in the build up to the World Equestrian Games.

You can keep informed of their latest announcements on the newly constructed website by clicking here.

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013: Australians take control at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials

News Desk — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:58:28 +0000

hristopher Burton (AUS) and Holstein Park Leilani take the lead after the first day of Dressage at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI).

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013: Australians take control at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials

By Kate Green

Two members of Australia’s 2012 Olympic team head the leaderboard after the first day of Dressage as anticipation builds at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™.

Christopher Burton (AUS), who proved such a brilliant pathfinder when first out on the course at the London 2012 Olympic Games, scored 43.0 in Badminton’s atmospheric arena to lie a fraction of a penalty ahead of his compatriot, Sam Griffiths on Happy Times.

The pair are also old friends and 31-year-old Burton, who won the Adelaide CCI4* in 2008, was based with Griffiths and his wife Lucy when he first came to England two years ago.

Burton is well known as a talented showman in the Dressage arena. He said of his mount, Jean and Jade Findlay’s 17-year-old warmblood mare, Holstein Park Leilani: “Back at home in Australia, I said ‘this is a Badminton horse’, but I certainly didn’t expect to be in the lead here.

“She’s a lovely mare but not the most extravagant mover, so you have to really ride her. I’m thrilled because I was aiming to score under 45, and so to be in the lead on 43 feels incredible.”

In contrast, Griffiths and the 14-year-old Happy Times are old hands at Badminton, having finished third in 2009 and fourth in 2011. “He’s an experienced campaigner and he’s in good form,” Griffiths said.

“I hope his Dressage mark will hold up, because we’ve got some really good combinations coming up tomorrow, but it means I’m in a good place psychologically.”

This halfway stage of the HSBC FEI Classics™ season is an opportunity for other riders to get a foothold on the leaderboard, but the current leader Andrew Nicholson (NZL) shows no signs of relinquishing his commanding position without a fight.

He is currently in third place at Badminton on 45.0 on his Burghley winner, the crowd-pleasing grey Avebury, with his Pau winner Nereo to come tomorrow.

Both Nicholson and William Fox-Pitt (GBR), who are head to head in a thrilling battle for the Rolex Grand Slam this weekend, seem to be handling the intense media attention with equanimity.

“I’m not really thinking about the Grand Slam,” admitted Nicholson. “My main objective has always been to win Badminton and it’s been fixed in my mind since last year because I’ve got such a good string of horses at the moment. The Grand Slam is a bit of a dream, but I did go to Kentucky to put myself in contention for it. And, of course,” he laughed, “if I win Badminton, the Grand Slam will fall into place!”

Fox-Pitt is currently only 0.8 of a penalty adrift of Nicholson, in equal fourth place with Ireland’s Aoife Clark on Master Crusoe. His first ride, Oslo, winner of Pau as a precocious nine-year-old in 2011, is owned by a syndicate of 12 owners, the oldest of whom, Delia Cunningham, is 92.

“He’s good at dressage and he’s always on your side, but he can be a bit cheeky,” said Fox-Pitt of the French-bred gelding who spent last year side-lined with an injury.

Olympic champion Michael Jung (GER) made his Badminton debut on Leopin FST and is in sixth place on 46.5 after a customarily well-ridden performance. “It’s very nice to be here,” he said. “The Cross Country has good distances between fences where you can gallop – it’s very different from the Olympics!”

The defending Badminton champion, Sir Mark Todd (NZL), is only in 37^th place with a mark of 67.8 on his first ride, Major Milestone, but he is not downhearted. “He’s not built for dressage and he doesn’t enjoy it. We both just have to get through it because he’s a very good jumper. My ambition with him is to win the Glentrool Trophy! [for the rider who makes the greatest improvement on their Dressage score]”

The footing at Badminton is in perfect condition, and predictions are that quite a few riders will achieve the optimum time, but riders are regarding the fences with great respect.

Nicholson commented: “I thought it was a bit softer at the start until I had a second walk and I’ve realised there are some very tricky fences out there. At the Lake (fence 9), there’s is a big fence in and really quite difficult 120-degree turn. It’s a proper fence, as it should be at this level.

“The course is pretty decent all the way round. There’s open corners, the Mirage Pond (fence 14) is hard to judge because you’re not sure where you’re going to land, and at the Shogun Hollow (fence 18) there’s a long distance to the third box which will cause difficulty for horses that find it difficult to adjust their strides.”

Badminton has received unprecedented spectator interest this year, and ticket sales are about 10% up on last year, when the event had to be cancelled due to wet weather. There are 84 horses in the field representing 15 nations.

Director Hugh Thomas, who says his Cross Country course is “the strongest it’s been for a while” said of the line-up: ”For those of us who have been involved in the sport for a long time, to have Fox-Pitt versus Nicholson versus Jung is a tasty dish. However, the reality is that there are actually about 15 combinations here who could win.”

Results after first day of Dressage

1 Christopher Burton/Holstein Park Leilani (AUS) 43.0

2 Sam Griffiths/Happy Times (AUS) 43.3

3 Andrew Nicholson/Avebury (NZL) 45.0

4= William Fox-Pitt/Oslo (GBR) 45.8

4= Aoife Clark/Master Crusoe (IRL) 45.8

6 Michael Jung/Leopin FST (GER) 46.5

7= Mary King/Imperial Cavalier (GBR) 47.3

7= Vittoria Panizzon/Borough Pennyz (ITA) 47.3

7= Lucy Wiegersma/Simon Porloe (GBR) 47.3

10 Kai Ruder/Les Prince des Bois (GER) 47.8

Follow live results: www.badminton-horse.co.uk