The story so far...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It all began at Lexington, USA, in April with the Rolex Kentucky Horse Trials, the first four-star three-day event of the year. Aside from the first prize of US$2000 and a coveted Rolex watch, this year, for the first time, there was much more to be gained from a placing at the American event. For Rolex Kentucky was the first event in the newly sponsored HSBC FEI Classics™ Series – a series that links the five top level international three-day events in the world. This innovative series has been designed to reward the best riders in the world, as riders placed in the top 10 gain points in the HSBC FEI Classics™ Standings, in which the leader gains an unprecedented US$150,000.
American rider Phillip Dutton was the first to have his name at the top of the standings by winning Rolex Kentucky. The Australian-born 40-year-old has won two Olympic gold medals but had never won an individual four-star competition. But he entered the record books at Kentucky as one of just two riders to produce a clear round in the show jumping arena, moving him and his horse Connaught into top spot. Fellow American Becky Holder, leader throughout the dressage and cross-country, had to settle for second place while a clean sheet across country and just one fence down show jumping put Missy Ransehousen into third place for an all-American one-two-three.
A week later, at the start of May, the HSBC FEI Classic™ Series was focussed on Badminton – a small English village with a big reputation in horse trials. The famous Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, which is also the oldest horse trials in the world, this year produced its first French winner in 59 years of competition. Nicolas Touzaint stormed around the renowned cross-country course on Hildago d’Ile to head the competition and, despite the pressure in the show jumping arena, maintained his lead for an emotional victory. British riders Lucy Wiegersma and William Fox-Pitt also got off the starting block in the series with second and third place respectively, earning their first HSBC FEI Classics™ points.
It was the show jumping phase at Luhmühlen in June that proved decisive and influential and a clear round brought the successful British rider William Fox-Pitt, this time with Macchiato – third after cross-country – to the top of the field in the German event presented by E.ON Avacon. It was a first four-star event for Macchiato, a former winner at the British Blair and Bramham three-star competitions, and with this important win he propelled Fox-Pitt to the top of the HSBC FEI Classics™ Standings. German rider Frank Ostholt, a World gold medallist, second, and third-placed Australian Stuart Tinney, in Europe preparing for the Olympic Games, got their names on the board for the first time.
In September, the HSBC FEI Classics™ Series returned to the UK to The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in Lincolnshire. William Fox-Pitt, a winner of the event on an impressive four previous occasions and with a double entry of two experienced four-star horses, was looking a firm favourite, not only for the Land Rover title but as the first winner of the HSBC FEI Classics™ Series. Not only did the 39-year-old British Olympian win the event with his 2004 Badminton winner Tamarillo, but for good measure he secured second place on Ballincoola, who had won Burghley in 2005. It was an impressive winning performance from both Fox-Pitt and Tamarillo who, despite running at the end of an exceptionally wet cross-country day, came home in the fastest time. William’s Olympic team mate Mary King, who won Burghley in 2006, claimed third and fourth place on Imperial Cavalier and Apache Sauce, putting her name on the Standings board for the first time in the season.
With just one event of the 2008 season left in the HSBC FEI Classics™ Series – Les Etoiles de Pau (24-27 October), Fox-Pitt has an unassailable lead. The Dorset-based 39-year-old father of two is 25 points clear of his nearest rival, Phillip Dutton who, after a superb cross country at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials to lie second, was unlucky to have to withdraw Woodman before the final horse inspection. Dutton will not be competing in Pau, but Frenchman Nicolas Touzaint, currently third, will. And while Fox-Pitt brings one horse to the event, Idalgo, his placings as far as the HSBC FEI Classics™ are concerned will be academic and attention will move to the battle for the next four places where just five points separates the next 10 riders. Despite the closeness of the rankings only five can go home from Pau with a significant HSBC FEI Classics™ Series cash bonus.
