By Kate Green
William Fox-Pitt (GBR) won his 11th CCI4* and another prized Rolex watch when he held his nerve in the tense final minutes of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA). Fox-Pitt, the leader after Cross Country on Catherine Witt’s talented New Zealand Thoroughbred Parklane Hawk, appeared to have been handed a lifeline when overnight runner-up Allison Springer (USA) and Arthur hit a rail, then Parklane Hawk had one down as well, and Fox-Pitt was left with no margin for error.
Fox-Pitt, the current leader of both the HSBC FEI Classics and the HSBC Rider Rankings is famed for keeping calm in a tight situation. He now heads to Badminton in the position of having won two out of three legs of the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam. This elusive prize, to the rider who can win Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley in succession, has only been won once before, by Pippa Funnell (GBR) in 2003.
“It’s a fantastic position to be in. I’ve never managed to win two CCI4*s in a row until now, let alone three! I think it may be quite unlikely, but we will see!” said Fox-Pitt, who rides Neuf des Couers and Seacookie at Badminton next weekend. “Parklane Hawk normally jumps a clear round, but he was kind of messing around, not really looking at the fences. He used to be very strong in the Jumping, but he’s gotten better. He’s a big trier, and not a confrontational horse. He’s adapted to Eventing very quickly from racing. He’s is an amazing horse.”
Allison Springer was gracious in second place and thrilled with her horse. “I’ve worked hard on his skills and on my skills and I knew what I had to do. I think my horse has a big future. He is only 13 and so I should have him to ride until the 2016 Olympics as well!”
Boyd Martin (USA), riding the white-faced Otis Barbotiere, produced one of five clear stadium rounds over Richard Jefferies’ track, and rose a place to third, his best CCI4* result since winning Adelaide (AUS) in 2003. It was the horse’s first CCI4* and Martin said, “He?s going to be awesome in all three phases. This weekend has confirmed what I already thought about the horse.”
Karen O’Connor (USA) kept her hopes of a sixth Olympic Games alive with a great clear round and fourth place on new ride Mr Medicott. She finished on an equal score to Martin, but his faster Cross Country time prevailed.
Will Coleman (USA) completed a great weekend by finishing on his Dressage score on Twizzel in fifth, but Jonathan Paget (NZL) slipped three places to sixth on Clifton Promise with two rails down.
Paget’s fellow New Zealander, World bronze medallist Andrew Nicholson, riding the young Spanish-bred mare Qwanza, rose quietly from 24th place after Dressage to seventh, with no further penalties added. This earned him enough HSBC FEI Classics points to propel him into second place on the leaderboard, following his second place at Pau (FRA) last year. Like Fox-Pitt, Nicholson has two good rides - Avebury and Mr Cruise Control - for Badminton where the next stage of the HSBC FEI Classics action takes place.
HSBC Training Bursary
Marilyn Little-Meredith (USA), who so impressed with her two clear Cross Country rounds, won the HSBC Training Bursary worth $1,000 for the best CCI4* debut. She finished ninth on RF Demeter, having slipped a couple of places with three rails down. Little-Meredith, who has won at CCI2* and CIC3* level, made the career switch from Grand Prix jumping to Eventing only two years ago. She is helped by David and Karen O’Connor.
Final Results
1 William Fox-Pitt/Parklane Hawk (GBR) 41.3 + 0 + 4 = 45.3
2 Allison Springer/Arthur (USA) 39.8 + 3.2 + 4 = 47.0
3 Boyd Martin/Otis Barbotiere (USA) 51.0 + 0 + 0 = 51.0
4 Karen O? Connor/Mr Medicott (USA) 44.2 + 6.8 + 0 = 51.0
5 William Coleman/Twizzel (USA) 51.3 + 0 + 0 = 51.3
6 Jonathan Paget/Clifton Promise (NZL) 44.8 + 0 + 8 = 52.8
7 Andrew Nicholson/Qwanza (NZL) 55.8 + 0 + 0 = 55.8
8 Boyd Martin/Remington XXV (USA) 45.3 + 7.6 + 4 = 56.9
9 Marilyn Little-Meredith/RF Demeter (USA) 49.0 + 2.8 + 12 = 63.8
10 Phillip Dutton/Mighty Nice (USA) 58.7 + 0 + 8 = 66.7
11 Peter Barry/Kilrodan Abbott (CAN) 60.3 + 3.2 + 4 = 67.5
12 Phillip Dutton/Fernhill Eagle (USA) 59.0 + 0.8 + 8 = 67.8
William Fox-Pitt (GBR) won his 11th CCI4* and another prized Rolex watch when he held his nerve in the tense final minutes of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA). Fox-Pitt, the leader after Cross Country on Catherine Witt’s talented New Zealand Thoroughbred Parklane Hawk, appeared to have been handed a lifeline when overnight runner-up Allison Springer (USA) and Arthur hit a rail, then Parklane Hawk had one down as well, and Fox-Pitt was left with no margin for error.
Fox-Pitt, the current leader of both the HSBC FEI Classics and the HSBC Rider Rankings is famed for keeping calm in a tight situation. He now heads to Badminton in the position of having won two out of three legs of the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam. This elusive prize, to the rider who can win Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley in succession, has only been won once before, by Pippa Funnell (GBR) in 2003.
“It’s a fantastic position to be in. I’ve never managed to win two CCI4*s in a row until now, let alone three! I think it may be quite unlikely, but we will see!” said Fox-Pitt, who rides Neuf des Couers and Seacookie at Badminton next weekend. “Parklane Hawk normally jumps a clear round, but he was kind of messing around, not really looking at the fences. He used to be very strong in the Jumping, but he’s gotten better. He’s a big trier, and not a confrontational horse. He’s adapted to Eventing very quickly from racing. He’s is an amazing horse.”
Allison Springer was gracious in second place and thrilled with her horse. “I’ve worked hard on his skills and on my skills and I knew what I had to do. I think my horse has a big future. He is only 13 and so I should have him to ride until the 2016 Olympics as well!”
Boyd Martin (USA), riding the white-faced Otis Barbotiere, produced one of five clear stadium rounds over Richard Jefferies’ track, and rose a place to third, his best CCI4* result since winning Adelaide (AUS) in 2003. It was the horse’s first CCI4* and Martin said, “He?s going to be awesome in all three phases. This weekend has confirmed what I already thought about the horse.”
Karen O’Connor (USA) kept her hopes of a sixth Olympic Games alive with a great clear round and fourth place on new ride Mr Medicott. She finished on an equal score to Martin, but his faster Cross Country time prevailed.
Will Coleman (USA) completed a great weekend by finishing on his Dressage score on Twizzel in fifth, but Jonathan Paget (NZL) slipped three places to sixth on Clifton Promise with two rails down.
Paget’s fellow New Zealander, World bronze medallist Andrew Nicholson, riding the young Spanish-bred mare Qwanza, rose quietly from 24th place after Dressage to seventh, with no further penalties added. This earned him enough HSBC FEI Classics points to propel him into second place on the leaderboard, following his second place at Pau (FRA) last year. Like Fox-Pitt, Nicholson has two good rides - Avebury and Mr Cruise Control - for Badminton where the next stage of the HSBC FEI Classics action takes place.
HSBC Training Bursary
Marilyn Little-Meredith (USA), who so impressed with her two clear Cross Country rounds, won the HSBC Training Bursary worth $1,000 for the best CCI4* debut. She finished ninth on RF Demeter, having slipped a couple of places with three rails down. Little-Meredith, who has won at CCI2* and CIC3* level, made the career switch from Grand Prix jumping to Eventing only two years ago. She is helped by David and Karen O’Connor.
Final Results
1 William Fox-Pitt/Parklane Hawk (GBR) 41.3 + 0 + 4 = 45.3
2 Allison Springer/Arthur (USA) 39.8 + 3.2 + 4 = 47.0
3 Boyd Martin/Otis Barbotiere (USA) 51.0 + 0 + 0 = 51.0
4 Karen O? Connor/Mr Medicott (USA) 44.2 + 6.8 + 0 = 51.0
5 William Coleman/Twizzel (USA) 51.3 + 0 + 0 = 51.3
6 Jonathan Paget/Clifton Promise (NZL) 44.8 + 0 + 8 = 52.8
7 Andrew Nicholson/Qwanza (NZL) 55.8 + 0 + 0 = 55.8
8 Boyd Martin/Remington XXV (USA) 45.3 + 7.6 + 4 = 56.9
9 Marilyn Little-Meredith/RF Demeter (USA) 49.0 + 2.8 + 12 = 63.8
10 Phillip Dutton/Mighty Nice (USA) 58.7 + 0 + 8 = 66.7
11 Peter Barry/Kilrodan Abbott (CAN) 60.3 + 3.2 + 4 = 67.5
12 Phillip Dutton/Fernhill Eagle (USA) 59.0 + 0.8 + 8 = 67.8
