FOX-PITT IS FLAWLESS TO SEIZE EARLY LEAD IN HSBC FEI CLASSICS

25 April 2010 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) said he did not come to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event with the expectation of winning, but, once in the driving seat, he was clearly not going to relinquish the golden opportunity without a fight and he now has his first Rolex watch to complement his seven other 4-star wins.

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) aboard Cool Mountain on their way to victory in the first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ at Lexington,KY (USA). Click on image for larger view.

And, with the choice of three good rides – Idalgo, Macchiato and Sea Cookie – at next weekend’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, he could gain a commanding advantage in the HSBC FEI Classics™, an award he won in its inaugural year in 2008.

Cool Mountain, his winning ride at Kentucky, is a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding by the prolific Eventing sire Primitive Rising. This was his 4-star debut, having won at 3-star level, at Blair Castle (GBR) last year and been consistent throughout his career.

“He is a pleasure to train,” said Fox-Pitt. “He is very straightforward and genuine, and I have always felt there was more to come. I am absolutely thrilled with him, though – to win is beyond my wildest dreams.”

Fox-Pitt’s nearest rival, Kimberley Severson (USA) had a most unfortunate Jumping round – a total of 32 faults (24 jumping, 12 time) and plummeted to 25^th, and it was the 2008 winner, Phillip Dutton (USA), who rose three places to 2^nd on Woodburn with a clear round.

Becky Holder (USA) retained 3^rd place on Courageous Comet with just one rail, but Boyd Martin’s meteoric rise continued, up another four places to 4^th on Neville Bardos, and Canadian Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch and Port Authority continued upwards, to eventual 5^th place with a clean sheet. In addition, she won the HSBC Training Bursary for the best-placed first-time 4-star competitor.

Oliver Townend (GBR) was discharged from hospital in the morning, but having sustained minor injuries, could not jump his ODT Master Rose and so withdrew.

37 horses completed the competition with 9 clear Jumping rounds.

Results and Standings

1 William Fox-Pitt/Cool Mountain (GBR) 42.8 + 0 + 0 = 42.8, 15 points

2 Phillip Dutton/Woodburn (USA) 47.7 + 0 + 0 = 47.6, 12 points

3 Becky Holder/Courageous Comet (USA) 45.2 + 0 + 4 = 49.2, 10 points

4 Boyd Martin/Neville Bardos (USA) 51.8 + 0 + 0 = 51.8, 8 points

5 Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch/Port Authority (CAN) 52 + 0 + 0 = 52, 6 points

6 Phillip Dutton/The Foreman (USA) 47.2 + 0.4 + 8 = 56

7 Karen O’Connor/Mandiba (USA) 43.7 + 4.4 + 8 = 56.1, 4 points

8 Selina O’Hanlon/Colombo (USA) 52.7 + 0 + 4 = 56.7, 3 points

9 Hawley Bennett-Awad/Gin & Juice (USA) 53.8 + 0 + 4 = 57.8, 2 points

10 Michelle Mueller/Amistad (CAN) 52.5 + 6.4 + 4 = 62.9, 1 point

Full results on www.rk3de.org

HSBC FEI Classics™ Calendar of Events in 2010
1. 21-25 April – Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA)
2. 30 April – 03 May – Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR)
3. 17-20 June – Luhmühlen CCI**** presented by E.ON Avacon (GER)
4. 2-5 September – Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR)
5. 4-7 November – Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA)

Prize Money
HSBC will contribute US$ 1million to the series over the next three years. Prize-money is awarded, as follows, to the top five riders on the leaderboard after the fifth and final event:

WINNERS OF THE 2009 SEASON
1. Oliver Townend (GBR) – US$ 150,000 (Series champion);
2. Dirk Schrade (GER) – US$ 75,000;
3. Andreas Dibowski – (GER) US$ 50,000;
4. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) – US$ 33,000;
5. Sam Griffiths (AUS) – US$ 25,000

Notes to Editors

HSBC, the world’s local bank, is a platinum partner of FEI and global sponsor of the eventing discipline.

As part of this partnership, HSBC is title sponsor of the HSBC FEI Classics™ and HSBC FEI World Cup™.

At the centre of all HSBC’s sponsorships is a commitment to youth, education and community. The Pony Club and HSBC have teamed up to create the HSBC Pony Club Eventing Training Programme.

For further information, including Rules and Standings, visit www.fei.org. Previews, reports, results and photographs for each event will be available from the FEI throughout the season.

Media Contact:

Marty Baumann

Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

info@classic-communications.com

+ 1 859 233 3374

Malina Gueorguiev

FEI Press Manager

malina.gueorguiev@fei.org

+ 41 78 750 61 33

Tags: 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, Becky Holder (USA), Cool Mountain, HSBC FEI Classics, HSBC FEI CLASSICS™, KY, Lexington, Oliver Townend, Phillip Dutton (USA), Show Jumping, Thoroughbred gelding, William Fox-Pitt (GBR)

Eventing Radio Show Episode 73 – Rolex 2010 Day 1 Horse Inspection & Preview

The first daily coverage of the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Today was the First Horse Inspection. Time to dress up and show off for the vets and the crowd. Did anyone have trouble? Also, we speak to Oliver Townend and William Fox-Pitt about their adventure getting to Kentucky, listen in…

Eventing Radio Show Episode 73 – Rolex 2010 Day 1 Horse Inspection & Preview:

• Picture: Oliver Townend (GBR) and ODT Master Rose, joined 51 other entries at the first horse inspection at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, for the Rolex Kentucky CCI4*. While every pair passed to the next round, Bonnie Mosser and Merloch, Boyd Martin and Rock On Rose, and Ian Roberts and Napalm were all held for re-inspection, but eventually passed. Josh Walker photo from useventing.com.
• 57 horses are set to go in the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Don’t miss our Play by Play full day coverage starting Thursday. See all of our coverage. See the entry list here.
• Follow the Chronicle of the Horse coverage here.
• Guest Co-Host: Greg Tryon, horse husband of Amy Tryon.
• Guest: Oliver Townend on his adventures getting to Kentucky.
• Guest: William Fox Pitt who is always a contender for Rolex.

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Tags: 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, Eventing Radio Show Episode 73, First Horse Inspection, Kentucky Horse park, KY, Lexington, Oliver Townend, Rolex 2010 Day 1 Horse Inspection & Preview, Rolex Kentucky CCI4*, William Fox-Pitt

2010 Radio Show Episode 54 – All About Lexington, Home of the 2010 WEG:

It is all about Lexington as Samantha and Glenn were on the road recording at the Lexington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. A must listen if you are planning a trip to Lexington, KY as we learn about the history, the things to do, the sights to see and of course, the food to eat. Listen in…

2010 Radio Show Episode 54 – All About Lexington, Home of the 2010 WEG:

 

• The winners of the August Horse Radio Network Giveaway have been announced: Congrats to all the following winners:
  • Two Equestrian Collections $50.00 Gift Certificates: Cristina Turner of Starr, South Carolina and Judy Johnson of Normal, Illinois.
  • Kentucky Performance Products 75 Day Supply of Joint Armor: Jennifer Burnett of Springfield, Massachusetts.
  • KBC Horse Supplies Custom Triple Stitch Halter: Tamra Webb of Loretto, Minnesota.
• Thank you to Niki Heichelbech of the Lexington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Visit them at www.visitlex.com. You can order information on Lexington and have it sent to you as well.
• Thank you also to Tom Eblen of the Lexington Herald-Leader and www.kentucky.com. You can find Tom’s blog at tomeblen.bloginky.com.
• News: The Alltech FEI Dressage Championships had everyone on the edge of their seats as the Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Adelinde Cornelissen traded off for gold throughout the competition. But it was Gal who would emerge on top in the Grand Prix freestyle aboard phenom Moorlands Totilas for another world-record score of 90.70 percent. The 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Gribaldi—Lominka) had already broken one world record in the Grand Prix (84.08%) at the European Championships, but then Cornelissen earned gold in the Special aboard Parzival (84.02%) and set a world record of her own. Here is Edward Gal’s record breaking ride:

• News: Check out Fran Jurga’s blog at hoofcare.blogspot.com and read her analysis of Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas.
• News: We reported a couple of weeks ago that the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Palm Beam, Florida, will be hosting the Selection Trials for the US Show Jumpers for next year’s World Equestrian Games. Well, now it looks like they will try to parlay that into hosting the World Equestrian Games themselves during September and October of 2018.

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Tags: 2010 Radio Show, Alltech FEI Dressage Championships, KY, Lexington