Mary King (GBR), who débuted the HSBC Rankings armband in July, now secures 50,000 USD bonus as rankings leader at the end of the 2011 season. Photo: Barry Gomer.
Lausanne (SUI), 8 December 2011 – Mary King (GBR), who recently claimed 150,000 USD after becoming this year’s HSBC FEI Classics champion, is celebrating yet again after clinching a 50,000 USD bonus as the HSBC Rankings leader at the end of the 2011 season.
King, who celebrated her 50th birthday in June of this year, will be presented with her prize at the British Equestrian Writers’ Association annual awards lunch on 15 December at the London International Horse Show in Olympia (GBR).
This is the first time King has finished the season at the top of the rankings since being declared world number one at the end of 1991. First and second place finishes in the HSBC FEI Classics in Kentucky (USA), third at both Badminton and Burghley (GBR), fourth at Pau (FRA) and eighth at Luhmühlen (GER) gave King a season-end tally of 601 points. This put her at the top of the HSBC Rankings with a 15-point lead over William Fox-Pitt (GBR), who finished the season in second place, 73 points ahead of Andrew Nicholson (NZL).
HSBC FEI Classics 2012 current leader William Fox-Pitt on Cross Country day at Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA), the season opener.
Lausanne (SUI), 16 November 2011 – The Australians and New Zealanders are grasping their chance to capitalise on the HSBC FEI Classics, which offers the single biggest prize in Eventing, at the second leg of the 2012 season taking place this weekend at the Adelaide International 3 Day Event in South Australia (18-20 November).
This is the first time Adelaide has been part of the HSBC FEI Classics, which incorporates the world’s six CCI4*s. The 2011/2012 season will then travel to Kentucky (USA) next spring and climax at Burghley (GBR) in September.
“The Australian International 3 Day Event is the country’s ultimate equestrian competition,” explained Event Director and dual Olympic gold medalist Gillian Rolton (AUS).
“Adelaide has hosted this hallmark event for the last thirteen years and this year we’re ecstatic to be hosting the prestigious HSBC FEI Classics for the very first time.
Lausanne (SUI),16 October 2011 – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) showed the amazing strength of his horsepower when his exciting young horses Oslo and Lionheart finished first and third at Les Etoiles des Pau (FRA), the final leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011.
However, it was the unstoppable Mary King (GBR) who claimed the 150,000 USD prize, the biggest single award in Eventing, as HSBC FEI Classics champion for 2011. She clinched the title with a magnificent clear Jumping round on Imperial Cavalier, which elevated her six places to fourth.
King has been placed no lower than eighth at all five of the HSBC FEI Classics events this year, which is a remarkable achievement. She is the first woman to win the title since the series started in 2008 and has kept it in British hands for the fourth consecutive year.
Mary King (GBR), the first rider to wear the red and white armband featuring “HSBC Eventing World Rankings Leader”.
Lausanne (SUI), 1 July 2011 – HSBC, in partnership with the FEI, has created a rider armband to identify the current leader in the HSBC Rankings.
The red and white armband featuring “HSBC Eventing World Rankings Leader” will be debuted by Mary King (GBR), remaining with her for as long as she stays at the top of the HSBC Rankings. The armband will be passed on if King is overtaken in the rankings.
In a further initiative, the rider at the top of the HSBC Rankings at the end of the 2011 Eventing season will receive a 50,000 USD bonus.
Mary King, Rolex Kentucky winner and runner-up, currently leads the HSBC Rankings with 634 points – a single point ahead of compatriot William Fox-Pitt (633). Andrew Nicholson (NZL) is third with 506 points.
As the HSBC Rankings are announced on the first day of every month, all eyes at the beginning of August will be on who will be wearing the new armband at the HSBC FEI European Championships 2011 in Luhmühlen (25-28 August).
“I think this is a lovely way for fans to follow the rankings and easily see who the leading rider is,” said Mary King, HSBC World Rankings leading rider for July. “I’m delighted to be wearing it for the first time and hope to be sporting it again this season.”
Lausanne (SUI), 15 June 2011 – The unstoppable Mary King (GBR), who moved to the number one spot in the HSBC Rankings at the beginning of this month, indicated at the start of the year that the HSBC FEI Classics were going to be a major goal for 2011.
The 50-year-old’s plan is certainly going splendidly so far, and she now heads to the third of the five legs, Luhmühlen presented by E.ON Avacon (GER), with a strong 10-point lead in the HSBC FEI Classics series over Mark Todd (NZL), who does not have a ride at Germany’s premier event which starts tomorrow (16-19 June).
King, who has had a storming season so far with a third place at Badminton and a record one-two at Kentucky, rides the veteran Apache Sauce. He is a white-faced chestnut with great character and a definite “sense of humour”, but several of King’s CCI4* placings in the past few seasons, including seventh at Burghley last year, have been thanks to the 15-year-old gelding by Endoli.
King’s compatriots Piggy French and William Fox-Pitt both have a strong interest in earning more HSBC FEI Classics points. Fox-Pitt, the series champion in 2008 and 2010, rides the Argentine Thoroughbred Macchiato, his winning mount here in 2008, and French, runner-up at Badminton, brings the rising star Flying Machine to his first CCI4*.
Cross Country day wrap up show done live from the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Listen as Chris reviews the day with Mary King, Clayton Fredericks, Boyd Martin, Sinead Halpin and many more. Tune in right here…
Eventing Radio Episode 138 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:
Emma Moore is Mary King’s groom who enjoyed the unique achievement of becoming the first groom to produce the top two horses at Rolex with her boss on her first visit to Kentucky. Tune in right here.
Eventing Radio Episode 140 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:
Mary King (GBR) finishes first and second in the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics in Kentucky (USA). (c) Amy Dragoo/FEI
Lexington, KY (USA) – Mary King (GBR), a regular visit to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event for many years, at last goes home with a coveted Rolex watch, plus the lion’s share of the prize-money. In a superb display of cool horsemanship, she finished first and second and now has a convincing 10-point lead over Badminton winner Mark Todd (NZL) after the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
King, 49, who was third at Badminton last weekend on Imperial Cavalier, has made history as the first rider in modern times to win a CCI4* on a home-bred horse, Kings Temptress by Primitive Rising, coincidentally the sire of last year’s winner, Cool Mountain, out of King’s own mare Kings Mistress.
In addition, King joins an elite band of riders – Ian Stark (Badminton 1988), Mark Todd (Burghley 1987) and Blyth Tait (Burghley 1998) – to finish first and second at a CCI4*.
She jumped clear on both her horses, and, having ridden out of order on the Davies family’s 10-year-old Fernhill Urco, at his first CCI4*, had the luxury of knowing she was unbeatable before she entered the stadium on Derek Baden’s Kings Temptress.
Halpin Takes USEF National CCI4* Championship on First Try
Mary King and Kings Temptress. Photo by Shannon Brinkman/USEF.
Lexington, KY – Mary King was not going to be stopped in her quest to take a Rolex watch back to Great Britain. Lying first and second after the cross-country at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone - with Kings Temptress and Fernhill Urco – she did not flinch in the final show jumping phase and jumped an immaculate double-clear round on both horses.
For the first time in history, the champion and reserve champion of America’s only CCI4* was the same rider. King was confident and excited coming into the show jumping, and she rode with a professionalism that was inspiring.
Kings Temptress added nothing to her fourth-placed dressage score of 47.7, they jumped immaculately around Saturday’s cross-country course and then sealed the win over today’s jumping track. King took home top honors with her 11-year-old homebred mare, who is now owned by Derek Rostron Baden. Her closest competition was her stablemate, Fernhill Urco, who emerged from his first CCI4* with second-place honors after only adding eight time faults to his dressage score. The Portuguese-bred grey gelding owned by Sue and Edwin Davies and Janette Chinn, jumped an immaculate clear round and really proved himself at the level. His clear round, jumped out of order due to the proximity of the placings, gave King great confidence to know that whatever happened with the second horse, the top honors were going home with the British veteran.
Third Place Sinead Halpin joins Chris to recap the weekend, Mary King in first and second place. It was a great weekend with some real twists; tune in right here…
Eventing Radio Episode 139 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:
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