Fox-Pitt in seventh heaven following latest masterful display at Bramham

WILLIAM FOX-Pitt admitted his nerves were jangling as he sealed a thrilling seventh success at the 2013 Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials yesterday.

Overnight leader Fox-Pitt and last year’s winner Chilli Morning needed to avoid picking up six penalty points from their showjumping assignment after an exemplary round of jumping from New Zealand’s Mark Todd on Leonidas II.

And despite having enjoyed six previous wins at Bramham, the Briton admitted even he was nervous in front of a packed crowd in Yorkshire.

Typically, Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning posted a perfect clear to seal the feature CCI three-star event and leave Todd a close second on Leonidas II ahead of France’s Didier Dhennin on Opi De Saint Leo in third.

Fox-Pitt admitted his victory was both exciting and poignant on Bramham’s 40th anniversary – and the first event without founder George Lane Fox, who passed away last October.

“If you go into any three-day event on the last day and you are in the lead then you feel the pressure,” said Fox-Pitt, who scooped the £5,000 first prize plus an Equi-Trek horse box for year.

“It’s equally nerve-wracking if it’s win number one or win number seven – you don’t want to throw it away or do something silly and I knew that it was tight whereas last year I had a bit more in hand.

“I was less relaxed this year but last year I didn’t know there was an Equi-Trek truck whereas this year I did so there was definitely more to lose.

“It means a lot to me to have won here on the 40th birthday at Bramham – it’s a very special year for Bramham and especially with it being without George Lane Fox it makes it even more poignant. The event has been a huge success with the weather and he would have been very proud.”

The CCI three-star was lost and won during Saturday’s exhilarating cross-country stage in which two of the competition’s current top 10 were eliminated within 15 minutes of the morning’s action getting underway.

The new Speedi-Beet 40 fence claimed both Zara Phillips on Lord Lauries and Gemma Tattersall on Arctic Soul with both having encountered earlier problems in the Kidney Pool. Phillips’s Black Tuxedo survived the cross-country but a fairly hefty time penalty and earlier poor dressage display left them out of contention for honours.

Fox-Pitt’s Running Order dropped from seventh to 27th by running out at the Speedi-Beet 40 and Maxime Livio’s Cathar De Gamel did likewise to drop from third to 29th. And next to suffer Speedi-Beet 40 frustration was overnight leader Pippa Funnell on Or Noir De La Loge, who also ran out to ultimately drop to 23rd.

It meant a clear round for Fox-Pitt on Chilli Morning would have been good enough to lead and the six-time Bramham winner duly obliged – as did Todd to rocket from fifth to second on Leodinas II.

Northallerton’s Nicola Wilson also posted clears on both Annie Clover and Beltane Queen as they moved seventh and 12th respectively approaching yesterday’s showjumping where victory would be Fox-Pitt’s if he and 13-year-old stallion Chilli Morning could hold their nerve.

In front of an excited crowd, the duo did not disappoint as a perfect clear sealed the 2013 title. Wilson’s Annie Clover and Beltane Queen also jumped well to finish fifth and eighth respectively.

Fox-Pitt added: “Chilli Morning jumped well and it’s lovely when they jump like that. He certainly knew where he was and he’s a very proud horse and a very confident horse in himself. He loved being back here.”

Yesterday morning also saw a thrilling end to the Bishop Burton College CCI three-star Under-25s event in which Britain’s Dani Evans was denied victory by a single second in the showjumping test. Leader Evans and Raphael II could afford to knock one fence down after the cross-country stage but a four-point penalty picked up for being 3.25 seconds over the 90-seconds time allowed proved crucial.

That gave victory to fellow Briton Tom McEwen on board Diesel with last year’s Under-25s champion Astier Nicolas of France third on Quickly Du Buguet. McEwen beamed: “I’ve been coming here since I was 18 and I’ve always wanted to achieve this.”

The CIC three-star event was brought to a conclusion on Saturday with Britain’s Sara Squires and Orto jumping from ninth to first by going double clear in the showjumping and then cross-country.

A clear round in the latter would have given overnight and showjumping leader Mark Todd victory on NZB Regent Lad, but the duo stopped at fence 10/11ab.

The field featured a host of star names and a delighted Squires said: “Winning at Bramham is great but totally unexpected. I’m still saying to myself ‘you’re not supposed to win one of these’.”

Britain’s Funnell was second on Mirage D’Elle ahead of New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone on Incognito III while top of the Yorkshire contingent was Beverley’s Gary Parsonage on Jessop Red Imp who ended 26th. Parsonage’s Looks Similar was 30th.

York’s Nicola Rooke and Huddersfield’s Sue Chadwick unseated from Foreign Encounter and Samuel Thomas II respectively on the cross-country course and were therefore eliminated.

Also eliminated was On Stage II – the ride of York’s Jolyse Clancey – a cross-country faller.