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William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning finished on |
Badminton, England—May 10
William Fox-Pitt made history at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** this afternoon when he piloted Chilli Morning to victory with a superb clear round in the final show jumping phase.
Christopher and Lisa Stone’s 15-year-old is the first stallion to win the event, finishing on his dressage score of 39.0. The overnight leaders, New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson and Nereo, made three uncharacteristic errors. Things went south for Nereo early on, as he hit the second fence and two more to drop to sixth.
“I’ll live to fight another day,” promised Nicholson.
This is Fox-Pitt’s second Badminton title, and he’s the first British rider to win on home turf in six years. The 46-year-old from Dorset, England, last lifted the coveted trophy in 2004 with Tamarillo. Badminton marked his 14th four-star win.
“It’s been a long time since I last won here, which makes you realize how hard it is and how many things have to go right. When you’ve got Andrew Nicholson going ahead of you it’s easy to think it’s all over, but it was my lucky day,” he said.
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Chilli Morning jumped a foot-perfect show jumping round to become the first stallion to win the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****. Photo by Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton.
Germany’s Ingrid Klimke equaled her best ever Badminton finish—she was also runner-up in 2006 with Sleep Late—when she rose from fourth to second place with a clear round with her own spring-heeled bay gelding, Horseware Hale Bob. She finished just 1.2 points behind Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning.
“Normally Bob plays second fiddle to Escada [her 2013 individual European Championship silver medalist] but now he’ll have to go back and have a chat with her,” laughed Klimke. “I have the man in red [German team trainer Christopher Bartle] to thank for this result as he has been the one who has encouraged me to keep going with Bob and to come here.”
Ingrid Klimke matched her best-ever finish, riding Horseware Hale Bob to second at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****. Photo by Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton.
New Zealander Jock Paget moved up a place from fourth to third despite lowering one rail with Lucy Allison and Frances Stead’s Clifton Lush.
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“I’ve had a good feeling from Lush all week and he did his maximum for me in all three phases,” said Paget.
Despite one rail on course today, Clifton Lush and Jock Paget finished third at the Mitsubishi Motors/Badminton CCI****. Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton photo.
Another Kiwi, Mark Todd, left all the rails in the cups with Diane Brunsden and Peter Cattell’s Leonidas II and added just one time fault to leave him in fourth place.
Bettina Hoy made it two in the top five for Germany when she finished fifth with Designer 10.
