Fox-Pitt wins in Signature style
Europe’s most exciting young horse takes the Event Rider Masters, while William Fox-Pitt scores his biggest win since his head injury in 2015
St James’s Place Barbury, Wilts
TWO great talents of the eventing world, at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of experience, were showcased at Barbury.
One is probably the most exciting young horse in Europe — Frenchman Tom Carlile’s stallion Upsilon, who led from start to finish in the Event Rider Masters (ERM) class. The other is a more familiar face — William Fox-Pitt, who modestly described his win in CIC3* section B on new ride Clifton Signature as “the shock of Barbury 2017”.
It had been 12 years since William last won the CIC3* at Barbury — at its first running in 2005 with Ballincoola. Clifton Signature is another stocky liver chestnut with a white blaze, whom owners Frances Stead and Russell Hall sent to William to compete and sell at the end of May.
It was classic William — taking over the ride on an experienced horse and conjuring the best performances of its life out of it. Jock Paget achieved two topfive placings at CIC3* with the now-12-year-old, but this was the horse’s first international win — and William’s best result since his terrible head injury in October 2015.
The pair were third after dressage behind Bill Levett (Lassban Diamond Lift) and
Tina Cook (Billy The Red) with 40.7. Bill withdrew at that point, and both Tina and William showjumped clear. But Tina, at the request of the team
selectors, then withdrew her
Rio reserve horse, leaving William in the lead.
“He jumped his socks off in the showjumping, and then Tina’s withdrawal opened the door for me,” said William. “My wife Alice and my groom Jackie said, ‘For God’s sake, don’t pull those reins [and go slowly]!’”
When Andrew Nicholson, fifth after showjumping with Swallow Springs, slipped round immaculately clear inside the time across country — notoriously difficult to do around Barbury’s rollercoaster terrain — many of us thought that he had won his sixth consecutive CIC3* at his local event. William had a small leeway of 3.2 penalties, but it seemed unlikely that this new partnership would wing its way round fast enough.
Assumptions are nearly always wrong, and William reminded us what a tremendous competitor he has been for so long. He didn’t look to have the pedal to the metal, but they were bold and confident and came home with
1.6 time-faults to take the class.
“He has been very well-trained and is easy to ride. I didn’t have to set him up at all — just get going and kick,” said William. “But in our only previous outing, at Nunney, we just cantered round and I’ve never given him a kick, so I had no idea what he’d be like. It was a very nice surprise.”
William admitted that he had enjoyed himself enormously, and that the plan is to target the ERM series. He has agreed with the owners that Clifton Signature will not do a three-day event until he is sold — into William’s yard or out of it.
Andrew Nicholson may not have captured that sixth Barbury title, but he drove the short
‘I bought him to sell on but I get on with him really well — I think
he’s my future team horse’
ELISABETH HALLIDAY-SHARP ON CIC2* WINNER DENIRO Z
distance home with two second places — on Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs in CIC3* section B, and on Libby Sellar’s Badminton hero Nereo in section A, the ERM class.
Nine-year-old Swallow Springs is a serious talent and finished on his 43.9 dressage mark.
“He felt effortless across country — and is getting to that stage in all three phases,” said Andrew.
Both Swallow Springs and Note Worthy, third under Oliver Townend and also inside the time across country, were making some recompense for unsuccessful Bramhams. Swallow Springs fell, while Andrew Cawthray’s Note Worthy retired across country.
“He has his good days and his not-so-good days — today was a going day,” said Oliver.”
Tim Price and Ben Hobday took the next two placings with Ringwood Sky Boy and Ciletto H, while Tom Carlile rode Vinci De La Vigne — normally the ride of Astier Nicolas, who is off
games for most of the rest of the season after injuring his knee in a fall at home — into sixth. Seventh were Tiana Coudray and Under The Clocks, the only other combination to make the time.
The going was undoubtedly firm — Barbury hasn’t had rain for a month. But the new event director Martyn Johnson explained that they had vertidrained the ground before each class — and as late as possible, to prevent it hardening up again.
There were inevitable withdrawals, particularly from those with bigger targets — such as the European Championships — in mind, but plenty of top riders were prepared to run good horses quickly, suggesting they were happy enough with the efforts made on the ground.
“It has been an extremely dry year and we came here without high hopes of the ground,” said William, “but the team have worked really hard on it and there is give in it. My horse loved it and travelled well on it.”
THE PRESSURE OF UPSILON’S TALENT
TOM CARLILE’S dressage mark of 30.8 with Upsilon — to which he added just 1.6 cross-country time-faults — was significant in three ways, according to EquiRatings. It was a personal best at international level for the pair, a best at three-star level at Barbury, and the best of the ERM series to date.
It was nearly 10 marks better than the test that won them the ERM series final at Blenheim last year — and a repetition would almost certainly put them in the medals at the upcoming European Championships.
Upsilon wowed watchers in all three phases with his athleticism and fluidity.
“He is not a prisoner of his body,” explained Tom. “He can do anything with it. He is extremely careful, but the bravest horse I have sat on, and very classic in his way of going.”
There is great pressure involved in riding such an obviously talented horse, and Tom admitted that he is the one horse that makes him nervous.
“If there is a mistake, it is mine,” he said.
Tom would love to take him to Badminton next year, but explained: “He is my only horse at this level, and very sought after by the French team [for championships] — their plans will come first.”
Barbury was the old soldier Nereo’s first run since his Badminton win, and the sunbaked crowds were delighted to see him. He and Andrew Nicholson were second after dressage to Upsilon with 34.9, and stayed there. The 17-yearold behaved perfectly in the first phase, but showed his pleasure at being back out in the showjumping, adding a few of his characteristic “bounces” before fences. They went clear but added a time-fault, and Tom and Upsilon had five time-faults in hand going into cross-country.
Andrew therefore freewheeled round for 5.6 time-penalties — just enough to keep Mark Todd and Leonidas II down in third.
“I could have squeezed more out of him, but he’s not getting any younger, his main objective is Burghley and I had faith in Tom and his beautiful horse so there was no point in scorching round,” said Andrew.
Andrew did criticise Mark Phillips’ three-star track, saying: “I was disappointed — it was far too soft and after the second water it became a Flat race.”
Neither jumping phase caused much trouble in the ERM section. The only two riders to drop out of the top 10 after the showjumping were Jesse Campbell, who had four down on Kaapachino, and Alex Bragg, who hit two fences with Zagreb. Both then withdrew.
Emily King, sixth going into cross-country on Dargun, and Austin O’Connor, seventh on Kilpatrick Knight, were the only ones in the top 15 to incur crosscountry penalties — the time was the more influential factor. Tim Price’s speedy round with Cekatinka for 1.6 time-penalties moved him from 15th to sixth, a place behind Pippa Funnell and Chippieh, the best-placed Brits.
HALLIDAY-SHARP’S FUTURE TEAM HORSE
THE US’s Liz Halliday-Sharp won CIC2* section C, completing on her dressage mark of 41.3 with Deniro Z. This was the Dutchbred nine-year-old’s fourth two-star victory of the year —
prior to this he took two CIC2*s and a CCI2* in the US between February and March.
“His first ever event was a BE100 at Brightling in July 2015,” said Liz. “I bought him to sell to the US market, but I get on with him really well and two American friends, Rob and Chris Desino, have now bought him and I’m so excited I can keep him. I think he’s my team horse of the future.”
The other two CIC2* sections went to boyfriend and girlfriend Sam Ecroyd and Emily King.
Sam took section E on The Quiet Man, an eight-year-old he purchased as a three-year-old at Brightwells’ sale at Addington.
Emily’s victory with Jane del Missier’s Walitze F Vejgard in section D was her first international success. The pair missed young rider team selection after falling at the secondlast in the final trial at Great Witchingham when in the lead.
“She is the best cross-country horse I’ve had, so it was such a shame, and it’s lovely to win here round a testing course,” said Emily, 21.
The 13-year-old mare has had two embryo transfer foals by Royaldik born in the past couple of weeks — with two more by Jaguar Mail due “any minute now”.