Equestrianism: Funnell raises sights on Horizon

Pippa Funnell gained her fourth victory in the Windsor International Horse Trials - and her third with a horse owned by Ian and Janet McIntyre - when she maintained her overnight lead on Blue Horizon with a clear round in yesterday's final show jumping.

Pippa Funnell gained her fourth victory in the Windsor International Horse Trials - and her third with a horse owned by Ian and Janet McIntyre - when she maintained her overnight lead on Blue Horizon with a clear round in yesterday's final show jumping.

Funnell had not been optimistic when she arrived here with the nine-year-old ex-racehorse. "He's only had one full year of eventing; I thought he could be in the top 10 if he went well," she said. So she was delighted with Blue Horizon's outing.

Funnell defeated Daisy Dick on Springbok IV and John-Paul Sheffield on Riverside James, both of whom jumped clear to hold on to their second and third overnight places.

Dick, who has already been chosen to ride Spring Along in September's European Three-Day Event Championships, looks to have the makings of another good four-star horse in Springbok. "He's quite cocky, but you need that if he's going to four-star level," she said of the 10-year-old.

Kathy Oliver, 30, won the first reality-style Quest-X competition, designed to find a future star of eventing. She wins training with Funnell, which should help her to achieve her ambition to ride at Badminton.