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Equestrianism: Stunning success repeated for Fox-Pitt

Genevieve Murphy
Monday 04 August 2003 00:00 BST
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William Fox-Pitt repeated his success of 2000 by winning both the British Open and Intermediate Championships on the closing day of the Festival of British Eventing amid the sun-soaked hills here yesterday.

This time he went better still by filling the top two places in the British Open, the major class of the meeting, with 17-year-old Stunning taking the prize from the 2000 winner, Moon Man. Mary King, who won the big class in 1990, 1991 and 1996, took third place on King Solomon III.

Fox-Pitt's top-two rewards were not, however, in safe keeping until the last rider, Germany's Bettina Hoy parted company with Ringwood Cockatoo when the horse came to an abrupt halt at the last of the 30 cross-country fences. Hoy, who was allowed to compete here despite having been unconscious for more than four minutes after a fall at Lulworth Castle the previous weekend, had held the lead after the dressage and show jumping.

As always, they went across country in the reverse order of merit with Hoy going last. She appeared to be having a splendid ride on her grey mount until that sad mishap at the final obstacle. Fox-Pitt, who was unsaddling Stunning at the time, looked up and saw Hoy being catapulted to the other side of the fence. "I couldn't believe it," he said.

Last year, Stunning became the first horse ever to complete this demanding track within the optimum time. This time it was a young Irish rider, Pip Peters on Tir Na Doone, who was the only rider to make the time - with Stunning finishing three seconds outside it.

"The heat told on him a little, there was a bit more left when we came to the end of the course last year," Fox-Pitt said. But Stunning looked a picture as he galloped round the hilly course, maintaining his wonderful record for the year with four wins and three second places out of seven runs.

Jayne Apter's 17-year-old, formerly ridden by Mark Todd for New Zealand, may be retired after he competes in the first running of the Eventing World Cup Final at Pau in France in October. "I don't want to retire him because I'll miss him so much. He's such a pleasure to ride," the 34-year-old Fox-Pitt said.

His earlier success in the Intermediate Championship was achieved on Tom Cruise II, with whom he won the German three-day event in Luhmühlen in June.

Yesterday he defeated Ginger May Killinghurst, the mount of M-J Tumbridge who lost her much-loved Bermuda's Gold when he sustained fatal injuries on the cross-country course at the Sydney Olympics three years ago. She had been sustained by letters of sympathy from children from her Bermuda home, who wrote about the sadness of losing their own favourite pets.

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