Hoy comes home first and second

Andrew Hoy, the winner of two Olympic team gold medals for Australia, gave both his Sydney prospects a fine start to the season when finishing first and second in yesterday's Advanced Intermediate section of the Opus Aldon Horse Trials in Somerset.

Hoy, aiming for his fifth Olympics, won on Swizzle In after achieving the best dressage score on the sprightly 15-year-old. He then filled second place on the 14-year-old grey Darien Powers, who bowled round the hilly cross-country course on his wonderful ground-eating stride to finish within the optimum time.

Third place went to William Fox-Pitt on Moon Man, who is also bound for Badminton and could be an Olympic prospect if he impresses there.

Pippa Funnell and her winning European Championship partner, Supreme Rock, filled fourth place after one show jumping error. Though held up on the cross-country while a fence was repaired, she finished exactly on the optimum time.

Results from the OPUS ALDON HORSE TRIALS (Somerset):

Advanced Intermediate: 1 Swizzle In (A Hoy, Aus) 36 penalties; 2 Darien Powers (A Hoy, Aus) 37; 3 Moon Man (W Fox-Pitt, GB) 42; 4 Supreme Rock (P Funnell, GB) 44; 5 Springleaze Macaroo (K Parker, GB) 48; 6 Wottabert (A Bennie, Aus) 48.