Equestrianism: Tamarillo lifts Fox-Pitt into unassailable lead

William Fox-Pitt produced a high-class performance at the Burghley Horse Trials, making little of the atrociously wet weather to fill the top two places on Tamarillo and the 2005 winner, Ballincoola. The next two places went to another of the established British stars, Mary King on Imperial Cavalier and Apache Sauce.

Fox-Pitt now has an unassailable lead in the HSBC FEI Classics, which link together five four-star events. He is already assured of the plum prize of $150,000 (£75,000) before the final event takes place at Pau, France, in October.

Phillip Dutton of the United States was lying second at Burghley (as well as second to Fox-Pitt on the HSBC points list) when he withdrew Woodburn before yesterday morning's horse inspection. That left Fox-Pitt and King holding the top four places and they clung on to them in the final show jumping round.