Britannia Rules –
again
“I can’t believe it – to lead from the
front and win – it’s unreal,” said an emotional Lucinda Fredericks
after winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials with
Headley Britannia. After second placed Winsome Adante took two
poles out the mare – the first to win Badminton for 56 years – had
two fences in hand. Despite some heart-stopping moments she used
just one life to remain at the top of the leaderboard and win her
second four-star event and produce a special Burghley/Badminton
back-to-back.
”The pressure got to me,” admitted British born and bred Lucinda
who now rides for Australia. “I knew she’d be difficult today and I
had a few lucky moments out there but so what? She jumped and
that’s what counts.”
A clear round brought the German combination of Andreas Dibowski
and the mare FRH Serve Well, fourth after a clear round
cross-country, up to second place to produce another unique
Badminton result – never before have mares taken the one-two. The
daughter of Hanoverian sire Sherlock Holmes added nothing to her
dressage score.
The dream was so near, for American Badminton first-timers Kim
Severson but so far, after ‘Dan’ kicked out two poles down the
final treble. The eight faults dropped them one place to finish in
third place.
Australian Matt Ryan and Bonza Katoomba, 18th after dressage, found
themselves moving up 12 places after the good-looking British bred
produced a clean sheet over the fences.
Lord Killinghurst ridden by Andrew Nicholson, who now has the
unique record of 26 completions under his belt, once again found
himself in the top six moving up to fifth above Hinrich Romeike and
Marius Voight-Logistik. Andrew also produced the 11 year old Henry
Tankerville, like the winner sired by the British stallion Jumbo,
to eighth place.
In a cosmopolitan result Sarah Cohen and Hide and Seek II were the
Best of British while British veterans Jeanette Brakewell ended a
particularly emotional, and final Badminton in 14th place and put
themselves in the record books for the greatest number of
completions, seven, for one combination.