Paul Tapner Wins Badminton 2010
Paul Tapner has won his first Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse
Trials. He went into the showjumping arena with a fence in hand,
but his ride, Inonothing, never looked like touching a fence.
Andreas Dibowski and Euroridings Butts Leon kept their clean
sheet in the final phase to move up to second, while Daisy Berkeley
and Spring Along enjoyed their best Badminton result to date to
take third.
“As soon as I first started eventing, Badminton has been my aim.
It doesn’t get much better than this,” he said.
Paul, who grew up in Sydney but who has been permanently based
in the UK since 2003, admitted that Inonothing failed to impress
him as a youngster.
“He had some very special behavioural problems back then – in
fact his nickname is ‘Spinhead’. After I rode him in his first
novice competition in 2003, it went so disastrously wrong that I
almost phoned up his owner, Jenny Waaler, and told that I didn’t
want to ride him anymore. But something held me back from making
that phone call. And now look where we are.”
Mary King’s one rail down on Imperial Cavalier dropped her from
second to fourth and allowed Germany’s Andreas Dibowski and
Euroridings Butts Leon to rise up into second place.
This is a third consecutive runners-up position for this
combination, who occupied the same spot in Luhmühlen and Pau last
year.
“Normally if someone told me I would be second in a competition
like this I would be very happy, but I think someday I would like
to win a four-star,” said Andreas.
Daisy Berkeley (née Dick) and the irrepressible Spring Along
jumped an immaculate clear to rise from sixth to third.
“He’s like fine wine – he gets better with age,” said Daisy of
the 17-year-old.
Caroline Powell and Lenamore finished fifth with a double
jumping clear, while vet James Robinson rolled just one pole to
drop from fourth to sixth.
Final results:
1. Paul Tapner & Inonothing ( 44.9)
2. Andreas Dibowski & Euroridings Butts Leon (49.5)
3. Daisy Berkeley & Spring Along (50.4)
4. Mary King & Imperial Cavalier (51.2)
5. Caroline Powell & Lenamore (51.4)
6. James Robinson & Comanche (52.3)
Audio Interview with Paul Tapner