Mark Todd, who first shot to international fame when winning Badminton in 1980 and then taking back-to-back Olympic titles in Los Angeles and Seoul, proved that he has lost none of his magic when triumphing in the open European championships at Burghley yesterday with his new ride for Team Husky, Broadcast News.
At the age of 41, Todd claims that both he and his 14-year-old horse are in the twilight of their careers. But the New Zealander's nerve never faltered as he sat through over five hours of cross-country action on Saturday while waiting to get the legup onto Broadcast News, last of the 77 starters to tackle the course.
The pair swept to a magnificent clear inside the optimum time to give Todd a lead almost as slender as himself. A mere 0.2 of a penalty separated the Kiwi and Germany's Bettina Overesch-Boker, who had picked up fractional time penalties on both the steeplechase and the cross-country with the grey Watermill Stream.
Despite the severity of Mike Tucker's 30-fence cross-country track, 40 horses were clear of jumping penalties and 11 kept their dressage marks intact. Two of the Irish - David Foster and Alfie Buller - were a part of the first statistic and Buller missed joining the real elite by a mere six seconds after a sensational round from Sir Knight.
But Ireland's hopes of repeating the 1995 medal haul of individual gold and team bronze vanished in dramatic style as all three of the remaining Irish fell. Jane O'Flynn and Ladakha were first to bite the dust on the steeplechase, then Mark Kyle was pitched off Irish Patriot after an over ambitious jump at the arena bounce.
A clear from defending champions Lucy Thompson and Welton Romance could have saved the day, but the mare stumbled in between the two brush arrowheads at the Dairy Cobwebs and, unable to make up the distance, attempted to jump the 6ft rails on the right. Thompson, only just back to full health after an operation eight weeks ago, was catapulted over the fence. Badly winded, she wisely decided to retire the mare who was bleeding fairly profusely from a superficial chest wound.
There were several other nasty falls, two of which resulted in riders being hospitalised. Canadian Claire Smith was flown to the Nottingham medical centre with severe head injuries after her horse Gordon Gibbons somersaulted over on top of her at the fourth fence. She remains under heavy sedation, but her injuries are not life threatening. American Karen O'Connor is also not as seriously hurt as first thought and was released from hospital yesterday with a cracked sternum and mild concussion.
The mood was lighter for yesterday's final show jumping, when Todd's clear round clinched the honours, although even that performance wasn't good enough to prevent the British successfully defending their team title, with New Zealand well clear of third placed Sweden. Bettina Overesch-Boker was best of the Europeans in second individually, less than a point ahead of William Fox-Pitt in third for the hosts.
Irish fortunes were slightly brighter at the Spruce Meadows show jumping meeting in Calgary where Eddie Macken rode the mare FAN La Bamba into third in the $60,000 Amoco Cup, with Peter Charles sixth on Blue Bayu.
