FEI Classics™: Fox-Pitt is the Hero at Kentucky

By Kate Green

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) kept the cool head for which he is famous to win his third Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event in five years. Fox-Pitt, already a triple winner of the FEI Classics™, now heads the 2013/2014 leaderboard by 15 points after three out of six legs.  

The runner-up, Lauren Kieffer (USA), competing in only her second CCI4*, must have made American hearts beat faster with her brilliant clear Jumping round on Veronica which left Fox-Pitt no margin for error in a nail-biting finale.

But Fox-Pitt, who has now set a new record by winning the Kentucky CCI4* on three different horses, does not give away many prizes and he had Catherine Witt’s attractive bay gelding Bay My Hero jumping on springs to produce a faultless round.

“He was superb,” said Fox-Pitt breathlessly afterwards. “Lauren really put the pressure on me so I was going in there thinking I am so pleased that even if it’s not me then it’s going to be an American because the support is so amazing over here. The atmosphere in there is crazy; he jumped so well, he was magic!”

“It took a lot of focus to go in there and stay cool,” admitted 26-year-old Kieffer, who took over the ride on the 12-year-old mare from Karen O’Connor, with whom she is based in Virginia. “I tried to go in there and ride it like anything else. I think my coach will be pleased!”

New US team trainer David O’Connor had a dream weekend as home riders dominated the top placings, with Buck Davidson rising to third place with a clear round on Ballynoe Castle RM, revealing that the horse suffered pneumonia a couple of months ago. “He has been so consistent over his career and has such a great heart,” said Davidson. “You only have to tell him it’s Kentucky and he’ll go!”

Marilyn Little was fifth and sixth on RF Smoke on the Water and RF Demeter, and Jan Byyny climbed back up the order to seventh place on Inmidair.

“The Americans are looking really strong,” said Fox-Pitt. “We’ll all really have to watch our backs at the World Equestrian Games this summer.”

Fox-Pitt claimed another top-10 finish with ninth place on Seacookie TSF, last year’s runner-up, which is also owned by Catherine Witt, and Selena O’Hanlon was best of the Canadians in 10^th place on Foxwood High.

Disappointingly for US supporters, Phillip Dutton (USA) withdrew Mr Medicott, with which he was lying third overnight, before the Jumping. Dutton did have the consolation of finishing eighth on the injured Boyd Martin’s ride Trading Aces and won a two-year lease on a Land Rover for having finished bang on the optimum Cross Country time the day before.

There were 11 clear Jumping rounds (one with a time fault) from the 37 finishers. Michael Pollard dropped from fifth to 14^th when Mensa G hit three rails, while Andrew Nicholson (NZL) had an uncharacteristically disastrous round on Avebury, incurring 25 penalties to drop to 21^st place.

Kentucky has provided an uplifting start to the 2014 international season and should whet the appetite for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (8-11 May) which takes place in a fortnight’s time. Fox-Pitt will hoping to maintain the momentum there, when he has the choice of former Kentucky winners Cool Mountain and Parklane Hawk, plus Chilli Morning.    

About the winner

William Fox-Pitt, 44, has won 52 CCIs, including a record 13 CCI4*s: Badminton (2004), Burghley six times (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011), Luhmühlen (2008), Kentucky three times (2010, 2012 and 2014) and Pau twice (2011 and 2013). He is the only rider to have won five out of the world’s six CCI4*s.

He has also represented Britain 17 times in championships, winning Olympic silver (2004 and 2012) and bronze (2008), world team gold and individual silver on Cool Mountain (2010) plus team silver in 2006 and team bronze in 2002. He has six European team gold medals, one team bronze, two individual silvers (1997 and 2005) and individual bronze last year on the stallion Chilli Morning.

Fox-Pitt is married to Alice, a racing commentator on television. They live near Sturminster Newton, Dorset, and have two sons, Oliver and Thomas, plus a daughter Chloe and another baby on the way.

Bay My Hero, an 11-year-old bay gelding owned by Catherine Witt, is an Irish Sport Horse by Cult Hero out of Bing Power. He was initially produced by John Marsden (GBR) and Fox-Pitt took over the ride in 2012, winning the CCI*, CCI2* and CCI3* at Tattersalls (IRL). The pair were runners-up in the Young Horse CIC3* at Blenheim (GBR) and fourth at Pau CCI4* (FRA) in 2012.

Final results
1 William Fox-Pitt/Bay My Hero (GBR) 44.0 + 0 + 0 = 44.0
2 Lauren Kieffer/Veronica (USA) 46.7 + 0 + 0 = 46.7
3 Buck Davidson/Ballynoe Castle RM (USA) 51.7 + 0 + 0 = 51.7
4 Sinead Halpin/Manoir de Carneville  (USA) 51.5 + 0 + 0 = 51.7
5 Marilyn Little/RF Smoke on the Water (USA) 52.5 + 0 + 0 = 52.5
6 Marilyn Little/RF Demeter (USA) 51.3 + 0 + 4 = 55.3
7 Jan Byyny/Inmidair (USA) 49.5 + 3.2 + 0 = 56.7
8 Phillip Dutton/Trading Aces (USA) 52.5 + 0 + 5 = 57.5
9 William Fox-Pitt/Seacookie TSF (GBR) 51.5 + 7.6 + 0 = 59.1
10 Selena O’Hanlon/Foxwood High (CAN) 56.8 + 1.6 + 1 = 59.4

Full results on www.rk3de.org

FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 Leaderboard (after 3 of 6 events)
1William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 30 points
2 Christopher Burton (AUS) 15
3 Maxime Livio (FRA) 12
4 Lauren Kieffer (USA) 12
5 Sonja Johnson (AUS) 12
6 Phillip Dutton (USA) 11
7 Buck Davidson (USA) 10
8 Craig Barrett (AUS) 10
9 Sinead Halpin (USA) 8
10 Shane Rose (AUS) 8
See full standings here. 

FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 calendar

1 Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) - 23-27 October 2013
2 Australian International 3 Day Event (AUS) - 14-17 November 2013
3 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) - 23-27 April 2014
4 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) - 8-11 May 2014
5 Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by DHL Paket (GER) - 12-15 June 2014
6 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) - 4-7 September 2014

Prize money

At the end of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 season, the five riders with the highest number of points collected across the six FEI Classics™ events will share a total prize fund of US$120,000 split as follows: 1^st - US$40,000 (Series Champion); 2^nd - US$35,000; 3^rd - US$25,000; 4^th - US$15,000; 5^th - US$5,000.

Photo Caption: William Fox-Pitt and Bay My Hero, winners of the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA), third leg of the FEI Classics™. (Anthony Trollope/FEI)