Nicholson bags Luhmühlen for year’s fourth 4*
There were emotional scenes when Andrew Nicholson together with Mr Cruise Control triumphed at Luhmühlen, the minute to finally leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
It was the 51-year-old New Zealander’s 4th CCI4* victory inwards a year, but the showtime for his long-time loyal owners, Robin together with Nicky Salmon, who receive got oftentimes seen their striking-looking gray gelding come upwardly around major honours without e'er taking the large prize.
“He’s a large Equus caballus that’s taken fourth dimension but he’s kept improving through all his training, together with that way that out of all my four-star wins this i is peculiarly rewarding,” said the invincible Nicholson, who has at i time won 4 of the world’s half-dozen CCI4*s.
Nicholson together with the large gray were 3rd subsequently the dressage, hitting the forepart of a talent-stacked leaderboard subsequently a faultless cross province circular that caused plenty of headaches for many. Nicholson himself took a dunking from Qwanza at the water.
Zara Phillips (GBR), who finished minute on Trevor Hemmings’ High Kingdom, set line per unit of measurement area on Nicholson correct until the halt amongst a beautifully ridden clear jumping round.
But the six-time Olympian rose to the occasion magnificently, merely rattling the minute ground but soaring over the residue to complete on his dressage score of 38.0.
“He was also ice-cool,” Phillips smiled sportingly. “Thank goodness he can’t ride at the Europeans!”
Phillips was clearly thrilled past times the continuing improvement shown past times her Olympic squad silvery medallist. “He’s getting ameliorate all the time,” she said.
Both the ii leading horses are Irish-bred: Mr Cruise Control was bred past times Jenny McCann of Hartwell Stud together with is past times the slap-up jumping sire Cruising, together with High Kingdom is past times Master Imp.
In contrast, William Fox-Pitt’s ii horses, who rose to 3rd together with 4th places amongst immaculate clear rounds, are both from continental stock. Neuf des Coeurs, third, is a smart Selle Francais past times Nidor Platier, together with Lionheart, fourth, is a imperial German-bred past times Lancer lll. Neuf des Coeurs missed much of finally flavor through injury together with Lionheart, i of the best jumpers on the circuit, is clearly dorsum to his best subsequently inexplicably tiring on the Olympic cross-country finally year.
“It’s been a happy weekend,” said Fox-Pitt, who has at i time overtaken Jock Paget (NZL) inwards the HSBC FEI Classics to prevarication minute on the leaderboard behind Nicholson. “It was slap-up to receive got both horses jumping together with galloping together with hence good together with I couldn’t locomote to a greater extent than pleased.”
Kevin McNab (AUS) had modestly predicted that he wouldn’t locomote making either Nicholson or Phillips also nervous inwards the concluding phase, but he alone had i runway downwards on Clifton Pinot, slipping from overnight 3rd to 5th place.
Fellow Australian, Andrew Hoy, who had been inwards 4th subsequently cross-country amongst Rutherglen, did non acquaint the 10-year-old at this morning’s Equus caballus inspection.
The winner, Nicholson, over again proved his skills amongst a top-10 complete on his grab ride, Rathmoyle King (owned past times Gillian Morris-Adams, Carolyn Taylor together with Carolyne Ryan-Bell). He striking ii rails on the 15-year-old grey, but that wasn’t plenty to drib him inwards the concluding placings together with he held onto sixth. With merely Burghley to come upwardly inwards the HSBC FEI Classics, it seems that 2013 is going to locomote Nicholson’s year.
Nicholson’s first CCI4* win was Badminton inwards 1984 where he earned a house on the showtime New Zealand Olympic team, at Los Angeles. He has since ridden at 5 to a greater extent than Olympic Games, winning squad silvery inwards 1992 together with squad bronzes inwards 1996 together with 2012, when he finished 4th individually on Nereo. He also won squad gilt at the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Games inwards Stockholm (SWE) together with squad together with private bronze on Nereo at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games inwards Kentucky (USA).
This is his 6th CCI4* win, next iii Burghley victories, inwards 1995 on Buckley Province, inwards 2000 on Mr Smiffy, together with inwards 2012 on Avebury, addition Pau inwards 2012 on Nereo together with Kentucky this yr amongst Quimbo. Last year, he finished minute inwards the 2011-2012 HSBC FEI Classics together with won the HSBC Rider Rankings.
His Olympic team-mate Jonelle Richards together with Flintstar finished 8th on 59.5. Jonathan Paget withdrew Bullet Proof before the cross province subsequently the Equus caballus seemed a footling sore.
Just 32 of the 50-strong field, from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden together with the United States, finished all iii disciplines.
Nicholson’s win – on the dorsum of his victories inwards 4 star events at Burghley, Pau together with Kentucky firmly reinforce his transcend ranking together with stranglehold of the HSBC FEI Classics Series.
The winner of the classics volition pocket $US150,000.
Final results – Luhmühlen 4*, presented past times DHL Paket
1 Andrew Nicholson/Mr Cruise Control (NZL) 38.0 + 0 + 0 = 38.0
2 Zara Phillips/High Kingdom (GBR) 39.7 + 0 + 0 = 39.7
3 William Fox-Pitt/Neuf des Coeurs (GBR) 47.7 + 0 + 0 = 47.7
4 William Fox-Pitt/Lionheart (GBR) 48.2 + 0 + 0 = 48.2
5 Kevin McNab/Clifton Pinot (AUS) 47.5 + 0 + 4 = 51.5
6 Andrew Nicholson/Rathmoyle King (NZL) 48.0 + 0 + 8 = 56.0
vii Marilyn Little/RF Demeter (USA) 53.5 + 0 + 4 = 57.5
8 Jonelle Richards/Flintstar (NZL) 51.5 + 0 + 8 = 59.5
nine Andreas Dibowski/FRH Butts Avedon (GER) 48.3 + 3.6 + 8 = 59.9
10 Lucinda Fredericks/Flying Finish (AUS) 36.7 + 19.6 + 4 = 60.3
HSBC FEI Classics leaderboard (after 5 of 6 events)
1 Andrew Nicholson (NZL) 55 points
2 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 36
3 Jonathan Paget (NZL) 27
4 Michael Jung (GER) 22
5 Craig Barrett (AUS) 15
6 Zara Phillips (GBR) 12
vii Natalie Blundell (AUS) 12
8 Murray Lamperd (AUS) 10
nine Sandra Auffarth (GER) 8
10 Bruce Davidson Jr (USA) 8
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