Oliver takes the top spot
OLIVER Townend put in a career-defining performance to take the Badminton trophy.
The 26-year-old former Huddersfield rider, realised his long-held dream of winning The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials on Flint Curtis.
His mature performance during all three elements will put him in serious contention for the 2012 Olympic team.
He went into Saturday's cross country lying third after the dressage.
He finished the cross-country element level-pegging with Lucy Weigersma and Shabraak. Being nearest to the optimum time moved them into first place. The pressure piled on for Sunday's show-jumping. Lucy Weigersma had a costly round with four fences down dropping her from second to sixth.
Seasoned campaigner William Fox-Pitt moved up into second place with Idalgo, leaving Oliver and Flint Curtis with only a fence in hand.
Using up their lifeline halfway around the course, the pair kept their nerve and the poles up to take the trophy.
"To win here is just a dream," said Oliver.
"It was nerve-wracking. But he is a good horse and if he hadn't won it would have been down to me."
Flint Curtis, a grey, was bred by owners Edward and Robert Nicholson.
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
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