Nineteen
Nations to Contest European Championships at Blenheim
A
grand total of 19 nations will be represented at the FEI Blenheim Petplan European
Eventing Championships, which will be Oxfordshire’s biggest sporting event
when it takes place amid the magnificent surroundings of Blenheim Palace on September
8-11. The following nations are sending teams and/or individual riders to
compete for the prestigious title of European Champion 2005: Austria, Belgium,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland,
Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine. The
established and highly successful British quartet comprising Olympic gold medallist
Leslie Law, four-times Blenheim winner Pippa Funnell, world
number one William Fox-Pitt and  Jeanette
Brakewell will have their work cut out to defend the European team title they
won in 2003 and win gold for the sixth consecutive time. (Pippa Funnell is
pictured at the right on her 2005 Badminton winner Primmore's Pride, at the Wadsworth
Barrels.) Several nations could mount a serious challenge, but Britain’s
main rivals are likely to be the powerful German squad headed by Bettina
Hoy, winner of two major competitions this year; France, the reigning
Olympic team champions; and Sweden, whose Linda Algotsson is the dual winner
of eventing’s World Cup final. Event director Mike Etherington-Smith
commented: “We’re delighted so many countries have riders and horses
qualified for a European Championships; this reflects positively on the current
health of the sport and will make for a truly international event. I also think
it’s perhaps a more
open field than usual, so I’m looking forward to an interesting and close-fought
competition.” As host nation, Great Britain is entitled to field 12
riders, which provides a perfect opportunity for younger talent to shine through.
Among those who will be gaining their first senior Union flag are Zara Phillips,
whose mother, the Princess Royal, won the European Championships back in 1971;
and 22-year-olds Kitty Boggis, who is from Clanfield, Oxfordshire, Oliver
Townend and Matthew Wright, the runner-up at Blenheim last year.
(Oliver Townsend is pictured at the left on Topping jumping into the water
at The Lake at the Mitsubishi Badminton Horse Trials last May where they
were placed 11th after Cross Country.)
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