Oliver Townend continues impressive start
Oliver Townend continued his impressive start to the eventing season with a notable victory ahead of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials later this month.
Oliver Townend continued his impressive start to the eventing season with a notable victory ahead of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials later this month.
Townend and Ashdale Cruise Master, his main hope for regaining the Badminton crown he won aboard Flint Curtis in 2009, landed the flagship Grantham Cup international class at Belton Horse Trials in Lincolnshire.
Shropshire-based Townend had a crashing fall from Ashdale during the Rolex Kentucky event in Lexington last year, suffering multiple fractures and being airlifted to hospital.
It ruled him out of Badminton just a few weeks later, but the combination recovered well to win a World Cup qualifier in Ireland and then claim a top-five finish at the Luhmuhlen four-star competition in northern Germany.
Townend, a multiple advanced, intermediate and novice winner with several of his other horses already this season, finished on a dressage score of 42.7 after producing immaculate showjumping and cross-country rounds.
Baldwin finished second on the consistent Drivetime, with Ireland's Aoife Clark (Master Crusoe) third and New Zealand's double Olympic champion Mark Todd taking fourth.
"It was a terrific win," Townend said. "The horse has come back a lot stronger this year."