teapot
Well-Known Member
Taken from website:
[ QUOTE ]
Zara Phillips and Toytown, the world eventing champions, are likely to use the Mitsubishi Badminton Three Day Event on May 3-6, to qualify for next year's Olympic Games.
Although Britain has qualified to have a team in Hong Kong, by finishing second in last year's World Championships in Aachen, individuals have to do so, and one good placing at Badminton would do it.
Yogi Breisner, the performance manager of the British eventing team said yesterday: "The qualifying period runs from Jan 1 this year to June 30 in 2008, but we want to get the top riders and horses qualified as early as possible and the majority of them will go to Badminton."
Last year Phillips and Toytown went to Aachen with only two runs in one-day events behind them, and it would be possible for them to do the same again this year and then try to qualify when defending their European title at this year's championships in Italy in September.
But, said Breisner, at yesterday's annual meeting of British Eventing in Coventry: "If we decided to let Zara and Toytown, or any of the others, wait until the Europeans, and then for some reason they could not go there, they would be chasing around trying to qualify. If we get them qualified early that will give us greater flexibility."
Phillips had already intimated that she is keen to ride Badminton, never having done so. Their second place at Burghley in 2003, which earned them a spot on the Athens Olympics shortlist before Toytown's injury ruled them out, and their subsequent European and World Championships achievements have proved them well up to the task.
Breisner, determined to add a team gold to their silver medals in Sydney and Athens under his management, is planning an exhaustive trip to the pre-Olympic event in Hong Kong in August.
He said: "And if we've done the job right in 2008, then we can concentrate on 2012." He has started planning for the London Olympics, including having already compiled a list of about 130 possible horses.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thoughts on this? Any ideas on which horses Yogi's put on the list?
[ QUOTE ]
Zara Phillips and Toytown, the world eventing champions, are likely to use the Mitsubishi Badminton Three Day Event on May 3-6, to qualify for next year's Olympic Games.
Although Britain has qualified to have a team in Hong Kong, by finishing second in last year's World Championships in Aachen, individuals have to do so, and one good placing at Badminton would do it.
Yogi Breisner, the performance manager of the British eventing team said yesterday: "The qualifying period runs from Jan 1 this year to June 30 in 2008, but we want to get the top riders and horses qualified as early as possible and the majority of them will go to Badminton."
Last year Phillips and Toytown went to Aachen with only two runs in one-day events behind them, and it would be possible for them to do the same again this year and then try to qualify when defending their European title at this year's championships in Italy in September.
But, said Breisner, at yesterday's annual meeting of British Eventing in Coventry: "If we decided to let Zara and Toytown, or any of the others, wait until the Europeans, and then for some reason they could not go there, they would be chasing around trying to qualify. If we get them qualified early that will give us greater flexibility."
Phillips had already intimated that she is keen to ride Badminton, never having done so. Their second place at Burghley in 2003, which earned them a spot on the Athens Olympics shortlist before Toytown's injury ruled them out, and their subsequent European and World Championships achievements have proved them well up to the task.
Breisner, determined to add a team gold to their silver medals in Sydney and Athens under his management, is planning an exhaustive trip to the pre-Olympic event in Hong Kong in August.
He said: "And if we've done the job right in 2008, then we can concentrate on 2012." He has started planning for the London Olympics, including having already compiled a list of about 130 possible horses.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thoughts on this? Any ideas on which horses Yogi's put on the list?
