Austin O’Connor

British Olympic hopefuls Kitty King and Vendredi Biats certainly gave the team selectors a clear message with their storming victory in the Defender CCI4*-S section at the Defender Bramham International Horse Trials. 

It was fellow Paris 2024 contenders Ros Canter and Archie and Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo who started the day in pole position, following a super clear in the morning’s showjumping phase. However, Ros elected to give ‘Walter’ a steady round across the country rather than pressing on for a competitive finish. It was a classy performance nonetheless and will have showed their prowess ahead of final selection for the Paris trip. 

The early charge for a podium place was cemented by the consistent duo of Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne JRA for Japan, who purred round after a clear showjumping round to clock up just 6.8 time faults, which ensured they’d keep their third place at least.  

Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and the ever-popular Colorado Blue, owned by The Salty Syndicate, were the next pairing to secure a podium place with a classy round in Bramham Park in the effortless style we’ve come to expect from this pair – could it be enough to secure their place at the Games? They were just one of a few to make the time and finish on their dressage score – second place was theirs at worst.  

It was all down to the indomitable partnership of Kitty King and Vendredi Biats, owned by Diana Bown, Samantha Wilson, Sally Lloyd-Baker and John Eyre. They were faultless over the coloured poles in the Defender Arena, before heading out on the cross-country course knowing they had a margin of just 0.8 penalties or two seconds. Kitty was trialing a new bit because the usual combination she uses has been deemed illegal by the international governing body, so – just weeks away from a potential team call-up – she needs a new alternative that suits both her and the sensitive French-bred gelding.  

She started cautiously,but looked in complete control and entirely at ease. They grew in confidence and progressed as if on rails, meeting each fence in the perfect rhythm and jumping with ease. The clock was counting down as the fences were successfully negotiated and they cantered through the finish to stop the clock on 6.30 – well inside the time for the fastest round of the day. It was a second Braham win for the pairing, having already taken the CCI4*-L title in 2019. 

Kitty admitted to it being an emotional win; “We haven’t had the best build-up to Bramham with the news that the FEI banned my normal cross-country bit that he’s gone in for seven years, and it’s been tricky trying to find a new combination that works for us both. He also got pus in the foot ahead of Bicton, so missed that vital run so I knew everything was riding on Bramham. It’s also been a bad start to the week – I had to have my dog put down on Monday and a family member hasn’t been well at all – but I won on the Premium Bonds on Wednesday, so it’s got better, and ‘Froggy’ finished it really well. It was great to have a spin round on Louis [Crystal Fontaine] first – he was super. It really helped me know where to move and save a bit of time and he was much improved from Bicton.  

“It’s a massive relief and it’s fantastic he’s gone so well and pulled it out of the bag for me again. It was a good week – in the end,” she reflected. 

The final combination to take to the cross-country course, Aaron Millar and Alex Van Tuyll’s Count Onyx, had a great round with just 3.2 time penalties after a clear show jumping to rise from 12^th after dressage to fourth overall. The top six was completed by 2022 winning rider Izzy Taylor, this time riding SBH Big Wall for owner Jane Timms in fifth, while Kitty finished sixth with her other ride, Cristal Fontaine, owned by Alex and Camilla Wakeley.  

For full results, please visit: https://bit.ly/DefenderBIHT2024timesandresults.