Andrew Nicholson tops British Eventing points list for 14th time
Andrew Nicholson (pictured) has topped British Eventing’s year-end points list for the 14th time in total and the third consecutive season. The New Zealander collected 2135 points.
William Fox-Pitt has racked up 1608 points, earning second place and the honour of being best British rider.
These two riders have held a stranglehold on the top spot in the listings since 2000, the one exception being in 2009 when Oliver Townend headed the rankings.
Before this, the last person apart from Andrew or William to lead the points table at the end of the year was Mark Todd in 1999.
With Oliver taking third place in 2012, this is the sixth year in a row that Andrew, William, and Oliver — although not necessarily in that order — have held the top three spots.
Australia’s Paul Tapner holds fourth place, with Gemma Tattersall fifth and best female rider. New Zealanders fill the next three spots (Mark Todd, Caroline Powell, Jock Paget), with Piggy French and Christopher Burton filling out the top 10.
Nereo leads horse rankings
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Andrew Nicholson’s ride Nereo takes first spot in the horse listings, having earned 427 points. The chestnut by Fines, who belongs to Deborah Sellar, led the Kiwis to team bronze at the London Olympics and won Pau CCI**** at the end of the year.
Luhmühlen runner-up and Australian team horse Flying Finish, co-owned by Richard Ames and his rider Lucinda Fredericks, is second with 393 points.
Jock Paget’s ride Clifton Promise, owned by himself and Frances Stead, takes third.
William Fox-Pitt rides are fourth (Parklane Hawk), fifth (Bay My Hero) and seventh (Chilli Morning), with Andrew Nicholson’s Burghley winner Avebury (owned by Rosemary Barlow) in sixth.
Andrew Hoy’s London ride Rutherglen is eighth, British team silver medallist Miners Frolic (ridden by Tina Cook) is ninth and Armada, the ex-Andrew Nicholson ride who has been competed by Oliver Townend this year, is 10th.
Foundation points rankings
British Eventing has also published tables of the horses and riders who have earned the most foundation points, awarded at BE90 and BE100 level.
Up-and-coming four-star rider Simon Grieve tops the rider list, with Ginnie Turnbull’s ride Freckleton Mythago — owned by Katie Davenport — named as leading horse.
Hertfordshire-based Clare Fielding takes the honours in the table of grass roots riders (those who are eligible to ride at the Badminton Mitsubishi Motors Grassroots Championships).
Quinte Z topped the rankings of horses ridden by a grass roots rider — a rewarding result for his 14-year-old rider-owner Amelia Walker, who has persisted with him after being advised to put another rider on board at the end of last season after cross-country problems.
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.