Mark Todd takes tumble

Press, 10 September 1984, Page 23

Mark Todd takes tumble

NZPA staff correspondent London

New Zealand’s Olympic gold medallist, Mark Todd, was forced to withdraw from the Burghley horse trials this week-end after he had a fall in the crosscountry event Riding Nightlife, a horse by Tira Mink, the same sire as his Olympic mount Charisma, he retired after falling off in a dramatic stumble at the Burghley bank. It is the third successive year that Todd has failed to complete the course at Burghley. Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Virginia Holgate, was over-all leader going into the final show jumping round.

Also riding a horse by the same sire as her Olympic mount (Ben Faerie), Holgate finished the steeplechase, tracks and roads and crosscountry on Night Cap with 35.25, the score which had placed her fourth after the dressage. Two other British riders, Mandy Orchard on Venture Busby and Lorna Clarke riding Dunville moved into third and fourth places with Orchard keeping her original dressage score of 38.55 and Clarke adding 1.6 time faults to her dressage mark of 3710. .

Todd, though he made light of his fall, acknowledged the jinx-like quality Of Barghley which has foilec his three attempts to cleai

the cross-country course. Asked about his retire ment from this year’s event he said, “The horse missec going up the bank and left i leg behind on the first jump so he got a leg stuck on the second bank and I came off. He was pretty shaky so I didn’t carry on.” But he said he was not disappointed in Nightlife’s performance.

“He was going really well up to then and had cleared the most difficult parts of the course. “I felt he would handle the course fine — apart from that hiccup. He has improved all year.” The only New Zealander to go clear in the crosscountry jumping was Ross Renwick on Vulcan VII, but time faults added an extra 48.8 penalties to his dressage score of 44.85. Despite his slow time Renwick’s effort was praised by other riders. A fail during a competition last week left him with tom shoulder muscles and Renwick decided to compete at Burghley even though he had only limited use of one arm.

The other New Zealander, Nicoli Fife, also fell from her horse, Sky Castle, but continued to finish the course with a minimum of time faults. Despite 73.6 penalties added to her disappointing dressage score of 61.35 she hopes to complete the show-jusnping phase.