Charisma’s chances boosted

Press, 16 August 1988, Page 40

Charisma’s chances boosted

PA Gatcombe Park Mark Todd and Charisma took a giant step towards a magic Olympic double yesterday, powering round the sodden Gatcombe Park crosscountry course to clinch their second British Open championship. Now 16 and destined for retirement in New Zealand after Seoul, Todd’s little champion showed he had lost none of his edge in the four years since his famous Los Angeles victory. In just his second event this season, Charisma

creamed the best of British in the dressage, went clear in the show jumping and then stormed home over Captain Mark Phillips’ demanding four-kilo-metre cross-country course. "He felt smashing,” Todd said before picking up his £2OOO prize. “He was just as keen as ever. He doesn’t feel like an old horse at all.” The former Cambridge rider, whose seven-year-old Bahlua is also going to Seoul, said he would pick Charisma for the threeday event as long as he was fit and well. Britain’s Olympic riders

had left their Seoul horses out of the cross-country, but Todd, who had said he would have a crack at the prestigious one-day title if he was well-placed after the first two phases, brushed aside suggestions that he was taking a risk so close to the big event. “There’s always a certain element of risk,” he said. Charisma had needed a good run after only one other start at Holker Hall a week earlier. “He knows what he’s doing.” Todd said. “It’s five weeks till they run at the games and I think that’s plenty long enough (to recover).”

Second place at Gatcombe Park went to England’s Robert Lemieux on The Poser who edged out the top British Olympic prospect, lan “The Flying Scot” Stark on non-Seoul horse Murphy Himself. The Kiwi Olympic contender, Tinks Pottinger, was the next best New Zealander with sixth place on Graphic, her secondstring horse. She withdrew first choice Volunteer from the cross-coun-try despite threatening to run him to “take the steam out of him” after a bad dressage the previous day.