VIDEO: Bramham Horse Trials – Kitty King eyes pie and Prosecco as Yorkshire riders excel

WINNER: Kitty King, on Vendredi Biats, overall winner of the Equi-Trek CCI-L4*. Picture: James Hardisty

KITTY King proved the toast of Bramham at the fourth attempt with the modest Olympian left sizing up the idea of a celebratory glass of Prosecco on ‘pie night’ in her local Chippenham pub.

Wiltshire-based King held her nerve to jump clear as the last to go over yesterday afternoon’s showjumping finale in the flagship CCI-four star long class at the 2019 Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials to ensure that Rio 2016 Olympics team-mate Gemma Tattersall had to settle for second on Jalapeno III.

Tattersall was bidding for a brilliant double having won the short-format competition on Quicklook V on Saturday evening and the rider also finished sixth in the main class on Chilli Knight.

Another Brit, Selina Milnes, finished third on Iron IV while the Queen’s grand-daughter, Zara Tindall, sealed a top-ten finish in ninth on Class Affair.

Richmond’s Bramham debutante Katie Magee proved to be the top Yorkshire rider but there was no denying King on board 10-year-old gelding Vendredi Biats, who had finished fourth in the same event in 2018.

King, 36, blamed herself for being too slow over last year’s cross country test but all that remained after her 2019 triumph was the three-hour drive back to Wiltshire and plans to celebrate in rather modest fashion at the Hullavington Arms in Chippenham on Tuesday night.

“It’s lovely to finally be at the top of the podium here,” said King, second on her Bramham debut in the Under-25s in 2003.

“Fourth was a bit annoying last year – my time faults cross country kept us off the podium. I felt like I had slightly let him down but he was only nine and he did a great job and he came here this year with so much more mileage and experienced and he just cruised around the cross country and felt fantastic.”

TOP MARKS: Kitty King, on Vendredi Biats, overall winner of the Equi-Trek CCI-L4* at the Bramham International Horse Trials. Picture: James Hardisty.

Reflecting on how she might celebrate, King laughed: “Long drive home! And then probably meet up with some friends. We tend to go to pie night at the local pub every Tuesday so maybe we will have to upgrade to pies and Prosecco or something.”

King laid the foundations for victory with Friday’s impressive dressage test and score of 26.8, behind only Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On who were then wiped out of contention by picking up 20 penalty points over Saturday’s cross country test.

Nineteen combinations in the main class were either eliminated or retired on a miserable day of weather.