Tokyo individual silver / team gold medalists Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
All eyes will remain steadily fixed on the British as we hurtle toward September’s FEI World Championships for Eventing, hosted along with the Worlds for Driving in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. This morning, British Eventing has announced the 15 nominated entries it will send to the FEI ahead of the final team selection coming in August.
Appearing amongst the nominated entries is the full team from Tokyo, consisting of individual silver medalist Tom McEwen with Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Coppell and Alison McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser, 2022 Badminton winner Laura Collett with Karen Bartlett, Keith Scott and her own London 52, and three-time Kentucky winner Oliver Townend with Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s Ballaghmor Class as well as Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs.
The Tryon 2018 team is also 75% represented on this short list, with reigning individual World champion Ros Canter nominated with her Tryon partner, Caroline Moore and her own Allstar B, as well as the superbly impressive Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo, who finished second at Badminton in May at just 10 years old, and Kate James and Annie Mackin’s Pencos Crown Jewel, who was just second in the Bramham 4*-L.
Tryon team members Piggy March (Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira) and Tom McEwen are also nominated on the short list.
Also nominated with a shot at WEG is Kentucky runner-up and winner-of-everything-as-a-junior Yasmin Ingham with Jannette Chinn and Sue Davies’ Banzai Du Loir, as well as Rolex Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell with Marek Sebestak and her own Majas Hope and three-time Kentucky winner William Fox-Pitt with Jennifer Dowling and his own Little Fire.
Great Britain’s team gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
This short list is among, if not the, strongest we will see, depth-wise, ahead of Worlds this fall, proving once again that the British system of development is working.
The full list of nominated eventing athletes is as follows:
- Sarah Bullimore with The Kew Jumping Syndicate, Brett Bullimore and her own Corouet
- Ros Canter with Caroline Moore and her own Allstar B, Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo, and Kate James and Annie Mackin’s Pencos Crown Jewel
- Kirsty Chabert with John Johnston and Carole Somers’ Classic VI
- Laura Collett with Karen Bartlett, Keith Scott and her own London 52
- William Fox-Pitt with Jennifer Dowling and his own Little Fire
- Pippa Funnell with Marek Sebestak and her own Majas Hope
- Yasmin Ingham with Jannette Chinn and Sue Davies’ Banzai Du Loir
- Kitty King with Diana Bown, Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Vendredi Biats
- Piggy March with Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira
- Tom McEwen with Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Coppell and Alison McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser
- Izzy Taylor with Mark Sartori and her own Monkeying Around
- Oliver Townend with Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s Ballaghmor Class, and Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs
The final deadline for nominated entries – effectively, the shortlist – and certificates of capability, which prove that nominated combinations have the required qualifications, is August 15, while the final deadline for definite entries will be September 5.
‘Tis the season for shortlists and, before too long, full team announcements — be sure you’re following us both here on EN as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more breaking news from around the world of eventing.
