Equestrian: Hat-trick for Nicholson at Barbury

Andrew Nicholson. Photo / AP

Andrew Nicholson and Avebury have made history this morning at the Barbury International Horse Trials in the UK, with their third consecutive CIC3* title .

Nicholson went clear over the cross country course, adding just 4.8 time penalties to finish on 39.6 penalty points.

It was enough to see him 8.6 points ahead of second-placed Francis Whittington on Easy Target who came up from eighth spot.

Nicholson and Avebury led from the dressage, and were clear in the showjumping.

He opted to take the long route at the main water complex, giving him the time faults, in an otherwise perfect round.

"It was quite a tricky fence, that narrow fence on an uphill slope, and I thought I would just give him a breather there," said 52-year-old Nicholson.

"But he felt pretty good. He's a horse that seems to like going back to certain places. He was squealing and shying and jumping extravagantly in the warm-up.

"To win here three times in a row on a horse that was born round here and is named after a local landmark feels pretty good. Bring on Burghley!"

Avebury, who is Nicholson's reserve horse for next month's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, is also a back-to-back Land Rover Burghley Horse Trial winner. Nicholson is keen to complete that hat-trick at the September event.

Sir Mark Todd and Leonidas II went into the final cross country phase in second place, but their 11.2 time penalties saw them slip to ninth.