Equestrian: Showjumping prompts Nicholson to opt for Fenicio

1.00pm

A tricky round of floodlit showjumping has prompted Andrew Nicholson to opt for Fenicio in his quest for three-day eventing Olympic gold this month.

Nicholson qualified Fenicio and Lord Killinghurst for Athens, where he will try to fill the final gap in his glittering CV by winning gold.

Nicholson has won two world championship gold medals, and a silver and a bronze in an Olympic career spanning 20 years.

He told NZPA he would love to claim the Olympic individual gold. Failing that, the team gold would suffice.

"It is important to be competing as a team, but at the end of the day to me each of you have to want to win yourself, and that gives you a good team result," he said.

Fenicio and Lord Killinghurst were the best two horses he had, he said from his base in England.

He opted to take Fenicio to the Olympics, as he was more relaxed and better over fences.

"Fenicio is the best jumper that I've ever had, but he's not in the class of Lord Killinghurst in the dressage," he said.

"In this field with two rounds of showjumping and the second round being bigger and more technical ... I think we'll go for that tactic.

"If I landed up with Lord Killinghurst I'd be quite happy, but with Fenicio I think I can still claw our way back (after the dressage), rather than having to stay up there and hang on."

The Olympics have adopted a new format of two rounds of showjumping, with the second round under floodlights for the leading contenders only.

"It will be like a football stadium, that could cause a bit of a problem," Nicholson said.

"A few countries have been practising under floodlights, but to me it's going to be lit up so it's perfect.

"Where the jumps are is very light, but the crowd must look like they're in the dark -- for some horses it could make a bit of a problem."

After fearing early this year that New Zealand would field a weak team in Athens, Nicholson was now pleased with their quality.

He and 1996 Olympic champion Blyth Tait head a squad made up of Heelan Tompkins, Matthew Grayling, and the well-performed Daniel Jocelyn.

Grayling and his mount Revo were last month touted as an Olympics medal prospects by the British press after winning at the Aston Le Walls horse trials.

Jocelyn finished 12th on Silence , with Nicholson on Fenicio 17th.

The team assembles today at Nicholson's property near Swindon, west of London. The riders leave for Athens on August 9, with the horses following a day later.

Tait, who qualified Ready Teddy and Eze for Athens, has yet to announce which he will ride.

- NZPA