Hot Zara Phillips

Zara Phillips proved herself equal to the pressure at the World Equestrian Games in Germany to win the individual gold medal.  Phillips stayed cool to retain her lead on Toytown in an action-packed final showjumping round in Aachen, adding the World title gold medal to her double European gold last year and leading the British team to world silver behind Germany.

Zara Phillips

Phillips' great triumph was to negotiate the showjumping course with only one mistake, as this phase is not one at which Toytown excels. Germany's Bettina Hoy had been Phillips' main challenger in the previous phase but made two mistakes and had one time penalty on Ringwood Cockatoo in the showjumping.

Hoy's errors dropped her to sixth and British-based Australian Clayton Fredericks moved up to the silver medal place on Ben Along Time, giving Phillips a one-fence margin for error.  Toytown caught a rail inside the penultimate fence, the treble, but that was the only mistake and, together with one time penalty, Phillips finished on five and won the gold medal.  Phillips said: "I have done a lot of work on Toytown's showjumping, with enormous help from the team showjumping trainer Ken Clawson, so he deserves a lot of thanks for the improvement."

Phillips, who is now being tipped as a contender for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, told BBC Radio Five Live: "It's unbelievable, a fantastic result. "It's great we got a medal for the team as well. "The thing that put pressure on me was that I didn't hear the bell so I didn't get to the start on time. I looked up at the end and just rushed it but luckily I had a fence and a bit in hand. "It's great for the sport, everyone can see it and how wonderful it is, and how the animals are the most amazing animals in the world. "It's an amazing venue in there, in England we don't get to jump anywhere like that."

Phillips had claimed to be looking forward to the final showjumping phase but when she took gold she had to hold back the tears. She had coped with the pressure of helping the team win silver as well and also recently lost close friend Sherelle Duke after the Irish rider was killed in an eventing fall a week ago. Phillips had taken the individual competition lead during the cross country phase with an inspired performance over a course that caused a lot of problems for the 14-nation, 79-strong field.

Phillips and Toytown survived one sticky moment and drove on to go ahead with a crucial clear round to set up a thrilling final day in the showjumping. In the showjumping, Britain made up a little ground on Germany, but not enough to upset their lead, finishing 26 penalties behind. Australia overtook America for the bronze, but America's ex-firefighter Amy Tryon moved up to take individual bronze on British-bred Poggio.

Zara Phillips - World Equestrian Games, gold

Equestrianism: Phillips leads British chase - 26 August 2006

Germany's Bettina Hoy produced her customary brilliant test to hold the lead from her team-mate, Ingrid Klimke on Sleep Late, at the end of the dressage phase of the three-day event at the World Equestrian Games here.

The British were, however, given a boost as well with splendid performances from Zara Phillips on Toy Town and William Fox-Pitt on Tamarillo, who are now lying fifth and eighth. As a result the British team has advanced from sixth to third as riders prepare for today's cross-country.

Phillips was the first to raise British hopes with a fluent test on the equable Toy Town with whom she won last year's European championship. Fox-Pitt and Tamarillo gave supporters a more harrowing time, notably when the overwrought horse tried to move off too early after the first salute. But he was contained thereafter, thus clawing back most of the lost marks.

Today's 31-fence cross-country course will pose Phillips's biggest challenge to date. "It's jumpable, you've just got to concentrate," her father Captain Mark Phillips, who is also trainer of the United States team, said. There were plaudits from many quarters, including Bettina Hoy's Australian husband Andrew (now lying in 15th place on Master Monarch) who described it as "the strongest but the nicest course I've ever seen". There are plenty of places for riders to be caught napping, but no serious traps for the horses.

Germany's Isabell Werth received the first individual gold medal for pure dressage when she gained almost 80 per cent on Satchmo, defeating the Dutch star Anky Van Grunsven on Keltec Salinero. Britons failed to finish among the top 15 who qualify for tonight's Freestyle to Music.

Zara Phillips - European eventing succes

British royal ZARA PHILLIPS followed in the footsteps of her mother PRINCESS ANNE yesterday (11-9-05), when she won horse-riding's one day eventing European individual gold medal.

Princess Anne, who won the same title in 1971, cheered on jubilantly from the crowd as her 24-year-old daughter matched and then exceeded her achievement, despite only being drafted into the British team at the last minute.

Phillips took home a second gold medal when the British team won the overall team gold medal - Princess Anne entered the competition only as an individual competitor.

Following her victory, Phillips gushed, "The crowd were fantastic. I tapped quite a few fences but the horse was a good boy.

"I didn't know whether the time was all right. It is fantastic. Two golds! It's so great for the team as we didn't come in as favourites."

British royal Zara Phillips and her horse, Toytown, triumphed in both the team and individual events at the Blenheim Petplan European Eventing Championships.

After successfully completing three disciplines - dressage, cross country and show-jumping, the 24-year-old royal was awarded the prize by her mother, who won the European Eventing Championships herself in 1971.

"It's fantastic”, Zara said.

The talented royal, who was called up for the UK's eventing squad, aims to participate the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the 2012 London Olympics.

as, or better, than my mother. I would love to compete at the Beijing Olympic Games and hopefully London. Toytown is sound now and if we can keep it that way, I would love the chance to do all the things I want to”, Zara confessed.

Her mother was 26 when she represented Britain at 1976's Montreal Games, but did not win a medal, while Zara's father, Captain Phillips, won team Gold in the equestrian event at the Munich Olympics in 1972, so the British royal wants to bring more of the eventing fame in the family.

Zara Phillips shows her metal

Adventurous Zara leads the fashion frenzy - April 10, 2005

Royal weddings in registry offices create a terrible quandary in the fashion department for guests. Hat, or no hat? Can one get away with trousers?

Many of the lady guests yesterday took the safe way out with pale, knee-length suits and matching hats, but there were some startling exceptions in the wedding party itself.

Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, was the most venturesome in a thigh flashing Pucci frock with a loud pattern in teal, black and beige. Teamed with a black fedora hat and knee boots, the style owes much to the 1980s and may well generate future cringes when the photo album is hauled out.

Princess Anne herself did not disappoint either; her incredibly bright royal blue fitted frock-coat, compact matching pillbox and prim veil suggested an exciting combination of flight attendant and dominatrix.

British royal ZARA PHILLIPS could find herself in more trouble with police, after a UK newspaper published photographs of her parked car with an out-of-date tax disc.

Under British law it is illegal to have a car on public roads without displaying a valid tax disc, which proves road tax has been paid.

According to the DAILY MIRROR, QUEEN ELIZABETH II's grand daughter's disc was 23 days out of date when she was spotted. Phillips already has nine penalty points on her licence - the equivalent to three minor transgressions - and faces a ban from driving if she reached 12 points.

Phillips, who is engaged to ENGLAND rugby star MIKE TINDALL, isn't the first member of the British royal family to forget to renew their road tax - her mother was seen in an untaxed car in 1998 while PRINCE EDWARD was seen driving without tax in 1999.

Comment: Given that the Royals are demonstrably able to pay their road tax, it is a formality which perhaps should be calendared for attention.  It just shows how human we all are!

 

British royal ZARA PHILLIPS could find herself in more trouble with police, after a UK newspaper published photographs of her parked car with an out-of-date tax disc.

Under British law it is illegal to have a car on public roads without displaying a valid tax disc, which proves road tax has been paid.

According to the DAILY MIRROR, QUEEN ELIZABETH II's grand daughter's disc was 23 days out of date when she was spotted. Phillips already has nine penalty points on her licence - the equivalent to three minor transgressions - and faces a ban from driving if she reached 12 points.

Phillips, who is engaged to ENGLAND rugby star MIKE TINDALL, isn't the first member of the British royal family to forget to renew their road tax - her mother was seen in an untaxed car in 1998 while PRINCE EDWARD was seen driving without tax in 1999.

Comment: Given that the Royals are demonstrably able to pay their road tax, it is a formality which perhaps should be calendared for attention.  It just shows how human we all are!