Toytown not up for WEG selection

Zara Phillips will not defend the world three-day eventing title aboard Toytown in the USA later this year.

While Phillips has not given up hope of gaining Great British selection for the World Equestrian Games in late September, she has decided that her eighteen-year-old chestnut Toytown will not be available.

The combination were crowned 2006 world champions in Aachen, Germany, a year after landing the European individual title.

But Toytown’s career has also been blighted by injury, which sidelined him from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and then the Beijing Olympics four years later. He also suffered an injury last year, and is currently in light work.

“There are no plans for him this year,” said Phillips, at her Gloucestershire stable yard today.

“We are just going quietly with him. He doesn’t owe me anything – there is no pressure.”

But fans of Zara do not despair, Zara will be heading for Badminton Horse Trials this April. Phillips has entered her fifteen-year-old gelding Glenbuck for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, starting on April 30. She has also entered a second ride, the twelve-year-old Poilu, who was ridden last year by Australian event rider Clayton Fredericks and is now part of Phillips’ fifteen-strong string of horses.

Realistically, she will need a top ten Badminton finish to strengthen her selection case ahead of the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

“It all depends on results,” she added, “There are a lot of people out there with good combinations.”

Current contenders for Kentucky include reigning European champion Tina Cook, the 2009 Badminton and Burghley winner Oliver Townend and multi major event winner William Fox-Pit.

Elsewhere, the likes of Piggy French, Nicola Wilson, Mary King and Lucy Wiegersma also have strong claims, which underlines the size of Phillips’ task if she is to make the British team which is due to head to America in just over six months’ time.

Photo Credit: Henry Bucklow/LazyPhotography