MARLBOROUGH-BASED New Zealand star Andrew Nicholson finally tasted victory at the Barbury Horse Trials on Sunday and he did it in style with a stunning one-two finish in the CIC3* event.

The 50-year-old led for much of the day on Quimbo, with 49.8 penalties, and was last to go in the cross country phase on Avebury.

But with his closest competitors and fellow Kiwis Jonathan Paget and Mark Todd both being eliminated, Nicholson’s win was confirmed and he was left to power home to finish on 41.6 on Avebury, taking both first and second place.

“I’m very, very pleased,” said the 3* champion.

“It’s the build up to the Olympics and these are my second and third-chose horses – it’s not that I had to do a good performance for my (Olympic) selection because that’s more or less taken care of but it’s good to put pressure on yourself.

“It was nice to get around and not have a silly mishap so being first and second is a bonus really.

“You can’t relax with (Paget and Todd) around and it’s a very good time to win it.”

British rider Lucy Wiegersma took third place on Simon Pirloe (50.2) while Oliver Townend (Pepper Anne, 50.8) and Tiana Courdray (Ringwood Magister, 51.2) completed the top five.

Stanton St Quintin’s Kitty King, who held the overnight lead after the first day of dressage last Thursday, finished eighth on Zidante (54.4).

All five British team members concluded competitive preparations on their Olympic horses this weekend at the Barbury International Horse Trials in Wiltshire.

French was placed in three sections of the CIC two-star category, including a third place on Topper, while Fox-Pitt (Lionheart) and Phillips (High Kingdom) also saw everything go according to plan.

Cook (Miners Frolic) and King (Imperial Cavalier), were part of a 110-strong field in the CIC three-star, where they finished 22nd and 30th, respectively, following steady cross-country rounds today.

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