Interview – Chris Hector
A couple of years ago, British star Ollie Townend rode at Adelaide 4 star, winning the three star event on Napoleon, I found him a great interview…
It’s too easy, they just pop you on a plane, pop you off, toss you on a pony and you win the class…
“I wish it was that easy, or I wish it felt that easy. I’ve just enjoyed myself full stop. It’s been my first time in Australia. I’ve been out here with good friends, Tim Boland and his girlfriend, Sophie Adams, and I’ve just had the most amazing two weeks of my life, it’s just fantastic. I’ve done Sydney, I’ve come here – it hasn’t felt like eventing because normally I’ve got a lot of pressure, I’ve put the time in myself, I need to produce a result for owners that back me, or sponsors, or investors. And here I’ve just come and had a whale of a time and luckily the result has been good at the end of it.”
Looking at the British eventing scene, do you think they will give the coaching job to Christopher Bartle?
“I think he will hopefully have a rôle. I’m a big fan of Christopher’s, he was my first boss. I think it would be a great opportunity for all involved, especially Christopher to have a second go at trying to manage me.” Ollie is laughing wildly – “Hopefully it will last longer than it did the first time, but I was only seventeen then.”
A visitor takes out the 3***, Oliver Townend riding Tim Boland’s Napoleon
It is a bit of a puzzle though, we all look at the UK and say well there’s the best sport, the best courses, the best owners, the best structure, wads of money from the lottery, and yet the British team continues to rely on a few increasingly aged riders, with very modest success…
“I don’t think it does me any good to tell you my true feelings about the situation, but having said that, you say it’s the best structure, it can’t possibly be the best structure, because we have all the events, a phenomenal number of horses, a phenomenal amount of riders, and the system hasn’t worked for a long time now. I don’t really want to get into it now, I think we should be looking to the future. There should have been a clean sweep in 2012, that was a missed opportunity, but there is no point in looking back, let’s hope the good guys get the positive feel back and move forwards.”
Does your selection process have a nominated series of selection events leading up to a Games or a WEG, or is it totally subjective judgment of the selectors?
“Again you are pressing all my right buttons, but I don’t want to get into it too much, but for me, the selection from a rider’s point of view – not the selection of the team in the end – but the long lists that appear have no resemblance to current form whatsoever – so is it a straight job? You answer.”
Surprise, surprise, Ollie was left out of the WEG team, but here he is back to back winning Kentucky Rolex 4 star on Cooley Master Class…
“I have had him (Cooley Master Class) since he was a four-year-old, he knows me, and I know him very well. He loved it here last year, he thrived, his ears were pricked every step of the way, so why not bring him back to somewhere he loves.”
