Townend set up for €50k bonus

Ollie Townend set himself up for a crack at a €50,000 bonus with victory yesterday at the Johnson & Perrott Land Rover International Horse Trials in Ballindenisk, Co Cork, on a horse nicknamed Imperial Disaster.

The Briton and the gelding — whose official title, Imperial Master, was more apt on the day — took the top prize in the short-format CIC three-star when adding a clear in show jumping to finish on their dressage score of 40.2 penalties.

To emphasise his dominance of the class, Townend also filled second place on ODT Sonas Rovatio, again completing on his dressage score of 43.5, leaving him 6.5 penalties ahead of Sarah Ennis on Sugar Brown Babe, who followed up with victory in the long-format CCI three star.