The gang on the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials who stayed on after dressage on day one have been handled to a a slice of historical past, as William Fox-Pitt rode two occasion horse clones in the principle enviornment, in a masterclass hosted by his spouse Alice. These horses are genetic replicas of two of his five-star winners, Tamarillo and Chilli Morning.
Tamarillo, by Tarnik out of Mellita, gained each Burghley and Badminton, plus European particular person silver and Olympic crew silver. In his latter years, his owner-breeders Finn and Mary Guinness determined to make a clone of this Polish Anglo-Arab, in order that they might have a stallion to protect his sensible genes for breeding. His clone – named Tomatillo, one other sort of tomato – is an 11-year-old bay stallion, born 21 years after the unique. He was backed by William, and is now being competed at four-star by Aaron Millar.
“I used to be producing him however determined he was a bit of bit small for me,” mentioned William. “He would have carried me anyplace however the look isn’t fairly it. So we gave him to Aaron Millar who’s doing a tremendous job with him and we’re actually dreaming of huge issues to come back.
“Each horses are actual eventing athletes; with robust our bodies and discover galloping very straightforward. Of all of the horses I rode at Burghley, Tamarillo in all probability made it really feel the smallest and this chap’s a bit the identical.
“Tomatillo is totally different as a result of he’s a stallion whereas ‘Tam’ was a gelding, so he has a bit of little bit of stallion conceitedness about him, which Tam by no means had. This one thinks he’s the enterprise. He provides me an actual feeling of discovering issues straightforward as properly. He appears like he’d gallop spherical right here all day; he has a beautiful large unfastened stride.”
For William, Tomatillo is “barely higher made”.
“He has higher stability and regardless that he’s smaller, he’s extra uphill,” he mentioned. “He has higher carriage and finds the flying adjustments a bit of bit simpler than previous Tam. However he hasn’t at all times received Tam’s obedience – he has his personal agenda typically, and Aaron works very carefully with that to maintain him on facet with out getting too bossy.”
Alice identified that Tomatillo, like Tam, has that “Arab trait of holding his tail excessive”.
“Tam additionally appreciated to throw in a bit of buck when the flying adjustments first got here in – and on the trot-up; he had an enormous persona.”
Their persona traits are fascinating, opening the dialogue of nature versus nurture.
“After all, they’d totally different moms,” mentioned William. “For the primary few months of life, Tamarillo was introduced up by a bit of Anglo Araby feisty mare who was afraid of her personal shadow. This chap was introduced up in Texas by a relaxed previous Percheron, so that they’ve had a really totally different tackle life. This chap thinks, ‘what on earth is there to fret about?’, whereas Tamarillo was introduced as much as suppose that every part was terrifying, so I believe that could be a issue. Their persona is likely to be the identical, however their improvement may be very totally different.
“Tam didn’t actually like males and I at all times thought, ‘poor Tam, somebody someplace has given him a tough time, received pissed off with him and that’s why he doesn’t like males’. Some days he wouldn’t let me catch him within the secure, so my groom Jackie Potts would get him prepared and as quickly as I received on he was fantastic. However within the secure it might be like he’d by no means seen me earlier than.
“Then, after I was beginning this man, some days I’d go into the secure and he’d rush to the again as if saying, ‘who’re you? I’m terrified!’ I knew nobody has ever given him a tough time – so there are specific issues which can be within the chromosomes and aren’t something to do with what we do and the way we’d have ‘ruined’ them. It’s simply in him to not like males. Humorous issues like that have to be one thing to do with biology.”
Aaron Millar and Tamarillo clone Tomatillo at Hartpury Worldwide Horse Trials in 2022
Chilli Morning’s occasion horse clones: quantity IV
William then swapped on to Chris and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning IV, a chestnut stallion with a white blaze very like the unique. He’s a seven-year-old competing at three-star stage with Gemma Stevens, and aiming for Le Lion d’Angers younger horse world championships on the finish of the season. The unique Chilli Morning, who died in 2020, is the one stallion to have been victorious at Badminton, and he gained Bramham thrice, world particular person bronze and crew silver, in addition to twelfth on the Rio Olympics.
“It’s very unusual getting on him as a result of I don’t know him in any respect,” William mentioned. “However right away I get a sense of how properly he has been educated in comparison with mine! He’s received a much better mouth – Chilli was at all times fairly gobby and opinionated. He’s in a beautiful stability and is simple to trip – you may think about him scoring very properly in a dressage take a look at as a result of he gained’t throw away any marks.
“He opens up so naturally, giving the sensation that he’ll gallop properly. Chilli was a bit German so he didn’t have that thoroughbred blood that Tam had, however he at all times had actual capacity to cowl the bottom and he ate up Badminton. This one provides the identical feeling, an actual good gallop and go.”
William solely began driving Chilli Morning when the horse was 12, so comparisons are difficult with a horse that’s 5 years his junior.
“He’s nonetheless a bit weak in his physique and carriage however I believe if you get on a horse, when you get a very good feeling within the first 5 minutes then your intuition is sort of at all times proper,” he mentioned. “I by no means rode Chilli this younger, however he has the identical feeling of confidence. After I was getting back from my harm in 2015/16, I had some double imaginative and prescient and couldn’t at all times see the place the leap was. Chilli knew and couldn’t care much less, whereas different horses would have been unsettled. Chilli simply took me with him and this horse appears like that regardless that he’s not but that skilled.
“I’m telling Gemma she has to attend till he’s 12! That’s if you’ll see the very best of him. You’ll be able to really feel he’s going to get higher with age – if you take a look at how a lot Chilli improved in his teenagers.”
For Alice, the expertise of watching William driving these two horses who had performed such an enormous half in her husband’s five-star profession was each particular – and “a bit of spooky!”
How thrilling to observe these two stallions to see whether or not both of them comply with within the footsteps of their originals – however they’re already properly on that path.
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