Clayton Fredericks winning the 2008 HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing in Deauville (FRA) Photograph:Kit Houghton FEI

Australia’s Clayton Fredericks is the World Cup Champion- once again.

Fredericks is only the second person to win two Eventing World Cup titles.  Fredericks rode 13-year-old Ben Along Time to victory in Deauville (FRA), the same horse on which he won the final in Malmo in 2005.  Linda Algotsson (SWE) is the only other rider to have two World Cups adorning her mantelpiece, winning back-to-back titles at the start of the competition in 2003-04.

Owners Peta and Edwin McAuley and Clayton can now add the victory to Ben Along Time’s impressive list of successes.  The Irish Sport Horse by Cavalier Royale was purchased as a 4-year–old and his resume now includes 1st Malmo World Cup Final in 2005, 2^nd at the 2006 World Equestrian Championships CH4*,1^st at Kentucky CCI 4* in 2007, Olympic Team Silver Medallist in 2008 and now World Cup Champion for the second time.

Finishing 10^th in this year’s Final was fellow Australian Kevin McNab.  In his first World Cup Final and his debut to competition in Europe Kevin rode a perfect cross-country round on the 10-year-old Gameplay improving his position 18 places after the dressage.

Also representing Australia was Olympic Team Silver Medallist Lucinda Fredericks. After a wonderful start to the event Lucinda unfortunately had an uncharacteristic fall off her mare Headley Britannia, who was jumping brilliantly.  Lucinda says that she perhaps was “a little too blasé”.  Lucinda will bounce back to fight another day.