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Fox-Pitt: Eventing hopeful
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Phillips: Olympic blow
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Britain's three-day eventer William Fox-Pitt says the team can still go for Olympic gold despite the 'huge loss' of Zara Phillips from Beijing.
Phillips is the reigning world champion but must now unfortunately miss the Olympics for a second time after her horse Toytown suffered an injury.
Fox-Pitt was part of the team that eventually won silver in Athens last time out after the Germans were disqualified, and he believes Team GB can still go for the podium.
Britain has won three golds in eventing since the war and four silvers in the last six Games - with Fox-Pitt and Mary King, in her fifth Olympics, survivors from the Athens team
Newcomers Tina Cook, Daisy Dick and Sharon Hunt will complete the eventing team to tackle the heat and humidity of the equestrian venue in Hong Kong.
Big blow
"Losing Zara Phillips was a huge blow because she would have been our main player as far as individual medals are concerned," Fox-Pitt admitted.
"But we have got great back-up with Tina and Daisy, who are just as competitive, and if things go our way we will be up there.
"Other teams can lose their key players - Germany have lost Bettina Hoy, for instance - and we've got a good strong team that is on good form.
"It is exciting going to an Olympics thinking you've got a chance.
"I am not saying we are going to win a gold medal, but I know we have got a very good chance if we perform well."
39-year-old Dorset man Fox-Pitt says he and the team have been training hard trying to get ready for the intense conditions they will encounter in Hong Kong.
"Preparations have gone well," he added. "The horses are on good form and feeling very good.
"But it has got to the stage now where we just need to get going. They've done all their events and fitness work, and they know something is coming."
Summer
"We haven't had a good summer in England, so it has been hard to try to get used to the conditions we will face in Hong Kong.
"We've been training the horses in rugs, I've been training in fleeces and running with woolly hats on - all stuff I will be glad to leave behind - but it's all part of the deal.
"Every day is a long day. I would be in the saddle for eight hours a day, on top of going for a run or doing any business work that needs to be done.
"It's full-time. I've probably had two days off since the beginning of February.
"Hopefully, when we get there it will pay off and the horses will cope.
"I rode in Atlanta (in 1996), which was humid and hot, although not quite as bad as we had expected.
"There is also the fact horses do suffer from jet-lag, while all their routines will be different, so the horses that go well in Hong Kong will be the horses that cope best with the changes."
Because of the conditions, the form lines cannot be trusted and it will be anybody's competition to win.
"It would be the greatest honour you could get in your sport to win a gold medal for your country," Fox-Pitt continued. "The sense of achievement would be vast.
"No-one knows who is going to cope better than anyone else out in Hong Kong.
"Yes, there is a form guide - there are favourites and there are some good outsiders - but I firmly believe if it is your turn, then it is your turn."
