William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic ride Chilli Morning has left the yard to start his career at stud.
Badminton winner
The 17-year-old chestnut amassed 1,716 points during his eventing career. He became the first stallion to win Badminton in 2015, and he took William to individual bronze at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014.
The pair also finished 12th at the Rio Olympic Games last summer, making them the highest placed Brits.
After his showjumping round in Rio, William announced it would probably be the last time he rode the stallion.
‘Emotional day’
The Fox-Pitt eventing official Facebook page posted about his departure this morning (11 January): “The amazing Chilli Morning left us yesterday for a happy retirement… A very emotional day for us all.”
The stallion, who is owned by Christopher and Lisa Stone, was originally produced by Nick Gauntlett. He was then ridden by Mary King for a brief spell before William was given the ride in the spring of 2012.
Chilli Morning has already sired a number of foals, including Chillis Gem, who finished seventh in the Le Lion seven-year-old championship in 2016 with Gemma Tattersall.
Happy retirement
Chilli will be be taking up full time stud duties at the West Kingston Stud in Wiltshire, the home of Tim and Jane Holderness-Roddam.
We wish him a very long and happy retirement.