The gang on the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials who stayed on after dressage on day one had been handled to a a slice of historical past, as William Fox-Pitt rode two occasion horse clones in the primary area, 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, received each Burghley and Badminton, plus European particular person silver and Olympic staff 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 kind 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 little bit 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 most likely 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 little bit little bit of stallion conceitedness about him, which Tam by no means had. This one thinks he’s the enterprise. He offers me an actual feeling of discovering issues straightforward as effectively. He looks like he’d gallop spherical right here all day; he has a stunning large free stride.”
For William, Tomatillo is “barely higher made”.
“He has higher stability and though he’s smaller, he’s extra uphill,” he mentioned. “He has higher carriage and finds the flying adjustments a little bit bit simpler than previous Tam. However he hasn’t all the time bought 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 preferred to throw in a little bit buck when the flying adjustments first got here in – and on the trot-up; he had a giant character.”
Their character traits are fascinating, opening the dialogue of nature versus nurture.
“In fact, they’d totally different moms,” mentioned William. “For the primary few months of life, Tamarillo was introduced up by a little bit Anglo Araby feisty mare who was afraid of her personal shadow. This chap was introduced up in Texas by a relaxed previous Percheron, in order 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 little thing was terrifying, so I believe that may be a issue. Their character could be the identical, however their growth could be very totally different.
“Tam didn’t actually like males and I all the time thought, ‘poor Tam, somebody someplace has given him a tough time, bought pissed off with him and that’s why he doesn’t like males’. Some days he wouldn’t let me catch him within the steady, so my groom Jackie Potts would get him prepared and as quickly as I bought on he was tremendous. However within the steady it could possibly 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 steady 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 would have ‘ruined’ them. It’s simply in him to not like males. Humorous issues like that should 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 degree 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 received Bramham thrice, world particular person bronze and staff 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 effectively he has been educated in comparison with mine! He’s bought a much better mouth – Chilli was all the time fairly gobby and opinionated. He’s in a stunning stability and is simple to journey – you’ll be able to think about him scoring very effectively in a dressage take a look at as a result of he received’t throw away any marks.
“He opens up so naturally, giving the sensation that he’ll gallop effectively. Chilli was a bit German so he didn’t have that thoroughbred blood that Tam had, however he all the time had actual skill to cowl the bottom and he ate up Badminton. This one offers the identical feeling, an actual good gallop and go.”
William solely began driving Chilli Morning when the horse was 12, so comparisons are tough with a horse that’s 5 years his junior.
“He’s nonetheless a bit weak in his physique and carriage however I believe whenever you get on a horse, in the event you get feeling within the first 5 minutes then your intuition is sort of all the time 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 damage in 2015/16, I had some double imaginative and prescient and couldn’t all the time see the place the soar 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 looks like that though he’s not but that skilled.
“I’m telling Gemma she has to attend till he’s 12! That’s whenever you’ll see the most effective of him. You may really feel he’s going to get higher with age – whenever you have 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 little bit 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 effectively on that path.
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