Badminton has never seen a lap of honour like it. Nicolas Touzaint, the first Frenchman to win the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in its 59-year history, threw up his hands in disbelief after clearing the last showjump yesterday on Hildago de L'Ile and - abandoning his usual reticence - careered round the arena to a standing ovation.

“I never imagined I would win here - it was my dream to finish in the top five,” a tearful Touzaint, 27, the nephew of Thierry Touzaint, the France team trainer, said. For Touzaint, a dual European gold medal-

winner, who claimed a team gold at the Athens Olympics on Galan de Sauvagère, his top horse, yesterday's win confirmed his belief in his French-bred gelding, who retired at The Lake last year. “I wanted to show that was not typical,” he said.

Lucy Wiegersma, the Briton who finished second ahead of William Fox-Pitt, on Ballincoola, had little to prove on Shaabrak but the gelding, 14, excelled himself with a clear round on Saturday and only one mistake yesterday to gain his best four-star result. The partnership are in contention for a place in the Olympic squad for Beijing to be announced next week.

Fox-Pitt's third place on Ballincoola, his 2005 Burghley winner, must ensure a reappraisal of the gelding's status. He has played second fiddle to Tamarillo, Fox-Pitt's top horse - who had a frustrating stop at Fence 23 on Saturday - for most of his career. But his performance this weekend confirms him as one of the most consistent four-star horses on the circuit.

Jon Doney's 13-fence showjumping course produced a nailbiting finish to the event, with only four riders producing clear rounds. Fox-Pitt moved up to third when Polly Stockton, on Tom Quigley, one of only two inside the time on Saturday, collected 12 faults. Wiegersma had an early mistake but went clear over the rest of the course, giving Touzaint a fence in hand. The Frenchman used up his advantage at Fence 7, but incurred no further faults.

Thomas's acclaimed cross-country course produced an extraordinary tally of scalps among the more experienced riders - Andrew Hoy, Andrew Nicholson and Pippa Funnell all failing to complete it. In contrast, Zara Phillips, the world champion who was making her debut with two inexperienced horses, underlined her ability with two clear cross-country rounds, finishing sixteenth on Glenbuck and nineteenth on Ardfield Magic Star.

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