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I will set the example because that should always be the captain's job We are here to win. Hollioake hammered an unbeaten 23 as England crushed Hong Kong in their opening round-robin qualifier before bludgeoning four straight sixes off Aamir Sohail on his way to a seven-ball innings of 31 to set up a 36-run win over Pakistan. Before the tournament started Hollioake made his intentions clear. It took some of Europe's best fillies a bit of time to peg her back and her trainer loves to win big handicaps, but preference is for Singspiel's half-brother Song of Freedom, who is given another chance on his preferred ground.. Adam Hollioake was as good as his word here last night. England's new one-day captain had promised to lead from the front and he did exactly that to clinch a play-off place in the Cathay Pacific World Cup Sixes.

Both City Honours and Teapot Row will appreciate the step up in trip but Kilimanjaro may be able to cope with the faster conditions and stronger opposition today.And today's prize money is not the only financial consideration where these well-bred youngsters are concerned. On Thursday at Tattersalls in Newmarket, yearling siblings to both Kilimanjaro and Fillies' Mile contender Exclusive (herself Entrepreneur's half-sister) come up for sale.Ridaiyama comes to the competitive Tote Sunday Special Handicap off an unusual preparation, having been sacrificed as pacemaker in the Prix Vermeille. And Jibe could hardly be better bred to follow in the hoofprints of her distinguished stablemates, being a half-sister to Commander In Chief and Yashmak. Kilimanjaro earned 1988 Derby favouritism after an eight-length rout of his rivals on soft going at Sandown. Muhtathir was brushed aside by another strong Epsom fancy, Second Empire, in France two weeks ago and his performance today will put that one in perspective. Grandstand Media, who came to the rescue backed by the British Showjumping Association and Wembley Stadium Limited, announced: "The show has broken even and has a brighter outlook than it has had for many years.".

Three of this year's Classic winners were on view at Ascot a year ago in the two two-year-old highlights on today's card. Oaks winner Reams Of Verse won the Fillies' Mile, with her stablemate Sleepytime (1,000 Guineas) an unlucky third, and Benny The Dip, the Derby winner, took the Royal Lodge Stakes. The Warren Place scenario is repeated with the experience of one - Midnight Line - backed up by the promise of another, Jibe. This year the rookie, who hacked up at Lingfield in her maiden and has been sparkling at home since, can prevail and give Henry Cecil a hat-trick in the Group One race in the process, Bosra Sham having won two years ago. It was pieced together with 14 pins, and wire which is now removed, but Moneymore remained with the Edwards virtually unjumped as a six and seven-year-old. The optimism is now earning rewards despite temptingly lucrative offers from foreign buyers.The survival of the Horse of the Year Show has been increasingly threatened in recent years, but its 50th anniversary next year is now assured.

But Niko clobbered the fourth fence and didn't like the look of the seventh one bit, stopping dead. Another go was to no avail, and, doffing his hat, the combination retired. As he put it earlier in the show: "Don't become a show-jumper, it's difficult.". John Whitaker won a high-class jump-off against the clock to pip his long-time rival Nick Skelton to the Leading Showjumper of the Year prize at the Horse of the Year Show here last night. Whitaker's eight-year-old Dutch bred gelding Virtual Village Heyman just held off Skelton's Virtual Village Zalza and looks to have all the talent to keep Britain's highest-rated rider at the top.

The popular combination of Geoff Billington and Virtual Village It's Otto were hard on their heels in a satisfying one-two-three for their shared sponsors. Carl Edwards, quoted a 14-1 chance by the bookmakers Ladbrokes, deserved to win the earlier Daewoo Championshipwhen his own Moneymore completed two clear rounds in an eight-horse jump-off.He was followed home for the pounds 5,000 prize by three of the Whitaker family of whom Veronique, the only other to jump clear a second time, incurred three time faults on Eldorado to finish runner-up ahead of husband Michael, who had the fastest four faults on Virtual Village Magic Carpet, and John, fourth on the veteran Virtual Village Grannusch.Edwards is lucky to be riding at all, as he almost severed a foot in an accident on his father's farm two years ago. The danger of competing so soon after teaching people how to ride is that several thousand people are secretly willing you to cock things up, and Niko had clearly not been paying attention in class.Into the arena they galloped, Billington bobbing in the saddle in best bouncing-ball mode. Far and away the biggest cheer of the night, a hysterical, rush-down-the-aisles racket worthy of Take That, was reserved for the magnificent Milton, who wasn't even competing, but made a guest appearance as the finale to "Simply The Best".After the hype, the reality, and a reminder that despite - or rather as well as - the dry ice and rock music, the pony club scampers and parading Shire horses, the Horse of the Year Show is also a sporting event.Billington barely had time to catch his breath after clowning around before he was legged up into the saddle on Virtual Village Niko for the Traxdata Challenge, a single-round jumping competition against the clock. Whether or not anyone will have actually improved their riding skills under Whitaker and Billington's expert tutelage (sample: "The thing is to keep it bouncing underneath you like a rubber ball") is a different matter.One lesson was inescapable: for all their efforts at humour and showmanship the riders will always lose the battle for the affections of the audience to their supporting cast, the horses.