Phillips focusing on 2012 as Toytown will not race at Worlds

ZARA Phillips is focusing on preparations for London 2012 after she announced she will not be riding Toytown to defend her world title in Kentucky later this year.

 
OLYMPIC AMBITION: Zara Phillips is hoping her horses can stay injury free so she can
compete in her first Games at London 2012 (Getty Images)

Toytown has been plagued by a series of injuries and since winning the world title in Germany in 2006, has missed out on qualification for a number of major events including the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Phillips has entered her 15-year-old Glenbuck and 12-year-old Poilu for the Badminton Horse Trials at the end of April but will need a top ten finish to stand any chance of being selected for the World Equestrian Games in September.

The 28-year-old, who has yet to compete at an Olympic Games, is concentrating on training her younger team of event horses for London 2012 and holds only slim hopes of being able to defend her world crown in the USA.

"I loved competing in front of the home crowd at Blenheim for the 2005 European Championships," said Phillips, who won gold there with Toytown.

"They were very supportive and it was a really great atmosphere - it would be fantastic to be able to do it again in London."

"Toytown is in light work but it is hard to keep him with four good legs so Kentucky is not in his plan.

"He might do a small competition later this year, but he owes me nothing.

"If you asked me right now if I might be selected to take another horse I would say the odds are long.

"There are some very good riders and horses already in contention. But a good result at Badminton could change that."

If Phillips is selected to represent her country in 2012, she will be emulating the success of her parents Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, who competed at three Games between them at Munich 1972, Montreal 1976 and Seoul 1988.