Equestrian: Todd retires ageing eventer Broadcast News

Broadcast News, one of New Zealand's best three-day event horses, has been retired by Mark Todd.

Broadcast News won a 1996 Olympics team bronze medal with Vicky Latta before teaming with Todd to win the 1997 European championship, a 1998 silver medal at the world equestrian games and a team gold medal at the same event.

Todd said he had decided to retire the ageing horse because he was not quite retaining his fitness.

"There was no injury, but he hadn't been right," Todd said.

"He's had a few problems."

Broadcast News, co-owned by Todd's major sponsor, Italian Guiseppe Veronesi, is expected to be retired to New Zealand.

The 16-year-old, New Zealand-bred, part Appaloosa had another New Zealand team connection.

He was originally broken in by Olympian Andrew Nicholson.

Latta rode Broadcast News to seventh at Badminton in 1996.

At Badminton two years later, Todd finished second on the horse after knocking down rails in the showjumping to lose the title, something the pair repeated at the world championships five months later.

Todd has four other horses targeted for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September, and will ride Just A Mission at the Kentucky horse trials in the United States later this month.

He said he intended starting Eyespy II at Badminton, but would only start last year's runner-up, Word For Word, if ground conditions were good.

His 1999 Burghley winner, Diamond Hall Red, would not complete a three-day event in Britain's spring season, and was being set for Sydney.

- NZPA