Oliver Townend sets off this week for Kentucky in search of the Holy Grail of eventing knowing that he has already won the battle against himself and a sport that was slow to welcome the son of a Yorkshire milkman into the fold.
The 27-year-old from Huddersfield has his sights set firmly on the coveted "Treble," which is winning at Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky back to back.
Only Britain's Pippa Funnell has ever achieved this in the history of the sport in 2003, and this was with two horses. Townend, who won both Badminton and Burghley last year, aims to win in Kentucky next weekend using a third horse to do so, which would be unprecedented.
"I go to America reasonably confident I can pull it off," he says. "I am in a very happy place right now with myself and my horses, and I'm going to give it my best shot."
It has been an incredible improvement for a young man always considered a little too self-opinionated for his own good in a sport unused to straight-talking sons of northern milkmen.
Apart from a third at Badminton in 2006 Townend had little to show for his efforts at the highest level, but being selected only as a reserve for the British team at the 2008 Olympics, and then having the owner withdraw the horse which prevented any chance of him making the trip to Hong Kong, appeared to galvanise him. Last year Townend finally came good.
"There are two reasons why I won Badminton and Burghley," he explains, sitting in his farmhouse on the Shropshire/Welsh border. "First, the horses. Flint Curtis just seemed to click in the run up to Badminton and once I took the lead after the cross-country stage I knew I would win. It was an achievement just to get Carousel Quest to the start of Burghley because he'd had a lot of time off through injury, but I also knew if he was fit he'd stand a chance because he'd finished fourth at Burghley before with a previous rider. This time we led from start to finish."
But there's more. "I was getting to grips with myself. I've finally grown up, as a rider and as a person."
What does he mean by this? "Well, I've made a few mistakes along the way and probably not helped myself much. I haven't been the best at expressing myself, that's for sure. I've been a bit too honest for my own good and haven't always meant how things have come across. I've learnt from this."
This stems from a confidence crisis and a hunger to prove his worth both to himself and the many obstacles that have blocked his passage.
"I'm not from a horsey background at all. There are 46 Townends spread around the hill just outside Huddersfield and only my parents rode horses a bit. When I decided to leave school and give eventing a go it caused a bit of a rift. The general view in the family was to "get a trade first, lad." Most of the family were milkmen, gritters, farm machinery dealers and so on, but I knew what I wanted to do.
"I've had to fight very hard to get to where I am now. It toughens you up or you quit. It's not been a smooth passage. A lot of hurdles have been placed in my way. People, especially other riders, have been worried about me being a threat to their position, and it's very clear to them that I'm not from the same place as the rest of them.
"Actually, I'm very proud of this and I've found all the incidents and things said to me in the warm up areas inspirational. It's made me absolutely determined to be the best and when it's gone wrong I've beaten myself up about it."
This all changed with the win at Badminton last year. "The more you fail to win the more you question yourself," Townend says. "The funny thing was I was so calm and relaxed just before the final, show jumping round, when I knew I was on the verge of winning, it worried me. Winning Badminton may have been a huge leap forward for me, but it was one that needed to happen in my own mind. In doing so it gave me the self-belief that I could win at this level. People may have thought that I've always had self-belief but there's a difference between determination borne out of your experiences and self-belief. The truth is that I was never really satisfied."
Burghley completed the process for Townend. "By winning Burghley from the front, and on a different horse, removed all the remaining demons inside me. It proved that Badminton wasn't a one-off, that I had the mentality to win more than one major classic, and that I could deal with my new-found status in the sport when suddenly I was expected to perform. And, by winning on a different horse, it proved it wasn't all down to the horse."
The result has been cathartic for the northerner. "I'm far more relaxed and confident now," he admits. "I don't feel as if I need to keep proving to myself or to others, and neither do I have to keep opening my mouth all the time either. It's helped me grow up and now I want to be the best in the world."
The next stage in this process is a major one. Townend will ride two horses in Kentucky, the venue for the world championships in August, Ashdale Cruise Master and ODT Master Rose. It is the former, with whom he won the Class 3 event at Burnham Market just a fortnight ago, that he has high hopes for.
"Ashdale Cruise Master's the horse I believe is my best option for the worlds this year, the Europeans next year and then the 2012 London Olympics. I have no idea what will happen next week in Kentucky, but I do know I finished 8th last year on my first visit and that both Ashdale Cruise Master and I are on good form. It's not often you get the chance of winning the treble, and the thought of becoming the first rider ever to achieve this on three different horses is a huge motivation. If I achieve this I'll cry even more than I did after winning Badminton and Burghley."
Oliver Townend laughs at himself when he says this. "I know, I know, I'm supposed to be a tough northerner," he concludes. "But it just shows how much it means to me, and the long road I've needed to take to get here."
