British Event rider Francis Whittington has taken first place, riding Easy Target, at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, jumping a perfect final clear round to take the title. A trained equine dentist, this is Francis’ first major international win, seeing off some of the world’s best riders for the title. Francis also placed fifth on another horse, Fernhill Highlight. Aldermore Chief Executive Phillip Monks said:“Everyone at Aldermore is delighted with the news of Francis’ win at Blenheim. Aldermore has sponsored Francis since 2009 when the bank was formed, and to celebrate this win, the year of Aldermore’s fifth anniversary, is the icing on the cake. Aldermore is proud to support British athletes: we have established a strong relationship with Francis, and I have no doubt that we’ll see him on the winner’s podium again soon.” Francis Whittington said:“I am just so pleased: this win has been a long time coming and has been a wonderful achievement for both myself and the whole team, as well as a fantastic foundation in the build up to our journey to Rio in 2016. “I was obviously anxious to do well this weekend, but I felt we were as well prepared as we could be. In fact, the reason we came here was because we felt we had every chance of winning.” **ENDS** You can find a picture of Francis Whittington here and a link to his website here. For further information, journalists can contact: Christina Bridge, Cicero Group Phone: 020 7297 5317 Email: christina.bridge@cicero-group.com Notes to Editors: For further information about Aldermore, our financial backers and our PR contacts, please review our Notes to Editors page.