SOUTH Gloucestershire’s Nick Gauntlett has told of his pride at seeing a horse he produced from nowhere go on to win Badminton.

Chilli Morning, who is now the first stallion ever to win a global evening four-star competition, was ridden by the Chipping Sodbury ace from 2006 until the stallion was taken on by British star William Fox-Pitt.

And it was the duo of Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning that brought the house down at Badminton on Sunday as they produced a clear round in the final showjumping event and then saw leader Andrew Nicholson, who still has not won at Badminton in 35 completions of the event, knock down a fence to signal wild celebrations behind the main arena.

Fox-Pitt paid tribute to Gauntlett, saying: "Nick deserves all the credit for Chilli Morning. He is 15 years old (horse) and has got every chance of being selector for Rio (2016 Rio Olympic Games). The plan will be to bring him out next year and see how good he is."

Gauntlett watched on from the side as Fox-Pitt went over his final fence. Fox-Pitt still had to wait for a tense last round from Nicholson before he could claim his Badminton title since 2004.

Gauntlett said: "He is such a lovely horse and he has come so close a few times at events. Undoubtedly he was raw at the beginning but I'm so pleased for the horse now."

The South Gloucestershire ace rode Chilli Morning in 2006 through ten competitions including Gatcombe International where they finished 23rd.

But, after the Burghley Horse Trials in 2011, where Chilli Morning was 42nd, former world number one and London 2012 Olympics Team silver medallist Mary King took the stallion on for two competitions  before Fox-Pitt's first ride on him at the Aston Le Walls competition in Northamptonshire in May 2012.

And ever since, Fox-Pitt and the stallion produced by Gauntlett have been inseperable, culminating in the huge triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Gauntlett added: "I got him in Germany as a five year old and jumped him at Burghley as a ten year old.

"He won a three star event with me and he was always a lovely horse. He looked like the real deal."

Chilli Morning has gone on to finish third in last year's World Equestrian Games under Fox-Pitt and twice won the Bramham International.

Fox-Pitt, whose 2004 victory at Badminton was on Tamarillo, said of Chilli Morning:  "He is an incredible horse and has been unlucky in the past. I can't believe it.

"I am so proud of him and thought I let him down a bit in the dressage but we made it up. He joined me in 2012 and was a bit big for Mary King but she said just have a go on him and he has gone on from strength to strength."

As for his own Badminton, Gauntlett rode El Grado but had a mediocre dressage stage and the pair pulled out. Gauntlett said that El Grado 'tried hard' in the dressage but was just not able to cut it.

"He got a little bit of an average mark which is what he deserved.  It was a lovely course and it would have suited him but the best we could do was average."