death of her 14-year-old mare Bermuda's Gold.

The Island's 1999 Athlete of the Year has been taken away from the Games Village with her coach and groom, Patrick and Amanda Rolfe, and booked into a city hotel.

Bermuda's chef de mission Philip Guishard, chef d'equipe Joan Taplin and BOA secretary-general John Hoskins all refused to reveal her whereabouts, saying she had asked to be left alone.

Tumbridge was originally scheduled to leave Sydney today following completion of the Three-Day Event, but Hoskins said yesterday it was likely she would remain in Australia for at least another day.

Taplin, who spoke with the Pan-Am gold medallist yesterday, said she remained deeply upset but was determined to continue competing with what had been her reserve horse, Tunes of Glory, when she eventually returns to her base in England.

Newspapers in Sydney and Australia's national TV stations all carried detailed accounts of Thursday's tragedy when Bermuda's Gold landed awkwardly after clearing the second jump of the cross-country.

The horse's front left cannon was badly fractured, leaving veterinarians no option but to destroy the animal, reportedly by lethal injection. Australian media also focused on the dangers of the sport after two riders were taken to hospital, one in serious condition, following falls during the cross-country.

Brazilian Roberto Macedo broke his pelvis when he was crushed beneath his horse, Fricote, after the pair cartwheeled over fence 15.

Macedo's spectacular tumble occurred within seconds of Bermuda's Gold pulling up, contributing to a long delay in the event.

More than half a dozen top riders have been killed during the Three-Day Event in the last couple of years, raising questions about the sport's safety standards.