 Oliver Townend and his brilliant horse Ballaghmor Class lifted a second Defender Burghley Horse Trials trophy, plus eventing's biggest prize of £110,000, and in doing so joined the elite group of partnerships that have more than one plaque on Burghley’s Winners’ Avenue.
Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan's ultra-consistent 16-year-old grey gelding joins Priceless (the winner with Ginny Leng, nee Holgate) in 1983 and 1985) and Avebury (Andrew Nicholson, 2012-2104) as the only multiple equine winners of Defender Burghley. In addition, the horse has been second and third at Defender Burghley with Oliver, has won the Kentucky CCI5* in the USA, had multiple placings at Badminton and was part of Britain's gold medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympic Games. "We're going to have a very big party tonight," said Oliver, 41, for whom this is a third Defender Burghley victory, his first being in 2009 on Carousel Quest and his second on Ballaghmor Class in 2017. “I’m just so proud of ‘Thomas’ and the team behind him. Horses don’t lie and if you’re doing something wrong, they don’t turn up at five-stars doing what they do with a smile on their face. He is a true event horse.” In a thrilling finale to the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials, Oliver and Ballaghmor Class were clear until the very last showjumping fence. This gave breathing space to the overnight leaders, New Zealand’s Tim Price and Vitali, but the final phase once again proved this horse's Achilles heel and an unfortunate four rails down dropped them to fourth place. David Doel rose a place to second with a flawless showjumping round on Gillian Jonas's Gallileo Nieuwmoed and was the only rider to finish the competition on his dressage score and record his best CCI5* result. “He’s a mega horse to ride,” said David. “We’ve been fourth, sixth and eighth at our previous five-stars so it was either going to be second or 10th here, and fortunately it was the former!” Harry Meade, whose father Richard won Burghley in 1964, also conjured a perfect round from Charlotte Opperman’s 10-year-old mare Cavalier Crystal. That elevated them two places to third, which is Harry’s best result at Defender Burghley. “She’s a good jumper so I could just enjoy it,” he said. “I hoped it would be the right decision to bring her here. My biggest question was how well she would cope with the atmosphere and the cross-country, and she has shown herself to be a true five-star horse.” Wills Oakden from Scotland ended a good weekend with two horses in the top 10, in fifth and eighth places with Arklow Puissance and Oughterard Cooley. Boyd Martin finished best of the US contingent in ninth and 10th places on Tsetserleg TSF and On Cue. Pippa Funnell, the 2003 and 2019 Defender Burghley winner, was sixth on Majas Hope and Alice Casburn jumped a double clear with her home-bred Topspin to finish seventh. Reflecting on a hugely successful Defender Burghley, Event Director Martyn Johnson, who is bidding to host the 2026 FEI World Eventing Championship here, said: “It’s been a great weekend and, importantly, a good weekend for the sport.” All the action from Defender Burghley was shown exclusively on Burghley TV, which costs just £20 or an annual subscription. This week’s coverage is available to be watched on playback, and features all the sport, plus features, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Visit https://burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-tv to subscribe. The 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials will take place from 5-8 September.  New Zealander Tim Price still leads the field at the Defender Burghley Burghley Horse Trials after a thrilling day's cross-country in which the suspense was maintained right until the very end.
The world number one completed a masterful clear round on Alex and Joe Giannamore's Vitali, but the eight time penalties he incurred has narrowed his lead over Britain’s Oliver Townend going into tomorrow's finale. He is now on a score of 26.7 and does not have a showjumping rail in hand. Oliver had an eventful day with his three rides: a rein broke just as he was trying to make the sharply angled turn to the log after the Irish Horse Board Bank at fence 17 with Tregilder and he retired Swallow Springs, joint second after dressage, after triggering a MIM safety clip at the oxer on top of the Defender Dairy Mound at fence 20. However, the best was saved to the end when Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan's Ballaghmor Class delivered one of the outstanding rounds of the day for just 4.8 time penalties. Oliver is now on a two-phase score of 29 and has a showjumping fence in hand over third-placed David Doel. The optimum time at Burghley — this year 11 minutes 6sec — is famously hard to attain and only two riders managed it this time, David Doel and Wills Oakden, both of whom went early in the day and made it look easy. David has now leapt 22 places to third with Gill Jonas’s Galileo Nieuwmoed, a 12-year-old Dutch-bred gelding, and Wills, whose aunt Frances Hay-Smith (nee Oakden) was placed at Burghley in the 1990s, has risen 23 places to fourth on Oughterard Cooley, a 13-year-old Irish sport horse. Irish rider Sam Watson was just one second over and rose a meteoric 31 places to fifth after a bold performance on SAP Talisman. Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal), the USA’s Boyd Martin (Tsetserleg TSF) and Pippa Funnell (Majas Hope), a dual winner of Defender Burghley, are in sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively. “Vitali has shown his class again,” said Tim Price. “He wasn’t as ‘up in front’ of me as he usually is, perhaps due to the lack of a final run at Gatcombe, but he tried very hard and excelled.” Oliver Townend admitted it had been a day of “bits and bobs”. “The first two horses think they’ve had a whale of a time — they jogged home after doing seven and eight minutes’ work respectively — but Ballaghmor Class was amazing and a different thing altogether. “He makes me feel comfortable and calm and he’s definitely not showing his age [16] - in fact, he was running away with me at the start. He’s my hero and a horse of a lifetime.” It is a first Defender Burghley for David Doel’s horse Galileo Nieuwmoed, but he has good five-star form with top 10 placings at Badminton and Kentucky to his name. “He's a lovely galloping horse,” explained David. “This was more of a fiddly course for him as he likes to open out, but he picked up really nicely coming home.” There were form upsets when European champion Ros Canter, fifth after dressage, was unshipped from Pencos Crown Jewel at the Dairy Mound, Zara Tindall retired Class Affair after a couple of run-outs and Tom McEwen, fourth after dressage, pulled up Toledo De Kerser. Ten Defender Burghley first-timers completed the cross-country course, the best of whom is Grace Taylor, who is in 16th place on Game Changer. Vitali has on occasion shown weakness in the final phase, but Tim Price and his wife Jonelle warm up for their eventing season with a few weeks on the showjumping Sunshine Tour in Spain. Oliver commented: “Tim has a very cool head and can definitely pull it off. He’ll be having a couple of beers and watching Netflix tonight while I'll be a nervous wreck stressing!” Certainly, a thrilling finale is guaranteed to Defender Burghley 2023. The action starts with the Fairfax & Favor Final Horse Inspection at 9am, followed by a SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse qualifier and the Shetland Pony Grand National. Don’t miss a thing with Burghley TV, covering everything from the first horse inspection to the final prize giving, plus interviews, feature content and a daily highlights show. Last year’s coverage won brilliant reviews from users; new this year is our “batcam” drone and hat cameras giving a rider’s view of the course. Burghley TV is hosted by Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner, with commentary from John Kyle, Nicole Brown and guests. Visit to subscribe for an annual fee of just £20.  World number one Tim Price has smashed the dressage record at Defender Burghley Horse Trials with an outstanding mark of 18.7 on Alex and Joe Giannamore's Vitali, a 13-year-old German-bred bay gelding.
The New Zealander, winner of Defender Burghley in 2018, has 5.5 penalties in hand over nearest rival Oliver Townend, who has performed the extraordinary feat of having two of his three rides on the same score of 24.2. Oliver is in joint second place on Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan's Ballaghmor Class and the Ridgeons' Swallow Springs, as well as being currently 13th on first ride Tregilder. Olympic gold and silver medallist Tom McEwen is lying fourth with the good score of 25.6 on Toledo De Kerser, the horse back at Defender Burghley for the first time since he was fourth in 2019. Tom is also handily placed in 12th on the mare Luna Mist. Tim's dressage score is the first sub-20 at Defender Burghley and the best since the 2016 winner Chris Burton's 20.1 (in today's scoring system). “I’m elated,” he said. “Vitali is a quirky little horse who throws all sorts of curveballs, from the trot-up to the warm-up. “He has so much potential and today has done what he is truly capable of. He is a similar horse to Ringwood Sky Boy [2018 Defender Burghley winner] in that he is unconventional but has lots of ability.” Oliver has a busy cross-country day in prospect. “I will be riding one freak and two very good horses,” he commented, the “freak” being a reference to his outstandingly consistent five-star horse Ballaghmor Class, who has been first, second and third at Defender Burghley as well as clocking up several other CCI5*-L placings including a win at Kentucky in the USA. “He’s very professional at a competition, but he’s not ‘anybody’s’ horse,” said Oliver, who has been riding “Thomas” since the horse was four years old. “He’s the last horse I check at night and the first one I see in the morning.” Tom said that it felt “great” to be back at Defender Burghley with the 16-year-old Toledo De Kerser. “He's a super jumper and I’ve got to use that to my advantage. The cross-country course is so beautifully designed and so fluent this year that he should love it.” Rosalind Canter, the new European champion, is now in fifth place with the mare Pencos Crown Jewel, and the leading American rider Boyd Martin is sixth on Tsetserleg TSF. Grace Taylor, 27, who also rides for the USA, has made a great start at her first five-star; she is currently in seventh place on the Irish sport horse Game Changer with a mark of 28.9. The gelding is owned by her mother, Ann, who has also competed at Burghley, as has her British father, Nigel. “I don't know what to say,” she said afterwards. “It’s quite surreal to see your name next to the names of people that you idolise. I don’t know when I will have another chance to get a horse to this level, so I've got to go out there and give it my best.” The seasoned Irish rider Sam Watson has described Derek di Grazia's thought-provoking cross-country track as “the most exciting course I’ve seen for years. It’s perfect and I can’t wait to jump it.” Harry Meade, who, like Oliver Townend, also has three rides at Defender Burghley, and is currently in 11th, 21st and 38th places, will be first out on it at 11.15am. Don’t miss a thing with Burghley TV, covering everything from the first horse inspection to the final prize giving, plus interviews, feature content and a daily highlights show. Last year’s coverage won brilliant reviews from users; new this year is our “batcam” drone and hat cameras giving a rider’s view of the course. Burghley TV is hosted by Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner, with commentary from John Kyle, Nicole Brown and guests. Visit to subscribe for an annual fee of just £20.  A rare showjumping clear round, one of only two in the class, propelled Wills Oakden to the top of the leaderboard in the CCI4*L. “It's unbelievable,” he said. “I thought winning one class here last year was massive, but to win two is beyond belief. We've been telling A Class Cooley's owners all summer that we've been prepping at one-days for a big win, and now we've pulled it off – I'm not sure how, but we have.”
Two rails down for Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA dropped the pair below Wills, but it's still a good result in terms of him achieving his bigger goal of of securing individual qualifying points for Paris 2024. He admitted, “I'm happy, but angry with myself – the two rails down were my mistakes, the horse is a good jumper. I have enjoyed my trip to Blair.” Past Blair 4*L winner, Rosie Fry, took third place on Romantic. “I came here hoping for a good run, so a podium finish is the icing on the cake. It's very special to have another horse here after winning with True Blue Too, who I subsequently lost to injury. I knew she'd enjoy the course here, I'm so proud of her.” Canter is pure class Ros Canter was again in a class of her own, beating herself by almost 10 penalties for first, second and fourth place finishes in the CCI4*S, on Izilot DHI, Rehy Royal Diamond and MHS Seventeen respectively. “I'm absolutely delighted,” said Ros. “I brought the horses up here to set them up for their autumn 4* long-formats; they are all at slightly different stages in their careers, but I've always found Blair to be a really good stepping stone in horses' development. If they are going to be good horses they have to be able to deal with hills and mud - it's a really good fitness run for long-format events. Jump by jump there was nothing too difficult on the cross-country but the ground made it testing. “Izilot DHI is in a really good place at the moment. I'd been quietly hoping he'd be settled here, and he was. When he's like this, he's a delight to ride.” Josie Proctor prevented the clean sweep, posting the fastest cross-country round of the day on Bee Naround. She made the trip to Blair as part of her sister, Emelia's, 'eventing swangsong'. Emelia chose the event as her first four-star, and also her last ever event as she is hanging up her competitive boots. She finished 29th on Larksbell. Bee Naround was started by Nicola Wilson, moved on to Josie's cousin Imogen Coughlan and then to Josie who describes her as, “a hand-me-down mare! I am absolutely elated and stunned. She did a decent test for her, so I decided to go for it across country... everyone is amazed she has got to this level and finished so well.” Nail-biting times for Wills Wills Oaken really did have a fantastic event. As well as winning the CCI4*L he also took the CCI3*L, this time riding Keep It Cooley. Entering the arena, he had two fences in hand and needed them, finishing 2.5 penalties ahead of Morven Pringle. “That was pretty nerve-wracking,” he said. “Keep It Cooley doesn't normally touch a rail, but has never jumped in this ground before. I'm thrilled with the win and think the world of him.” Morven was delighted with both of her horses; Miss Contender finished runner up while Something Classical placed fifth. “Luckily for me, they both like mud!” she laughed. “I'm lucky to be on the Wesko training programme and have really benefitted this season from access to top coaches, not just with my riding but also from the tips I've gained on things like mental strength, nutrition etc.” George Bartlett and Conpierre completed the podium line-up. Rio Grande Rio Hall and Georgie Girl led from pillar to post in the CCI2*L, finishing on their 24.6 dressage score. Rio left the arena with tears on her cheeks, admitting, “this is way more than I'd hoped for. I genuinely came here wanting to get round the cross-country so I could showjump today. She surprised me with how well she coped in the mud.” Rio is based with third-placed Sam Ecroyd, and added, “it will be a fab journey home in the lorry!” Another dressage score completion moved Lucinda Atkinson and Frankfort Pointllexi up a place to second. Equally emotional, Lucinda said: “I've won big classes before, but this result feels special as Nicola (Wilson) is such a good friend. I feel extremely honoured and privileged to have this ride.” Boleybawn Lecrae, ridden by Sam Ecroyd, completed the podium placings, again having kept a clean sheet throughout the jumping phases. “I am super happy with him. He was despicably behaved as a youngster and I was on the verge of giving up on him, but the feeling he gives me across country made me persevere,” Sam admitted. “He's a big horse at 17.2hh, but he's incredibly agile and nippy. I deliberately came here to gallop up and down the hills in mud to see what he is made of – and now I know.” There were two CCI1*S sections at Blair. The first was won by Robyn Gray on Margaret Francis' Jazz Time IV, with Daisy Cross and Cooley Master Mischief second and Phil Brown with M Bear Esquire in third. Lucinda Atkinson added to her good weekend with a win in the second, aboard Pride Park. Just 0.2 penalties behind came Jack Mantell on Night Prowler and another 0.2 behind Jack was Anna Gilchrist on Kilimazing Topaz Finally, Blair hosted a CCI2*S Pony class. Ireland's Kitty Cullen, daughter of Declan Curran who was also competing at Blair, took the spoils with Coppenagh Spring Sparrow, finishing ahead of England's Arabella Henderson riding Our Billy Eile. Irish riders filled five of the top six places, Anna Nangle and Liscannor Tulira finished third.  Max motors in to the lead
We have a new leader in the 4*L after a rather wet cross-country phase in which no-one came close to making the optimum time. Max Warburton has moved in to pole position with a fence in hand on Monbeg Exclusive, previously competed by Andrew Nicholson. “I rode the horse last year when it was still at Andrews, but it was then bought for me to ride. He's absolute class, a typical Bramham or Blair long-format horse; he stayed the distance really well, it's an honour to ride him. The terrain always comes in to play here, but we know that in advance,” said Max. Japan's Toshiyuki Tanaka now sits in second place riding the ex-mount of both Chris Burton and Bubby Upton. Both Toshi and fellow Japanese rider Ryuzo Kitajima are up at Blair to try to gain points and qualify for individual slots at Paris 2024. “I have to thank both my horses; I kept kicking and they kept jumping!” said Toshi, who also lies in 6th place on Talma d'Allou, one place behind Ryuzo on Feroza Nieuwmoed. Perthshire rider Wills Oakden completes the top three on A Class Cooley, just 0.1 of a penalty behind Toshi. Wills admitted that he had gone faster on this horse than he ever has before, saying: “Fair play to the horse, he dug really deep. I hope this will be a coming of age for him.” Canter is copybook Ros Canter remains in first, second and fifth place in the CCI4*S, which showjumped this morning, on Izilot DHI, Rehy Royal Diamond and MHS Seventeen respectively. Libby Seed has moved up to third with Heartbreaker Star Quality. Former Blair winner leads the field It's all change at the top of the CCI3*L leaderboard. Wills Oakden has climbed two places and now has one fence in hand going in to tomorrow's showjumping. Keep It Cooley jumped a lovely cross-country round, finishing just two seconds over the optimum time, picking up 0.8 of a penalty, and now sits on a score of 29.9. “He's a brilliant horse – I've never ridden him in conditions like we had today, but he won the 2*L here last year. I ride a lot quirky horses but this one is an absolute gentleman and a winner at all levels. He made it feel easy,” said Will. Susie Berry and Irene Leva rocketed up the leaderboard to be in the runners-up spot after a clear round, one second over the optimum time but, unfortunately, her second ride, Jesmond Renard, suffered a fall at the double of corners, fence 18. Katie Magee was one of only two riders to make the optimum time, which moved Agadir Gano up to third place. Katie has produced the seven-year-old gelding up the levels and in their last four outings they have posted two wins, a fourth and a fifth. Morven Pringle fills the next two places, Something Classical half a penalty ahead of stable-mate Miss Contender. “They are two very different horses,” said Lockerbie-based Morven. “Something Classical has a lot of thoroughbred in his breeding and ate it up. Miss Contender is not the fastest but is a real trier. The ground is definitely taking a huge amount of energy of some of the horses, but I'm delighted with both of mine today.” Thursday's leader George Barlett jumped clear with Conpierre but suffered a tack malfunction early on, the martingale flapping between the horse's legs. Fourteen time penalties dropped the pair to eighth, while the overnight leaders, Caroline Powell and Legally Grey, picked up an early 20 penalties at the parallel bars, fence 4a, dropping them out of contention. Hall holds her lead Rio Hall and Georgie Girl have retained their lead in the CCI2*L after cross-country, coming home bang on the optimum time of 8 minutes 26 seconds. “She was bang on all my minute-markers, and the distances all rode as planned – the ground was better than I thought it would be, I think today's warm weather has helped,” said Rio. “I can't fault her... and she's normally a good jumper so I've got everything crossed for tomorrow.” Emma Carmichael and Faerlie Flighty have moved up in to second place after Amelia England's ride Eluna was one of several to activate the MIMClip [a safety device which triggers if a fence is hit too hard] at the Gate, fence 11. “I brought him to Blair because the bigger the atmosphere, the more he seems to enjoy himself. He has a lot of 'blood' (thoroughbred) in him, being by Primitive Faerie Tale, and benefited from that on the hills here – he was really class out there,” Emma explained, adding, “He's very low mileage because he had a couple of winters off, when sarcoids on his shoulder were lasered off, but he's caught up really quickly.” Lucinda Atkinson and Frankfort Poinllexi now fill third place. This horse is something of a project of Nicola Wilson's and is owned by Nicola's parents-in-law. Lucinda lives a couple of fields away from Nicola and they went through Pony Club together, hence her gaining the ride. “I thoroughly enjoyed that,” said a beaming Lucinda. “This is our first season together so I'm still getting to know her, but she's an absolute machine with a massive heart who really wants to please. Blair is my favourite event and she has a lot of 'blood', so I thought the hills would suit her.” The pair finished almost 20 seconds inside the optimum time.  Caroline Powell & Legally Grey (c) Athalens Ros Canter's fabulous run of form continues; she has three horses in the CCI4*S and at the close of the dressage phase lies in first, second and fifth. Her final ride, Izilot DHI, has a commanding lead after scoring 24.8, while Rehy Royal Diamond sits on 29.3 and MHS Seventeen 30.3.
“Izilot DHI is possibly the most talented horse I have ever sat on, but also the quirkiest. He's taught me a huge amount, with some fabulous results but also a few little blips. He's hugely exciting to ride and a pleasure when he is in the mood he is in today. It's always a case of keeping his mind in the right place and keeping him happy and onside,” Ros explained. Storm Straker on Fever Pitch and Aaron Millar riding Count Onyx have prevented a clean sweep by Ros . New Zealand's new leader New Zealand's Caroline Powell has deposed the overnight leader, George Bartlett, in the CCI3*L. George and Conpierre now lie in second but Caroline's ride, Legally Grey, has almost a four penalty advantage, sitting on a score of 24.3. “The horse was bought for Fiona Lambert for her birthday, and when presented with his passport someone said, 'oh, it's a bay filly' – that's where the name came from, he's a grey gelding! I was very pleased with him today. I've been away and everyone has worked hard to get the horses ready to come up here. They've done a great job.” Wills Oakden's Keep It Cooley was the only other horse to post a sub-30 mark, completing the current top three. Girl Power In the CCI2*L, Emma Carmichael has dropped to third place with Rio Hall's Georgie Girl topping the table on 24.6. Originally produced by Emily King, Rio bought the mare ahead of the 2020 season and the pair has posted some good results, including winning a CCI2*S at Kelsall Hill last year. “I'm so, so chuffed. That was by far the best test she has ever done, she was with me the whole way,” said Rio, who is based with Sam Ecroyd whose mother bred the mare for Sam, but she didn't grow enough. “She's very sensitive but with the heart of a lion – although she does like things her way. We love coming to Blair, it's the most stunning venue – and all to play for tomorrow!” Amelia England and Eluna are currently in the runner up spot, on the same overall score as Emma Carmichael. Eluna has Blair experience, completing the CCI2*L here two years ago with Arianne Finlay in the saddle. Amelia took over the ride last year, winning Blair's CCI1*. The two CCI1* sections are headed by Robyn Gray on Jazz Time and Annabel Walsh with DHI Funnyman. Robyn was offered the ride on Jazz Time, a homebred of owner Margaret Francis, at the beginning of the season, and describes her as, “so much fun!” Ireland's Kitty Cullen and Coppenagh Spring Sparrow lead the Pony CCI2*S class, with Chloe Chan and Blennerville Rua hard on her heels.  Burghley Horse Trials is delighted to have been short-listed to hold the 2026 FEI World Eventing Championship, alongside Aachen (Germany) and Boekelo (the Netherlands). Burghley hosted the first ever World Championship in eventing in 1966 but a World Championship has not been held in the UK since the 1974 Championships were run at Burghley.
“With our long association with Championships, unbeatable parkland setting, huge loyal following and world-class course we know we can run a brilliant World Championship here, and very much look forward to making our final bid presentation to the FEI Board in Lausanne next month,” says Event Director Martyn Johnson. Burghley’s bid has the full support of British Equestrian, British Eventing and UK Sport. The short-list reflects the FEI’s more flexible approach in recent years to welcoming single and multi-disciplinary World Championship bids to better serve the sports, their fans, and the global development of equestrian sport. The FEI Board will make its decision about the FEI World Championships 2026 at its in-person Board Meeting on 18 November 2023 in Mexico City (MEX), following a thorough review by the FEI Evaluation Commission and taking into account recommendations by the Technical Committees.  British superstar rider Ros Canter has won Badminton and the European Championships this year - can she top off an exceptional 2023 with victory at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials as well?
Ros, fresh from winning individual and team gold on her Badminton champion Lordships Graffalo at the Europeans in Normandy earlier this month, will ride Annie Makin and Kate James’s Pencos Crown Jewel at Defender Burghley (31 August-3 September). The Lincolnshire-based 37-year-old will face serious opposition from all four of Defender Burghley’s most recent winners, however. Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, who reigned supreme in 2017 and added Olympic team gold for Britain to their accolades at Tokyo in 2021, return to Burghley once more. World number one Tim Price, who won in 2018, brings Vitali, third here last year, and will attempt to give New Zealand a 14th victory at the world’s greatest three-day event since 1990. The 2019 Burghley heroine Pippa Funnell - who won the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing here 20 years ago, in 2003 - will ride Majas Hope. And the 2023 Burghley champion Piggy March is back to defend her title, this time riding Brookfield Inocent. Burghley had a royal winner when HRH the Princess Royal stormed to victory in the 1971 European Championships here. Her daughter Zara Tindall finished a very close second on her CCI5* at Burghley in 2003 - could this be the year of a second royal triumph? Zara will ride Class Affair, on whom she finished 15th at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in the spring. Two riders are planning to ride three horses apiece in the CCI5*. First to go in the competition will be Harry Meade - his three mounts will be chosen nearer the time from the quartet of Away Cruising, Red Kite, Cavalier Crystal and Tenareze. Oliver Townend will also compete three from the impressive foursome of Ballaghmor Class, Swallow Springs, Tregilder and Cooley Rosalent. An American rider hasn’t won Burghley since 1993, when Stephen Bradley was successful aboard Sassy Reason. But there could be a champion in this year’s US contingent, which includes Boyd Martin with both his Maryland CCI5* winner, the British-bred On Cue, and Tsetserleg TSF, on whom he won team silver at the 2022 World Championships. It’s 60 years since an Irish rider won Burghley (Capt Harry Freeman-Jackson), but Austin O’Connor is bringing Colorado Blue, third at Badminton this year and acknowledged as one of the best cross-country horses in the world. They would be among the favourites in the 65-strong field to take home the Defender Burghley trophy. And there are plenty of newer British faces vying for Burghley glory. David Doel (Galileo Nieuwmoed and Ferro Point) is edging closer and closer to a CCI5* podium place, while Emily King (Valmy Biats) has a chance of emulating her mother Mary, who took Defender Burghley in 1996. Martyn Johnson, Burghley’s Event Director, said: “We are delighted to see such a strong British and international entry to Defender Burghley - this has all the hallmarks of a vintage year. The park and course are looking immaculate and we very much look forward to the very best riders in the world vying to come out on top, in front of our legendary Burghley crowd.” Tickets for Defender Burghley can be purchased online at burghley-horse.co.uk and downloaded or printed out prior to your visit, or on the gate. To watch every minute of the action, from the first horse inspection to the final prize-giving, plus in-depth interviews and behind-the-scenes features, plus the daily Today @ Burghley round-up show hosted by Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner, an annual subscription to Burghley TV costs just £20. Visit burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-tv to subscribe.  "Well done girls!" Karim Laghouag's congratulations to the four English riders a few minutes after the end of the 36th FEI European Eventing Championships summed up the feeling shared by all the players and spectators over four days of top-class competition. The team heralded as an eventing 'Dream Team' lived up to its billing. They were almost unbeatable. At the end of the show jumping, the final test of this equestrian triathlon, Great Britain, in the lead from the dressage phase onwards, won its 24th team title since the creation of the Championship in 1953 and its 15th in the last 20 editions.
Only Germany on four occasions and Sweden in 1993 have managed to break the British hegemony over the last two decades. Only a cataclysm on the track could have deprived the four Englishwomen (Kitty King, Yasmin Ingham, Laura Collett, Rosalind Canter) of this new title. "It's fantastic to be at the head of this team" says Richard Waygood, head of the British team. "There are the riders, but also all the people around us without whom nothing would be possible, especially the owners. A lot of people will see us as favourites for the Olympic Games. I hope they're right. But we're going to keep working. Our mentality is to always give 100%. And if that's the case, then we'll be able to look each other in the eye, and that's what we'll do." World champions less than a year ago in Pratoni del Vivaro (Italy), Germany had to be content with silver this time. Just like two years ago, but this time with a gap of almost thirty points. Huge. "We're delighted with this silver medal," reassured Jens Adolphsen, the German team leader, who was without his two-time Olympic champion Michael Jung, eliminated the previous day after a fall that wasn't serious on the cross-country. "Some competitions are successful, others more difficult, that's sport. After the Tokyo Olympics (British victory), it was said that Great Britain would be favourites for the next 15 years. We'll be trying to change that in Paris next year." Admittedly, France will have to wait a little longer to win their first European title. But it can nevertheless be very satisfied with its bronze medal, the 23rd continental medal (18th in the team competition), less than a point behind Germany. "I'm very proud of my four riders, confided team leader Thierry Touzaint. To see four of them in the top 10 was unhoped-for. I'd like to thank all the owners and everyone behind us. With a year to go to the Games, we can still see all the work that still needs to be done, particularly in the dressage. But we're confident. We won a medal in Rio, another in Tokyo, and we're counting on winning one in Paris." Belgium and the Netherlands will also be taking part in this major rendezvous, having secured both tickets in Normandy. These two nations join France (host country), Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and Poland, who have already qualified in previous competitions (the United States, New Zealand, Australia and China have also qualified). A British individual double In the individual competition, where the three team medallists all shared top 10 places, Great Britain also proved untouchable. In gold, Rosalind Canter, riding the formidable Lordships Graffalo, succeeded her compatriot Nicola Wilson. At the age of 37, the current world number 3 adds another line to a list of achievements that already includes an Olympic team title in 2021 and two world golds (individual and team) in 2018. "I'm very happy and lucky to have this horse in my stables, comments the new champion. I'm very proud of him and of our championship. Now I'm going to enjoy it. I'd also like to thank the organisers, who put on a superb championship, including a fantastic cross-country course in difficult conditions on Saturday. The horses were happy too. There's now less than a year to go before the Olympic Games. I'm going to keep working and do everything I can to perform as well as possible in Paris." In silver, Kitty King followed in the footsteps of her mother Mary, who also finished second on the podium in 2007. "I came here first and foremost to be the opener and do my job well, because there are some fantastic horses in the team, she commented. So I'm delighted with this medal with Vendredi Biats, who is incredible, especially as Rosalind really deserves her win." World champion in 2014, back at the Haras du Pin, Germany's Sandra Auffarth once again tasted the joys of the podium with bronze. Having started in penultimate position with the obligation to make a clear round to guarantee her team silver, the rider, last year's world team champion, once again coped perfectly with the pressure. "I always ride better when I'm under pressure, explained Auffarth. My horse jumps very well and made the work easy for me. It's a great satisfaction to have won this individual bronze medal, but also to have managed to keep the silver for my team." Four female riders in team gold, three again on the three steps of the individual podium, so many pretenders to become Queen of the eventing, in one year's time at the Château de Versailles!  (c) Peter Nixon Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is in discussions with UK Sport about accessing funding to host the FEI Eventing World Championships in 2026.
The Lincolnshire event - one of just seven five-star international horse trials in the world and one of the best-attended sporting fixtures in the UK - has held the World Championships twice before, in 1966 and 1974. It has also hosted six European Championships (1962, 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989 and 1997) and one Young Riders European Championship (1978). Land Rover Burghley is globally renowned for its stunning setting in the grounds of the historic Burghley House outside Stamford, and for the outstanding level of equestrian sport it delivers at its annual autumn event - 31 August- 3 September 2023. Event Director Martyn Johnson said: “Burghley is synonymous with the pinnacle of the sport of eventing. Hosting the FEI World Championships in 2026 would bring huge benefits to Burghley and the local community. It would also focus our longer-term vision for the event as we continue to invest in upgrading the permanent infrastructures for athletes and horses to improve further a world-class venue. “As we experienced with the London 2012 Olympics, the legacy of a British World Championships would not only help our British teams win medals for years to come but also provide inspiration, opportunities and facilities for the next generation of equestrian stars through our associations with the Pony Club and grassroots riders.” The FEI Eventing World Championships is held every four years. In 2022, Britain’s Yasmin Ingham took the individual gold medal at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, riding Banzai Du Loir. In 2018, Britain won team gold at Tryon, USA and Lincolnshire’s Ros Canter won individual gold riding Allstar B. Zara Tindall also won the individual title at the 2006 World Championships in Aachen, Germany, on Toytown. The bid process for the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships is open, and will conclude by June. The FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) is the governing body for worldwide horse sport. |
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