Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
It’s nearly time to turn our sights to the penultimate CCI5* event of the season — hard to believe, but we’re already here! The Defender Burghley Horse Trials will take place August 31 – September 3 at the iconic Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Entries have just closed this week, and while we may see a couple of tricklers added to the list the roster is mostly now complete with 67 combinations entered. This includes a strong North American contingent that includes Maryland 5 Star winners Boyd Martin and On Cue (as well as Tsetserleg), Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way, Jennie Saville and FE Lifestyle, Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl, Grace Taylor and Game Changer, and Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit.
Can you guess which U.S. pair sent us these pictures the day their entry was sent?
From there, the entry list is a veritable who’s who of the 5* circuit, though we will see a few heavy hitters missing with the recent conclusion of the European Championships. This opens the door for a close race for the $300,000 in prize funds, though it’s very much anyone’s game and will come down to the combination that can best navigate the notoriously grueling Burghley cross country, designed now by Derek di Grazia.
The roster as of publication is:
| RIDER | HORSE |
| Aistis Vitkauskas | COMMANDER VG |
| Alexander Bragg | QUINDIVA |
| Alice Casburn | TOPSPIN |
| Andrew Heffernan | HARTHILL PHANTOM |
| Arthur Duffort | TORONTO D AUROIS |
| Austin O’connor | COLORADO BLUE |
| Boyd Martin | ON CUE |
| Boyd Martin | TSETSERLEG TSF |
| Bubby Upton | COLA III |
| Bubby Upton | MAGIC ROUNDABOUT IV |
| Christoffer Forsberg | CON CLASSIC 2 |
| Christopher Whittle | SKIP MILL |
| David Doel | GALILEO NIEUWMOED |
| David Doel | FERRO POINT |
| Emily King | VALMY BIATS |
| Emma Thomas | ICARUS X |
| Francis Whittington | DHI PURPLE RAIN |
| Grace Taylor | GAME CHANGER |
| Greta Mason | COOLEY FOR SURE |
| Gubby Leech | ROYAL HARVEST |
| Harry Meade | AWAY CRUISING |
| Harry Meade | CAVALIER CRYSTAL |
| Harry Meade | TENAREZE |
| Harry Meade | RED KITE |
| Harry Mutch | HD BRONZE |
| Harry Mutch | SHANBEG COOLEY |
| Holly Richardson | BALLY LOUIS |
| James Rushbrooke | MILCHEM ECLIPSE |
| Jennie Saville | FE LIFESTYLE |
| Jessica Phoenix | WABBIT |
| Julia Norman | ARDEO BERLIN |
| Kristina Hall-Jackson | CMS GOOGLE |
| Lauren Innes | GLOBAL FISION M |
| Lauren Lillywhite | BILLY BEAUFORT |
| Lauren Lillywhite | HACIEN |
| Louise Harwood | NATIVE SPIRIT |
| Luc Château | VIENS DU MONT |
| Matthew Heath | ASKARI |
| Michael Owen | BRADELEY LAW |
| Nicky Hill | MGH BINGO BOY |
| Oliver Townend | COOLEY ROSALENT |
| Oliver Townend | TREGILDER |
| Oliver Townend | SWALLOW SPRINGS |
| Oliver Townend | BALLAGHMOR CLASS |
| Padraig Mccarthy | HHS NOBLE CALL |
| Phil Brown | HARRY ROBINSON |
| Piggy March | BROOKFIELD INOCENT |
| Pippa Funnell | MAJAS HOPE |
| Richard Coney | POETRY IN MOTION II |
| Richard P Jones | ALFIES CLOVER |
| Richard Skelt | CREDO III |
| Rosalind Canter | PENCOS CROWN JEWEL |
| Sam Watson | BALLYBOLGER TALISMAN |
| Sarah Clark | LV BALOU JEANZ |
| Sophie Fouracre | LORDANA VH LEYSEHOF Z |
| Tiana Coudray | CANCARAS GIRL |
| Tim Cheffings | GASTON |
| Tim Price | VITALI |
| Tom Bird | REBEL RHYME |
| Tom D Crisp | LIBERTY AND GLORY |
| Tom McEwen | LUNA MIST |
| Tom McEwen | TOLEDO DE KERSER |
| Tom Rowland | POSSIBLE MISSION |
| Will Faudree | MAMA’S MAGIC WAY |
| Wills Oakden | ARKLOW PUISSANCE |
| Wills Oakden | OUGHTERARD COOLEY |
| Zara Tindall | CLASS AFFAIR |
If you’re wanting to keep up with the action live, you can do so by subscribing to Burghley TV. This is a small purchase of about $25.40/£20 and you can pick up your pass here.
We’ll provide more updates on the Burghley entries as they evolve in the next few weeks, plus some in-depth insights into this years course this week – and, of course, we’ll be bringing you our traditional 5* coverage from on the ground and remotely. It will be a busy week here at EN with American Eventing Championships also running the same week in Kentucky. Bring it on!
Burghley: [Website] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
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