The show jumping course at Burghley wreaked havoc on the field and allowed just four clean rounds out of 52 competitors. Five times that many competitors (that’s 20, for all you literary types) finished with double-digit show jumping penalties. Every one of the top 10 pairs coming into the show jumping pulled at least a rail.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville entered the Burghley arena with two rails in hand and they exited having pulled just one more rail than that and finishing Burghley in second place after a heartbreaking rail at the second to last fence. Andrew Nicholson and Avebury of New Zealand jumped up from second to win with one rail. Last year’s champions, William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk, maintained their third spot with two rails down. Allison Springer and Arthur moved up one place with two rails down and finished the weekend in 6th. Sinead, Allison, and the rest of the US contingent deserve our tremendous congratulations and thanks for proving once again that US eventing can show up at international competitions and get the job done in a big way.
Andrew Nicholson won his third Burghley title today (1995, 2000). Andrew is one of the best eventers ever and an unquestionably deserving champion, especially after his disappointment with the rain delay right before his Olympic dressage ride a month ago.
Eventing is a sport of perspective. It would be easy to look back on Sinead’s disappointing three rails and project that disappointment to the weekend as a whole. Easy, but also completely idiotic. Sinead and Tate just delivered one of the all time best US performances at an overseas four-star. The same goes for Allison and Arthur as a pair and the US Burghley contingent as a whole. Sinead and Tate’s dressage and cross-country performances dominated an international field on foreign soil unlike anything I have ever seen from a US pair. They will head into the off season and the USA’s unquestioned best pair right now, with a second at Burghley 2012, a third at Rolex 2011, and a 15th at Burghley 2011 for their four-star record. In an era when pairs from overseas have been consistently showing up to Rolex and taking top placings, Sinead and Allison just proved that we can return the favor.
Sinead and Tate’s performance should not eclipse that of Allison Springer and Arthur, who finished a spectacular year of four-stars by following their second at Rolex with a sixth at Burghley. I, like many eventing fans, have been extremely skeptical of Arthur after his past spookiness caused Allison so much heartbreak. But Arthur and Allison have come through in the clutch at their two biggest events this year and I think it’s time to put much of that skepticism aside.
Kristi Nunnink and the lovely mare R-Star produced the best US show jumping round, finishing the weekend with just a rail and 30.2 time added to their dressage score. They head home from Burghley with a 26th place finish. Kate Hicks and Belmont leave Burghley with a clear cross-country round and that makes them champions in my book. They added 27 penalties today and finished Burghley in 50th place. Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries finished two spots behind them with 21 penalties today. The six US Burghley competitors will head home with two top-10 finishes, four clear cross-country rides, and five completions.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge thanks to Samantha for her wonderful weekend of coverage (stay tuned for much more). I also want to thank all of the volunteers, officials, and organizers who make Burghley possible. Finally, many thanks to all of you for making Eventing Nation part of your Burghley weekend.
Go Sinead and Tate, go USA, go Andrew, and go Burghley.
