Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We’ve got a new addition to the Defender Burghley entry list ahead of today’s draw for running order. After initially being short-listed for the FEI Eventing European Championships for Great Britain, Oliver Townend and the owners of CCI5* winner Cooley Rosalent have opted to withdraw from selection and instead aim for the 11-year-old Irish mare’s Burghley debut.
“We wholeheartedly believe in her as a team horse and recognise the privilege of being included in selection, but equally support her owners dream of having a horse delivering top results at our British 5* competitions,” Oliver shared on social media. “After Rosie’s brilliant win at Kentucky and 2nd place at Badminton this spring, combined with her owner’s ill health, they felt Burghley is the next exciting step for her. We will no doubt be fully supporting and cheering on the Brits who were selected for the Europeans and look forward to watching them defend the title on home soil!”
While EquiRatings still has Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, 2024 winners of Burghley, as the heavy favorites to win at 47%, Oliver now sweeps into second in the Prediction Centre with a 16% current win chance. You can view the Prediction Centre here.
We’ll have news on the Burghley draw later today, but in the meantime you can view the full entry list and more information here.
EN’s coverage of Defender Burghley is presented to you by Kentucky Performance Products.
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