Clea Phillipps and the horse that I’m not alone in coveting – Lead the Way. I didn’t get a chance to ask her about her interesting quarter marks. Perhaps if I see her before cross country tomorrow, maybe in the start box, NOT!
If anyone knows, or thinks they know, I’d love to read comments! He’s by Supreme Leader so I don’t think that has any bearing?
Zara Phillips after her test on High Kingdom. Poor Zara, the warm-up was mobbed while she was working in for her test, with real paparazzi training their enormous lenses on her from top of the bleachers. After her test we talked to her, and she was reminded by someone of how much she’d said she liked this horse and her expectations for him, and she told us she tried not to talk about them too much, to build them up, in case things go wrong, but when she came out she you could see how much she loves “Trevor”, and it made me slightly sad. Later, in the press room we were told she was coming up for a photo opportunity, on her own, just to pose for us, in the hope, I think, that she’ll be left alone the rest of the time. So, that’s the only photo I’ve taken of her.
Francis Whittington didn’t have the dressage results he was hoping for; Easy Target slips into 37th place with 53.2
Angus Smales and Ballyvooney
Andrew Nicholson rode Nereo into 4th place, just .5 ahead of stablemate Avebury in 5th, and joked that it’s a hard job to keep the owners happy, trying not to let one horse do too much better than the other! He also mentioned that he thought there were still some marks left on the table and part of that might be due to the fact that he was riding with a very badly-bruised and swollen right hand after falling at Highclere on Sunday.
“When I moved off after the halt, he felt like he moved off nicely, then it felt like he went to canter and I had to say no, and he’s a very sensitive horse, but for sure that’s why in the medium trot he was blowing his nose because it’s a sign of tension. Possibly I was a bit stronger with one hand, or just different to what he’s used to due to my injury.”
Having commented on how fit his and ready his horses are for Burghley’s cross country test, we couldn’t help but ask Andrew if he was perhaps not in quite as good a shape, “I’m not the one having to go up and down the hills” he laughed. In fact he rode four horses cross country at Highclere immediately after the fall. Andrew talked about the tomorrow’s course,
“The beginning of it comes very quickly for the horses, and I think you’re going to have to ride quite positively. It’s pretty much full-on at the beginning – when you get a row of ditches in a row, even a good ditch jumper starts to look at them after about the third one, so you’ve got to be pretty much making your mind up for them when you’re starting even from the word Go.”
Andrew’s partner Wiggy rides the test
Exactly!
Laura Collett on the former Champion Working Hunter Noble Bestman
Ian Stark chats with Alice Plunkett/Fox-Pitt
I know that it’s ESJ’s and mine quick wit, fascinating intellect, and wonderful company that makes EN John wish he was here covering the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with us…
One of three riders with two horses in the top 10, Neuf des Couers slots into 10th place
(Parklane Hawk’s in 2nd) Mary King has King’s Temptress in 3rd and Apache Sauce in 8th, and Andrew Nicholson lies 4th and 5th.
The scores are so close at the top that these errors of course – Caroline on both her horses, Lucinda Fredericks, William on Parklane Hawk and Pippa Funnell on Mirage D’Elle could prove costly.
More on Mary soon, I’m uploading a video that will convert you if you weren’t already a huge fan. Hope to have that up later tonight, until then I’ll leave you with Mr Wofford’s thoughts on the cross country,
“Old-fashioned, big, scopey. A test of courage. I would not say it’s untechnical but it does not emphasise the technical to the extent the modern courses have done lately. I haven’t done a breakdown yet; this course would have a very low technical number but the fear factor would probably be 99%. It does slightly make me wish I was riding again, but I don’t want to do the work it would take to get me that fit.”
Well, then I had to ask, if he WAS riding, which horse from this year’s field would he choose?
“Probably Nereo, Andrew Nicholson’s horse. I’m too big for Shiraz; I’d love to be light enough and skinny enough to ride a horse like that who thinks these are just playthings. I don’t know these english horses well enough really, except for the team horses that I see go.”
Many thanks to Jimmy and everyone who talked, tweeted, emailed me and read Eventing Nation today. I’m feeling incredibly lucky and grateful, enjoying every minute, and looking forward to tomorrow, always! Go Eventing.
