Classic Eventing Nation

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Libby Law.

When just one horse-and-rider pair jumped clear in the morning session of showjumping at Defender Burghley today — that was Harry Meade and Away Cruising, for what it’s worth — we knew that nothing would come easily in this afternoon’s finale. Of course, that was already a bit of a given; of the top ten after cross-country, very few could be considered exceptional show jumpers, and certainly neither overnight leader Tim Price’s Vitali, nor overnight runner-up Oliver Townend’s Ballaghmor Class, would be easily bestowed with the accolade.

And so it began, and the rails, as predicted, fell en masse, even for typically very good jumpers. There were some excellent early efforts; first-timers Emma Thomas and Icarus and relatively inexperienced combination — and fellow Wesko Equestrian Federation benefactors — Kristina Hall-Jackson and CMS Google each delivered elusive clears, popping them up a handful of places apiece, as did Alex Bragg‘s upstart Quindiva, who moved into the top fifteen as a result. But in total? Just six of the 32 starters executed a double-clear round, which meant that by the time the final handful of combinations came forward, the atmosphere in the place was a true pressure cooker.

First, overnight fifth-placed Sam Watson and SAP Talisman tipped four rails, pushing themselves right out of the hunt; then, overnight fourth-placed Wills Oakden and Oughterard Cooley took one, despite a classy effort. Finally, it was the turn of third-place David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed, arguably the pair with the greatest advantage in this phase, as they’ve not had a rail in 2023 and jumped clear previously at both Badminton and Kentucky on the final day. Sitting in third overnight, they were, on paper at least, in a fortuitous position as far as mindset is concerned — but would the pressure of possibility still get to them? Would we see them tip the final fence and miss out, as we had done when they jumped in the lead spot at Pau last year, handing the win to Jonelle Price?

We wouldn’t, as it turns out: the Wiltshire-based part-time ice-cream maker and his extraordinary horse, with whom he’s logged three top tens in a row at the level prior to this week, delivered the round of the day. It was smooth, classy, clean, and ensured they’d be the only pair in the competition to finish on their dressage score — but would it be enough? All they could do was wait — “and I’m not very good at watching,” admitted David.

Next up to bat was Oliver Townend, with a rail-and-change in hand aboard the 2017 winner of this event. They’ve lost as many five-stars as they’ve won off the back of a rail down — or, in the case of Badminton 2019, a stride and thus a second that they couldn’t afford — but today, it looked as though they’d avoid that curse. Until, of course, they came to the final fence, established take-off — and took the top rail with them. But without having lost any time around the track, it could still be enough — provided that dressage-record-setters Tim Price and Vitali stuck to prior form and tipped three rails, as they’ve done in each of the horse’s three prior five-stars.

They did. Three rails later, they’d dropped themselves into a final fourth place — and Oliver Townend was named the winner of the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials, by just seven tenths of a penalty over David Doel.

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class add another five-star win to their record. Photo by Libby Law.

There are few horses, whether in the modern era of the sport or in its century-and-a-bit long history, that have established the sort of consistency that we’ve seen from 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse Ballaghmor Class (Courage II – Kilderry Place, by an unrecorded sire). In nine five-star runs, he’s never finished lower than fifth; today, he added a third win at the level to his roster, completing a full circle that began with his debut — and first win — as a ten-year-old here.

It’s a sea change for Oliver, whose 2022 season brought with it a lack of top-level wins, and the loss of the FEI World Number One spot, after numerous seasons at the top of his game — and one that he’s been working his way towards ever since.

“Last year, we didn’t win a five star, which was the first year for a while that we hadn’t; we’d been on a good roll, but it was the same year that I joined Caunton Stud,” says Oliver, referring to the high-powered competition and breeding base of Victoria Wright, daughter of Sir John Peace, who had begun a professional partnership with Townend following the tragic passing of her late husband, fellow event rider Matthew Wright, in 2021. That new system, which sees him ride a string of exciting horses for Caunton from their own base, while maintaining his own string at his Gadlas Farm in Shropshire, represented a huge, but exciting, demand on his time — and one he needed to ensure he balanced properly.

‘We were trying to figure out if we were making sure everything was still being done the way we want it done, with two yards two and a half hours apart,” he says. “But this just cements that the teams at both yards are still doing all the right things with the horses, and now we can kick on and hopefully breathe into it and relax and and keep producing these results.”

Oliver Townend: your 2023 Defender Burghley champion. Photo by Libby Law.

For Oliver, who names Burghley as “the best five-star in the world; my favourite five-star”, winning again is undeniably special — but winning aboard ‘Thomas’, who was originally produced as a young horse in Ireland by Katherine Charlton, is even better, despite his occasional penchant for poles.

“I think his other two phases are strong enough to forgive him the occasional fence down, and when he doesn’t have a fence down, he wins. I think he’s jumping as good as he’s ever jumped,” says Oliver. “I got to the second to last and thought, ‘Christ, we’re still clear, go on!’ — and then, BANG! But what can I say about him — he’s a freak of nature ,and the people behind him in terms of the staff at home are just incredible. They’ve all been with me between seven and fourteen years; they’ve known all the horses since they were four years old — and horses don’t lie. If there’s a five-star on in the world, generally we’re there and near the top. So, the important thing is that he’s as sound as he’s ever been. He feels better than he’s ever felt and he’s performed amazingly.”

And what is it that makes Ballaghmor Class so special?

“He’s a true event horse,” says Oliver. “He’s brave. You know, at a couple of fences yesterday I thought, ‘oh, good distance!’ and then he absolutely walloped them and I was like, ‘oh my god. What are you doing?!’ But he still has his ears pricked and a smile on his face. And I think it’s that bravery that makes him perhaps not the most careful event horse, but at the same time, as long as I keep doing my job and he keeps doing his job, the form says the rest — and I love his form. If we went back to the long format tomorrow he’d still come out on top; he’s a fighter. Whatever era you put this horse in, he will win.”

David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed. Photo by Libby Law.

For David Doel, who got the most colossal cheers of the week for his exceptional clear today, this career-best second-place finish is something extraordinarily special — and if any part of him is thinking about what could have been, it’d be very hard to spot that through his palpable, hugely well-earned delight.

“Our luck was here this week,” says David, his characteristic broad smile etched across his face. “We didn’t have the luck at Pau, when we lost the lead, and I had a couple of lucky rubs, for sure, but he’s such a special horse — he’s magic.”

Galileo Nieuwmoed has been proving himself a horse of a lifetime for David over the last couple of years, with a fourth-place finish at Pau last year, a sixth-place finish at Badminton last spring, an eighth-place finish at Kentucky this spring, and two four-star wins to his name already in just his twelve-year-old season. He came into this afternoon’s showjumping as the only horse at the upper end of the leaderboard with a statistical chance of a clear — and cool-headed David rode the round of his life to make sure that happened.

“He’s an absolutely mega horse to ride,” he says. “We had our plan for the morning, for the trot up, and we had our plan for the jumping in the afternoon — and it’s not very often the plan goes right, but this weekend, we’ve ticked all those boxes and the plan has gone well.”

Now, the obvious question on everyone’s mind is this: where next for Galileo, who, but for a first-phase that’s still not quite consistent — he earned a 33.7 this week — could be the sort of British team anchor that could be counted on on the biggest of stages?

“I’ve not really thought past this weekend, honestly,” admits David. “But I was obviously a little bit disappointed to miss out on the Europeans, and so it was a great thing to be able to come here and show the form he has. I guess, now that he has a second, a fourth, a sixth, and an eighth at five-star, we’ve got to win one!”

Harry Meade and Cavalier Crystal. Photo by Libby Law.

After delivering the only clear of the morning session with first ride Away Cruising, Harry Meade returned for the afternoon to pilot his debutant mare Cavalier Crystal around the influential track in pursuit of their overnight sixth — or better. And though she’s one of the least experienced horses in the field, she delivered a clear as classy as her much more seasoned stablemates, which allowed her to sit pretty on the leaderboard and climb thereafter, up to an eventual third place.

“She’s such a fun jumper,” enthuses Harry. “She’s obviously a totally different ride from Away Cruising, but for both of them to have come out today and jumped clear rounds, it’s really just so exciting for the whole team. It’s nice — on a good jumper you can really enjoy it and just go in and have fun.”

Harry came to Burghley this week with three horses: hugely experienced pathfinder Away Cruising, debutant Crystal in the middle of the pack, and former stallion Tenareze as his third ride yesterday, but before coming, he tells us that he really wasn’t sure what to expect from the up-and-coming mare in her step up. While she’s obviously relished the experience, it’s also provided an immense learning opportunity, both for her to discover the upper echelon of her sport, and for Harry to discover more about her, too.

“The biggest question for me was how she coped with the atmosphere,” he says. “Not so much in the final jumping phase, but just generally — and also the speed and endurance on the cross country. Even before I went to get on her yesterday I was questioning it; I hoped it would be the right decision for her. But I think she thoroughly proved that she’s a five-star horse through and through. Today, if I could choose a horse to be sitting on, I was delighted it was her. Away Cruising has very different characteristics, and he was a good warm-up horse for me to jump a clear round with — and then I was able to get on and just really enjoy her.”

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Libby Law.

Though those three rails were achingly disappointing, and cost him another Burghley win to add to his 2018 victory, Tim Price didn’t have too far to fall with his two-phase leader, Vitali. They wound up in fourth place at the close of the competition — a respectable finish for a pair who began their week by setting a dressage record of 18.7.

“It’s super disappointing, and the gravity of that will come on in a few hours,” says Tim. “Showjumping is his Achilles’ heel, and we know that — I was just desperate to turn that around and get our first great result in the showjumping department. It’s disappointing, and it’s back to the drawing board. He’s a funny little fish, and we’ve just got to figure him out. I’ve never been very good at Rubik’s cubes, but I’ll get there in the end, I’m sure.”

Wills Oakden and Oughterard Cooley. Photo by Libby Law.

Scotland’s Wills Oakden isn’t the kind of man to come to a five-star aiming to be an also-ran, but despite his exceptional ability as a cross-country jockey, he’s never quite snuck into the business end of the leaderboard — before this week. And if you’d told him before he arrived that he’d end up with two horses in the top ten, having executed a twenty-plus place climb over cross-country and tipping just a rail apiece to stay well in the mix?

“I’d have said you’re insane,” he laughs. “But it’s worked out, and it’s full credit to the two horses and all their connections for obviously supporting me and give me the rides. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to try and get the best out of them.”

Oughterard Cooley, who joined Galileo Nieuwmoed as one of two horses inside the time yesterday, slipped from fourth to fifth with one rail, while former Oliver Townend ride Arklow Puissance, also by the late Irish sire Puissance, climbed from ninth to eighth with his own rail.

“It’s surprising but absolutely brilliant,” says Wills of his banner week at Burghley. “They’re two out-and-out jumping horses and cross country horses, and to have the rides that I’ve had is unbelievable, really.”

Wills Oakden and Arklow Puissance. Photo by Libby Law.

Wills came to Burghley off the back of a major win in the CCI4*-L at his local international, Scotland’s Blair Castle, where he also took a three-star section — but, he says, he didn’t let the buzz of that win influence him as he came to the biggest event of his season.

“It’s a completely different week, so when you drive out of one event, you just start thinking about the next one,” he says, with no shortage of pragmatism. “Coming down here we just had to trust the work we’ve done at home; we knew we’d got them properly fit and well, and we just came to have a go, really, but it’s worked out.”

Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope. Photo by Libby Law.

Pippa Funnell, too, tipped a pole with her stalwart campaigner Majas Hope, and though she was still able to climb from eighth to sixth, she had one thing to say as she rode out of the ring: “Bugger!” she laughs. “Because actually, he jumped well. I was very pleased with how he’s jumping.”

Her husband, British team showjumper William Funnell, helped her with her preparation for this phase — a dynamic she might be rethinking going forward.

“I didn’t jump him so much in the warm-up, and William said, ‘whatever you do, don’t start pulling and hooking, because then he inverts’,” says Pippa. “I came out of the ring and he says, ‘You were too free there’. So maybe I should have hooked and pulled a bit! But Hope’s been lovely this weekend. He’s been fabulous. And actually, he was unlucky to have one down as opposed to being lucky having one down. He did jump well, so I’m delighted.”

Every year, Pippa says, she considers starting to plan the end of her extraordinary top-level career — but weeks like this make her rethink the decision.

“I’ve gone right down to four horses thinking, ‘Okay, I’ll see these through,'” she says. “Now I’m thinking, ‘I’d really like another couple of nice six year olds!’ When you go around and have a ride like yesterday, you sort of think, ‘Oh my god, there’s a bit more juice in me left.’ But I don’t know. We’ll see. It might be a different story in two weeks!”

Alice Casburn and Topspin. Photo by Libby Law.

On the other end of a top-level career is 21-year-old Alice Casburn, who once again found herself in the top ten at the end of the week having delivered a clear showjumping round with her homebred, Topspin. This year, that round, and that finish, represented a weeklong climb from first-phase 37th to a final seventh — though she wasn’t always sure she’d get their characteristic perfect finale this time.

“He was quite quiet in the warm-up and I was like, ‘oh god, is he alright?’,” she laughs. “And then he goes in there and he just completely lights up. He goes all spooky and over-excitable, but he’s incredible. I couldn’t be more thrilled with him.”

That reactivity might, in a funny sort of way, actually be the lynchpin that pulls the whole thing together, because it forces a reaction: “The first three fences I’m still a little bit like, cold feet,” explains Alice. “But then, actually, I was so worried about that I started riding it like a jump-off at a showjumping show, and I actually really enjoyed myself. I think as soon as I get into it and I get going, I’m pretty calm but going in absolutely not. I don’t think I breathed! I’s incredible; even when you walk in and you haven’t even done anything yet, the crowds are cheering at you and you hear the gasps as you go around as well. I don’t think any other feeling would beat it.”

Of her six-time five-star partner, who still lives in the stable he was born in, she smiles, “He deserves it so much. I’m so young, so to have an experience like this with a horse like him — I feel incredibly lucky.”

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF. Photo by Libby Law.

Ninth and tenth place went the way of Boyd Martin riding Tsetserleg TSF and On Cue, respectively — but though it’s an incredibly exciting result, ultra-competitive Boyd is already thinking about how he could have engineered a better one, particularly with talented Tsetserleg, who tipped three rails today to drop from overnight seventh.

“I jumped fence one and he was jumping so well, and then I came through the turn and he lost his lead, and then he had trouble making the turn,” explains Boyd. “And then I ended up to an impossible distance at fence two and he went through it. So we plowed fence three and then we regained ourselves and finished jumping well. And Cue, she had two down so, obviously it’s always lovely to jump clear, but I really feel like we gave our best this weekend. It’s so tough at this level of the sport.”

Tsetserleg’s return to form after tricky runs at both Kentucky and Luhmühlen, and Cue’s return to the sport after nearly two years off after her win at the inaugural Maryland five-star, give Boyd plenty of hope for the future — and plenty of positives to take forward as he looks towards another couple of five-star runs with younger horses at the tail end of the year.

Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Libby Law.

“I’ve got a good group now,” he says. “The thing I’m happy about is that Cue hasn’t done much since that Maryland, and I just wanted to get through this unscathed — and I feel like she’s got plenty left in the tank at the end. And same with Thomas; he’s had a bit of a shonky year at five-star, and there was a lot of whispering that he’s past his prime. To come out here and jump around this, I feel like his career’s still to continue, and I’m very, very pleased for the Turner family who backed me for so many years. The Yanks are on top of the world at the moment, but we’re still going to get better. We’ve got some awesome horses, and awesome riders, and we still need to make up just a bit to be the best in the world.”

At the end of the day, he says, these weeks — these enormous efforts, these results, these highs and lows — are all about the horses underneath you.

“I’m actually really in awe of both these horses’ characters,” says Boyd. “They fight for me, and I don’t know if they’re born like that, or it’s through the partnership or something in their DNA, but there’s so many moments, especially in this last third of a course, where I think, ‘you have every reason to pull up right now’. But they don’t. I feel them grit their teeth and pin their ears back, and I don’t call on them like that very often — it’s once or twice maybe a year — but when I do ask for that grit and determination, God, they want to do it. They do it for me. And I just love them for that.”

Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit. Photo by Libby Law.

Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit came to Burghley this week knowing that everything — the long trip to the UK, the time spent based with Tim and Jonelle Price, the money and time and effort and faith put into the whole undertaking — would be worth it to give the off-the-track Thoroughbred the chance to run over a course that matched his big heart and huge stride. That’s all paid off remarkably well for them; though they began their week out of the hunt in 29th place, they climbed and climbed yesterday to move up to 15th on their 10.8 time penalties and today, after tipping one rail and adding 1.2 time penalties, they moved up again, to a hugely exciting eleventh place.

“It’s a very good day in the office for Wabbit,” says Olympian Jessica with a broad smile. “It’s a true achievement, absolutely. Just to have that horse come out and perform the way he did today is just a miracle. It’s beyond our expectations. It’s like a God-given day.”

Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Libby Law.

Jennie Brannigan slots in right behind her in twelfth place, having knocked just one rail with the cross-country specialist FE Lifestyle, who has impressed throughout the week despite constantly playing catch-up after a flight delay meant he only arrived a week ago.

“It’s been a bit stressful, honestly, because the horse did not ship over here well,” explains Jennie. “And so we’ve been staying up late nights, shout out to my girls. So it’s been a lot of work but obviously totally worth it. He’s a great horse, and the rail was definitely my fault, but I’m excited to maybe come back here in the future.”

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Libby Law.

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way took a final sixteenth place, after a frustrating round for them saw them take three rails.

“For all that he’s done, he’s still quite green and affected by atmosphere, especially at combinations because he tends to stare through them,” explains Will. “So when I saw that the triple combination was coming at fence five, I think I just oversteadied a little bit and got a little bit quiet in, which was my plan, but then he didn’t quite cover the back rail. Then, I just think he got flustered at the next two but then he got his composure back and jumped the end of the course really great. So you know, it’s not the result you want, but you dream of coming to these events your whole life and then you get here and not all of us can produce it on the day. I’m happy to complete — I didn’t get that done in 2012.”

If there’s anything we’ve learned this week at Burghley — and, frankly, in any of our five-star reporting roles — it’s that getting to this stage of the week is an accomplishment almost beyond words, and managing to do so in the top twenty, or top ten? That’s something you can dine out on for a lifetime. That’s all from us for now from the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials — thank you for joining us on this wild ride, and roll on the next one!

Go Eventing.

The top ten at the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

EN’s coverage of Burghley is presented by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn all about their full line of science-backed nutritional support products, including Neigh-Lox Advanced for digestive support.

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Overnight leaders Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s been a morning of two halves here at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials. We woke up, bright-ish and sort of bushy-tailed, to discover news of five overnight withdrawals, thinning the field to 32 going into the final phase, and feared an ongoing morning of drama — but then, as the final horse inspection unfolded in front of ground jury members Christian Steiner, Anne-Mette Binder, and Nick Burton, it was all… rather boring, actually. Not a single one of our remaining horses was so much as asked to trot a second time, and all 32 looked fit, well, and in good condition following yesterday’s exertions. It’s the kind of ‘boring’ that we all tend to long for.

Those withdrawals came from across the breadth of the leaderboard. Most notably, though also most unsurprisingly, was the withdrawal of ninth-placed Tenareze, who was the last horse on course yesterday with Harry Meade, and completed with 9.6 time penalties but pulled up lame at the finish. Harry and his team have since posted an update on the gelding on social media: “He’s happy, settled & comfortable in his stable this evening having pulled up lame,” they write. “The veterinary team at the finish were absolutely brilliant and with him within seconds. Thankfully he will be fine although sadly for him won’t get his chance to shine in the show jumping tomorrow.”

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way move into the top ten. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That withdrawal now means that US representatives Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way step up into the top ten going into showjumping.

Also withdrawn was 25th-placed Ferro Point, the other ride of David Doel, who sits third with his remaining horse, Galileo Nieuwmoed. Tom McEwen, who pulled up on course yesterday with Toledo de Kerser, who is also confirmed to be happy and well at home in his stable, opted to withdraw his debutant, Luna Mist, who sat 19th after cross-country, and British-based US rider and five-star first-timer Grace Taylor withdrew Game Changer from 16th place. Former British under-25 title-holders Greta Mason and Cooley For Sure also withdrew from 35th place.

Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Two prizes were awarded at the final horse inspection. The Best-Shod Horse prize was given to Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle, ridden by Jennie Brannigan and shod by Russell Deering. The Horsemanship Prize for the groom who was deemed to have gone above and beyond in their care of their charge was awarded to Amy Akehurst, groom for Tom Crisp and Liberty and Glory, who has also been a previous winner of this prize at Badminton. Second place went to Kerryn Edmans, groom for overnight leaders Tim Price and Vitali.

Tom Crisp and the best cared-for horse, Liberty and Glory, groomed by Amy Akehurst. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Now, it’s all about the showjumping — and that top few horses and riders. We’ve got an exciting afternoon ahead of us, not least because our overnight leaders have just 2.3 penalties in hand — and in three five-stars, have consistently had three rails down each time. But in second place, Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class aren’t a guaranteed jumping pair either; they pulled four rails at Pratoni last year, and though they have jumped clear and won at the level, they’ve also had to settle for a top-five placing a number of times on the basis of this phase. And then, in third place, there’s David Doel. He’s 7 penalties — less than two rails — behind the leader, and 4.7 penalties — a rail and less than two seconds — behind Oliver, and he and Galileo Nieuwmoed haven’t had a rail down in 2023. They’ve jumped clear at Kentucky and Badminton, and while they did tip the final rail at Pau last year while in the lead, they come into the ring in a much more fortuitous and less pressurised position. Just 1.2 penalties, or three seconds, behind him is Wills Oakden and Oughterard Cooley, who had three rails here last year and two at Badminton this spring, and then, in fifth, it’s Sam Watson and SAP Talisman, who haven’t yet had a clear round in a long-format. Expect big changes and a tonne of excitement to come (and maybe pour yourself a stiff drink to get through the stress of it all).

Here’s a look at the top ten going into showjumping this afternoon:

The first group of 12 horses and riders will take to the showjumping ring from 10:30 a.m. local time/5.30 a.m. EST. The top twenty will follow on from 14.15 p.m. local/9.15 a.m. EST. Keep it locked onto EN for a full report on all the action — and to meet our 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials champion!

EN’s coverage of Burghley is presented by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn all about their full line of science-backed nutritional support products, including Neigh-Lox Advanced for digestive support.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials Links: Website | Live Stream | Entries | EN’s Coverage

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Peter Nixon/Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

In classic Burghley fashion, cross-country day has been a day of major changes, colossal climbs — and no shortage of surprises. Just four of our top ten after dressage remain in the hunt after cross-country, though no one could quite have predicted the variety of ways in which major contenders fell by the wayside: second-placed Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs retired at the Dairy Mound (20ABC) after effectively landing in the huge oxer at A; fourth-placed Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser also pulled up, though just before fence 12, the Waterloo Rails, after the horse took some lame steps. Fifth-placed Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel saw their day end at the Dairy Mound when the newly-crowned European Champion took a shock tumble at the second element, the first of the skinny triple bars, and tenth-placed Emily King and Valmy Biats dropped down to 29th after a topsy-turvy round full of enormously classy moments but also no shortage of rotten luck, which saw them activate a pin at those Waterloo Rails — “I don’t think you’re meant to miss at a five-star fence,” she jokes, wryly — and then get their stud girth caught on the fence. They steadily navigated the rest of the course battling a shifted girth, a lost whip, and a bad chest infection (for Emily, not, crucially, Valmy), and so finished in fine style but with a sensible 30.8 time penalties as well as those 11 frangible penalties.

But where there were high-profile disappointments (who, for example, could have guessed that Oliver’s first ride of the day, with Tregilder, would end because of a snapped rein, or that hugely experienced trailblazers Harry Meade and Away Cruising would pick up their first 20 in six years?), there were also countless of the kind of stories that make this event so special, and so unique. Take, for example, the 33- and 23-place climbs executed by Scotland’s Wills Oakden, who rocketed into the top ten on both rides as a result of his swift, capable riding; see also the lifts from 37th and 26th to 13th and 14th, respectively, by Alice Casburn and Topspin and Tom Crisp and Liberty and Glory after masterclass efforts. We’ve seen first-timers — horses and riders alike — excel: take British-based US representative Grace Taylor and Game Changer, for example, who might have dropped out of the top ten into 16th with their 17.6 time penalties, but still looked as though they’d walked the course together while tackling their step up, or Wesko Equestrian Foundation beneficiaries Emma Thomas and Icarus, who kept on digging deep and romped home to sit just outside the top twenty with a 25-place climb.

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Peter Nixon/Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

And then there was our overnight leader, who left the startbox late in the day with an enviable margin, thanks to the remarkable 18.7 he’d put on the board yesterday, setting a venue record, a five-star record, and a personal international record all in one go. As it turned out, New Zealand’s Tim Price and Vitali would need it; they added 8 time penalties during their round, allowing them to maintain their grasp on first place — thanks, in part, to disasters that befell many of their nearest competitors — but taking away any hope of a rail in hand for tomorrow’s finale, too.

That eight time penalties — that’s twenty seconds — came as something of a surprise, both to spectators and to Tim, too: the 13-year-old Holsteiner hasn’t yet made the time at five-star, but he’s come close to it. But, Tim explains, today he had a rather different feeling underneath him than he’s used to.

“He was just not taking me from the start for whatever reason — horses aren’t machines,” he reasons. “He still had a desire to go, but just not the same speed as what I’ve had with him in the past, so you’ve just got to ride with what’s beneath you. His jump stayed good, and the action was good all the way home. It was just a matter of just trying to just eke a little bit more out of him. For him, he’s such an internaliser. I’ve said before, I think it did him some good at some stages, to take a breath and relax and then get into a good wind kind of mode. He just stayed a little bit held, but I’m really proud of him, he just kept coming. At one point, I thought it was a long way to home, but he kept trying and we got there.”

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Libby Law.

The pair looked classy around the course, but for one nearly moment at the Irish Bank at 17A, when the gelding came close to tripping himself up while touching down atop the obstacle.

“I just wish I didn’t see that distance,” says Tim. “I was just trying to be cheeky under the tree and took my eye off the distanace and I had to sort of hook it out of the ground. And then I thought, ‘you’ve asked for trouble now’. Anyway, we got away with it, and the rest really was just a tough day in the office around a five-star really.”

One of the highlights of the round came at the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit at 7ABCD, where Vitali locked on and attacked the colossal final elements of the question, which was ultimately the most influential of the day with 15 combinations picking up penalties, despite most riders assessing it as an easier iteration of the complex than in previous years.

“That’s what makes him the horse that he is cross country,” Tim explains. ‘He switches on when it’s really important to, and he responds to my questions when he needs to. Not just for staying inside the flags, but for safety and for all these other things that we have to deal with all the way round the course. But we’ve had lovelier rounds; Badminton in the mud was really smooth and it was, I think, one of my most favourite rounds of my career. But with horses being horses, you can’t expect that every time, and every day is different. It’s become quite warm this afternoon, whether it’s that or whether it’s just the side of the bed he got out on, he just wasn’t taking me today like he can do.”

Now, the pair go into tomorrow’s showjumping finale with less than a rail — 2.3 penalties, to be precise — in hand. That’s not, perhaps, the proximity that Tim would have liked to have borne; in his three five-stars, Vitali has had three rails down each time.

“He’s just not all that confident with atmosphere,” says Tim, who has taken the gelding jumping in the Spanish winter tours in a bid to build his confidence in this phase. “He’s actually quite a good jumper. He’s quite an athlete and he wants to do the right thing, but he might leave the building for thirty seconds or so which isn’t helpful. But our preparations have been really good; I’ve been mixing it up a little bit with my approach to it all, and I think he’s come here really happy and relaxed. I’m looking forward to having a chance of demonstrating that tomorrow.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Libby Law.

After two rounds that he’d rather forget — that broken rein with Tregilder, for one, and the crash through the oxer at the Dairy Mound with Swallow Springs, after which he retired — Oliver Townend was relieved to leave the start box for the final time on a horse who’s not only won here, on his debut as a ten-year-old six years ago, but is, arguably, the most consistent cross-country horse in the world. Ballaghmor Class has run at eight five-stars, and has never finished outside the top five in any of them — and once again, he proved today precisely why that is, with a positive, confident round that saw him hold his overnight second place, albeit with 4.8 additional time penalties.

“After the first two, I did think, ‘here we go again!’ It’ll be like twelve months ago, hitting the floor twice without feeling like we’d done too much wrong,” says Oliver. “So it was good that the last one was Mr Reliable. What can you say about him? He’s a freak of nature, and not only is my hero, but the horse of a lifetime.”

His time penalties, he explains, came because adjusting the 16-year-old’s stride proved tricky around the long, tough track.

“He wasn’t giving me the easiest ride; he’s definitely not showing his age! He was keen, keen, keen,” he says. “He opens the stride easily, but then it doesn’t close — going down to fence five, the rail and ditch, I had no control whatsoever, and the very last stride before we took off at the rail was the shortest stride he took and the only split second I was in control. But he just knows what he’s doing, and as long as I show him where we’re going, he does it nicely.”

Both his earlier rides, he says, returned to the stables feeling fit and well and ready to potentially reroute after some conversations with the owners.

“It’s a huge credit to the team at home. These horses don’t lie; they don’t turn up as old as they are again and again and again and again with their ears pricked, doing their jobs, without incredible management behind the scenes,” says Oliver. “All the girls back home have been there for years and years. We’re all getting older, but we’re all still madly passionate about the horses and they keep coming to these big events and putting in great performances.”

David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed. Photo by Libby Law.

At the very start of the day, two riders put down exceptional clear rounds inside the time — and though we all wondered, for just a fleeting moment, if that might mean that the time would prove gettable all day, nobody else managed it throughout the rest of the 58 rounds.

The fastest of those? Wiltshire-based David Doel and the consummate galloper Galileo Nieuwmoed, who once again showed the utter class that has seen them finish in the top ten at Badminton, Kentucky, and Pau — the latter of which they led after this phase. They came home in 10:57, nine seconds inside the time, and stepped up from overnight 25th to third place going into the final phase.

“He’s had great five-star form and he’s a lovely galloping horse — he gallops so easily across the ground,” says David, who was up on his minute markers throughout the course. “He turned really well, even though this was probably a bit of a fiddly course for him; he’s got a big stride and really likes to open up, so with the twists and turns, I wasn’t really sure how he’d take it. He felt a little bit tired coming off the Dairy Mound, but he picked up really well coming home and gave me a super feel.”

But the credit can’t go wholly to Galileo Nieuwmoed: David himself has proven time and time again that he’s exceptional at riding a swift rhythm and finding economical lines and approaches, a skill that’s helped him catch the time at several five-stars with different horses.

“It’s been a lot of years of work, and it’s been a real team effort over the years — we’ve made some mistakes and learned from them, and I made mistakes today and we’ll learn from them again,” says David, who also sits 25th with second ride Ferro Point after an early drive-by at the final element of the Leaf Pit and a respectable 9.6 time penalties, even with that runout. “So it’s an ever-evolving sort of picture really. I like going quickly, don’t get me wrong, it’s good fun, but I’m very lucky to have two lovely horses here at the moment that you can sit on top of and let jump underneath you, and they gave me super rides.”

And going into the final phase? David sits on a score of 33.7, which puts him seven penalties — or less than two rails — behind the leaders, and a rail and just under two seconds behind Oliver, who, like our overnight leaders, will be achingly aware that tomorrow’s phase isn’t always his most straightforward. As for Galileo? He’s not yet had a rail this year, and he jumped clear on the final day at Badminton last year, so while the memory of losing the win at Pau when the final rail fell will probably still sting, he has the great benefit of going into tomorrow’s competition without the pressure of jumping for the win outright. All he has to do is get the job done and wait, for what will probably be the longest two rounds of his life thereafter.

Wills Oakden and Oughterard Cooley. Photo by Libby Law.

The other clear inside the time went the way of Scotland’s Wills Oakden, who brought to Burghley all the confidence that comes from having just won a home CCI4*-L — he took Blair Castle’s feature class, plus a three-star victory, last month — and, of course, two excellent horses. His first, the hugely athletic Oughterard Cooley, was the one with whom he caught the time, and really, this has been waiting in the wings for a while: the gelding finished just outside the top ten here last year and at that tough Badminton this spring, and now, at thirteen, he’s truly hitting his peak. He now sits fourth, having climbed from 27th after dressage.

But, he laughs, “I’ve no shame to admit,  I was out of control the whole way! There was not much being able to ‘whoa’ to prepare for fences. It was just trying to pick a spot, either left or right, in the gear we were in, because he was just relentless, but so cool. He’s a really cool horse.”

One of the secret weapons that Wills has utilised to find Oughterard Cooley’s penchant for speed has been to team up with Grand National-winning racehorse trainer Lucinda Russell, with whom he’s undertaken fitness work on her gallops in Kinross.

“I’m very grateful for the support I get with him, and for the owners — I’m so happy for them,” says Wills. “We’ve had a lot of help this summer from Lucinda — we used her gallops and she’s helped us with the fitness, because he’s been five-star twice and I thought both times we could have got more out of him. He’s really found his guts now with a little tweak from her, and I’m just so proud and so impressed with him. I was slightly terrified at times; it was good! He’s so gutsy, and he just digs so deep and gets going.”

Another way that Wills moderated the energy to ensure he had enough in the tank to catch up at the end was by moderating his own reactions — something he learned from his experience here last year.

“I got very excited last year when I went through Discovery Valley, I got a bit of a cheer and I thought ‘wahey, let’s go!’ And I think that set him alight even more. So this year, I just kept saying to myself, ‘don’t use him. Don’t use him. Don’t use him’. I knew where my minute markers were, I knew I was sitting just behind them. I just thought to myself, ‘wait, wait, wait,’ and I managed to keep waiting all the way until I was through the last bit of the Lion’s Bridge. And then when I pressed go, oh my god, he went! God knows what happened at the last two fences — I can’t remember, but it was pretty fun!”

Wills Oakden and Arklow Puissance. Photo by Libby Law.

Not content with just one mountainous climb, Wills returned near the end of the day for another go-round, this time with the former Oliver Townend ride Arklow Puissance. Though he couldn’t quite catch the time, he added just 4.4 time penalties, moving up from 43rd to tenth place going into the final day in the horse’s first five-star completion.

Sam Watson and SAP Talisman. Photo by Libby Law.

There’s obviously something to be said for Puissance offspring, because alongside Oughterard Cooley and Arklow Puissance, who are both by the stallion, there’s another well in the mix in our new-look top ten. Ireland’s Sam Watson came to Burghley knowing that his very blood SAP Talisman would be perfectly suited to a terrain-heavy stamina test, and so he was — so much so, in fact, that like Wills and Oughterard Cooley before him, he crossed the finish line and found that his horse still had several minutes of running left in him.

“If I could have settled him, I would have been inside that time, but I was a second over,” says Sam ruefully. “Firstly, I take the blame: I wasted two seconds on my way to the first fence, and I knew it at the time as well. And I thought, ‘if I’m a second over I have myself to blame’ — but then I couldn’t settle him either, so it was hard to get it back. It really was.”

Where they could catch up, though, was in Talisman’s unerring ability to cover the ground, delivering stride patterns emulated by much bigger horses throughout the day.

“He’s not big; he’s barely 16 hands and he has a small stride, and he’s spooky. So he’s unreal to shuffle, but like, he did three strides up on the Dairy Mound. He did those big corners in four and three and he wasn’t off them. He had his stride. I didn’t have a good start, and I wouldn’t say that was my smoothest round ever by any stretch but I was on a very good horse today.”

Harry Meade and Cavalier Crystal. Photo by Libby Law.

After a frustrating blip in an otherwise smart trailblazing ride with Away Cruising, Harry Meade returned midway through the day with an exciting debutant in Cavalier Crystal — and although she’s the least experienced of his three rides this week, she’s also put in the top result of his trio. They picked up just a scant 5.2 time penalties, helping them execute a climb from 21st place after dressage to overnight sixth.

“I was thrilled with her,” says Harry, who masterfully negotiated a green moment at the Leaf Pit to add confidence and pace throughout the round thereafter. “I was on a little bit of an ambiguous stride coming up to it and it’s not a thought process. It’s just instinct. It’s always better just to kick on, rather than manhandle them and override the horse’s instincts — but she was mega. She’s been a slow burn; I never, as a young horse, thought she was necessarily a five-star type. She scuttles in her gallop, and she’s very careful and she’d sort of drag herself to the roots of a fence and then jump it in a careful way. But I’ve ridden her since she was a five year old and she’s just gotten better and better. I was slightly in two minds as to how she’d be — I just thought she was an unknown chapter for me here, but she just found it really, really easy. She could see everything — so long as she can see the fences she just pricks her ears and goes. It felt great fun, and she felt she could have done another two or three minutes on the end of it. She could go in a bottomless year and feel like she’s got loads of engine.”

Harry also delivered an end-of-day top-ten round with Tenareze, who was initially awarded 15 penalties for a missed flag but, after those were rescinded, stepped two places up to ninth with his 9.6 time penalties — though it’s unlikely we’ll see him return tomorrow for the final phase, as he was taken for veterinary inspection after he pulled up at the finish. We’ll keep you updated on this as the story develops.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. Photo by Libby Law.

Boyd Martin is best of the fearsome US contingent after delivering a classy and capable round with Tsetserleg TSF, putting a tricky year with run-outs at Kentucky and Luhmühlen well behind him. They added 9.6 time penalties, moving them down just one spot from sixth to seventh.

But that round was very nearly a bit of a different story: they were pulled up by the ground jury late in the course, just before the colossal Agria Slate Mine at 23, for closer inspection of what had appeared to be blood in the horse’s mouth. While they were subsequently deemed fit to restart, Boyd didn’t totally relish the prospect of jumping one of the course’s biggest fences as a re-starter obstacle.

“It was bloody nerve-wracking!” he says. “I was getting waved down in front of the big tram, and I thought someone might have crashed in front of me as they were just pulling me up, but they thought they saw a speck of blood on him. Luckily for me, a couple of vets and a TD there opened his mouth and looked through him and then said, ‘Alright, turn around and come to the biggest jump on the course from a standstill.’ I  was like, ‘oh, God!'”

It’s not, perhaps, an ideal moment in an otherwise very exciting round, but Boyd is pragmatic about it all: “To be honest, it would have been better if I could have just kept rolling but you know, I think the welfare of the horse is always important. Part of me was frustrated but then the other part of me thinks, I love this horse so much and if he was injured, I’d be the first one to pull him up.”

Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Libby Law.

That was Boyd’s second ride of the day; the first, with Maryland 5* winner On Cue, sees him sitting pretty in twelfth on 10.8 time penalties, which came as the horse began to visibly tire in the latter stages of the course, which prompted Boyd to ease off her and coast her home.

“It was a tough round, and she had to fight hard,” says Boyd. ‘She hasn’t done much since the last two years. So she was sort of lacking a previous five star to really get her fit. But God, she tried hard, and I love her to bits. It doesn’t matter what the scenario, she pricks her ears and gets over the jump.”

Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope. Photo by Libby Law.

Pippa Funnell remains in eighth place with Majas Hope after a round that began and ended in much the same way: with an eye on the clock and a palpable air of determination from both horse and rider en route to adding just 8.8 time penalties.

Most interestingly of all, though, is the fact that, in a bid to keep Hope from getting wound up, Pippa didn’t jump a single warm-up fence before leaving the start box — instead, she warmed the gelding up on the flat and then used the early single fences to get the experienced gelding in the air and feeling confident.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking with the warm up, because we didn’t warm up,” she says. “I kept him so far away and trotted and just went up the canter strip, and my practice jumps were the first two three fences So I maybe wasted a bit of time over the first three fences; I felt I was ten seconds down at one minute, which a little bit is me, from the old days with the steeplechase. I always used to start a bit slow, and then you felt the horse underneath you, and you get quicker and quicker. And so that’s what I did. But he was great. Really, really great. I mean, I can’t be unhappy with him at all — I thought he was pretty much foot perfect.”

Will Faudree and Mamas Magic Way. Photo by Libby Law.

Will Faudree was disappointed to pick up 12.4 time penalties with Mama’s Magic Way, dropping them from ninth to eleventh place, but he shouldn’t be, really — the 12-year-old gelding and his rider alike looked exceptional around the course, making light work of both the terrain and the colossal fences.

“He jumped great — he’s a real game horse,” says Will. “Unfortunately, I got in his way a little bit too much to catch the time, so I’m a bit perturbed with myself. But, you know, I got home, and I’ve just got to be better and come back and do it better.”

Now, he tells us, he plans to re-evaluate how he prepares for these big events: “I don’t ever really let him run fast at events at home, because nothing holds him back, and these jumps here actually do hold him back a bit, so I’m going to think about how to train better at competitions,” he says.

Part of it, too, comes down to Burghley’s unique terrain, which was a new experience for ‘Mason’.

“I was actually right on my minute markers up until the Rolex combination [at 15ABC], and then I slowed him down for [the steep Capability’s Cutting road crossing], but he got to the edge of it and just stopped,” explains Will. “I don’t think he’s ever seen anything like that. I also didn’t kick him up the Winners’ Avenue; I let him go kind of on his own, which in hindsight, maybe I should have kicked him up there. Because then I ended up having to add a stride to the corner to get him in front of me.”

Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit. Photo by Libby Law.

Canada’s sole representatives here, Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit, stepped up from 29th to 15th after adding 10.8 time penalties — a quick and efficient round that began with a tactical bit of steady riding out of the start box.

“I was hoping to be closer to the time than we were, but he needed me to just settle him a little at the start,” she says. “He’s a full Thoroughbred, and he raced, so sometimes when he hears people he loses his brain a little bit. But after minute three, he really settled in and then we found our rhythm, and then I was just so thrilled with him. He absolutely lives for this day. He loves the terrain, he loves when the fences are that big. He love the complexity of it all. He’s just got a brain that moves so quickly that he thrives under these conditions.”

Grace Taylor and Game Changer. Photo by Libby Law.

British-based US representative and five-star debutante Grace Taylor had to settle for stepping out of the top ten with Game Changer after they added 17.6 time penalties, moving them from seventh to 16th, but she certainly wasn’t disappointed with her first run at the level: “He tried his guts out,” she says. “He tired towards the end, but I think he had to help me out towards the beginning, which saps their energy. Hopefully next year I can come back and conserve his energy in the beginning and do better, but it’s really exciting.”

Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Libby Law.

Jennie Brannigan and the very game FE Lifestyle dropped just three places, from 14th to 17th, after adding 15.6 time penalties in a confident campaign across both horse and rider’s first Burghley track.

“It’s quite special,” she says. “I’m probably a little in shock, to be honest, because normally I’d be, like, crying and freaking out! I’ve never felt him tired like this; this is his sixth five-star, and it’s definitely the hardest in the world. He’s just a gem.”

Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl. Photo by Libby Law.

Our final US pair, British-based Tiana Coudray and her debutant Cancaras Girl, sadly didn’t complete after a rider fall at the B element of the Irish bank complex — but we look forward to seeing them back out again soon.

Tomorrow takes us into the grand finale of the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials, and first on the agenda is the final horse inspection in the main arena, set to begin at 9.00 a.m. local time/4.00 a.m. EST. Pending any overnight withdrawals, we’re down to 37 competitors from an original 58 — that’s a 63.8% completion rate — and of those, we’ve seen 25, or 43.1%, complete without jumping penalties. Once they’ve tackled that inspection, we’ll go into the morning’s jumping session from 10.45 a.m. local/5.45 a.m. EST, while the top 20 will jump from 14.15 local/9.15 a.m. EST. Then, we’ll have a winner — and what a competition they’ll have topped. As always, you can watch along on Burghley TV — and keep it locked onto EN for a full report and plenty more content from this special event throughout the day. Go Eventing!

The top ten at the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials after cross-country.

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Everyone’s eaten their vegetables over the last two days, and now it’s time for the meat of the week: it’s cross-country day at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials! Let’s take a look at what’s to come over the course, which, unlike last year, has a much more intense final third…

THE TECHNICAL DETAILS

Length: 6325 meters

Fences: 29

Optimum Time: 11:06

THE COURSE MAP:

(Check this out in full on the CrossCountry App!)

THE NEED-TO-KNOWS

Fence 1: The Defender Starter

Fence 2: Lambert’s Sofa

Fence 3: The Pol Roger Table

The first three fences are simple, single jumps, just intended to help horses and riders find a rhythm and confidence as they move forward from the start.

Fence 4AB: The LeMieux Arena Rails

The first combination, but these wide overs are far enough apart that there’s not a set stride pattern. There’s a tonne of atmosphere in the arena, and huge cheers, so this is a focus question and a tune-up as much as anything.

A view through Defender Valley, with the A element on the right and that final corner on the left.

Fence 5ABCD: Defender Valley

The first real question on course; the direct route is a downhill approach to a set of clipped rails, then a pop over the ditch, and then over a big, left-handed timber corner.

Fence 6: The Triple Bar

A Derek classic: light, airy timber, a huge spread, and a tonne of airtime — certainly something that’ll give confidence and wake horses and riders up before they tackle the first major question on the course. The point of this one is to bolster bravery, and while it’s terrifying to look at, the feeling in the air will be unbeatable.

Fence 7ABCD: The Holland Cooper Leaf Pit

Okay, now we’re at Burghley! There’s some sentiments around that perhaps the iconic Leaf Pit is a bit more straightforward this year, with its brush questions, but it’s still a seriously tough question. There’s no video or photo in the world that can accurately convey how huge the drop down at A is, and then these fit, fresh horses will be freewheeling a bit as they run down to BC, a huge brush spread. Then, they’ve got a choice of a left- or right-handed brush at D, so they’ll need to know their horse’s dominant side and ride what they can feel underneath them to make a good job of this.

Fence 8: Defender Valley

There’s not a proper pass back through the Valley as there has been in previous years, but instead, a huge single fence. This is a nice mental break after the last couple of combinations; one of Derek’s strengths as a course designer is knowing exactly where to ease off the mental strain to allow horses and riders alike to save enough brain cells for the Advanced Calculus to come.

Fence 9: Herbert’s Hollow

I’m not a short girl — I’m nearly 5’8 if I actually stand up straight — and these are hard for me to see over. They are enormously tall, hugely deep, and achingly skinny, and there’s two of them on a line with undulating terrain in between, so this is really where we’re starting to test the accuracy and rideability. At this point, that initial freshness should be simmering down a bit, and it’s time to focus. As always, there’s a long route if something goes wrong or if this feels like too much of a question at this stage.

This year’s Trout Hatchery complex.

Fence 10ABC and Fence 11AB — The Defender Trout Hatchery

Let’s go for a splash! The Trout Hatchery is a unique water complex, because it’s effectively two ponds, and we always see interesting, influential questions here. It’s a touch more straightforward than last year; 10A is a kayak house coming down the hill, after which they’ll canter down through pond number one. Then they’ll tackle the BC elements, a pair of houses on a bounce distance, before cantering into the second pond. Then, it’s up a step and over an angled skinny, landing in the water and then cantering on away. There’s a long route here that does involve a log drop into water, so it’s all about knowing your strengths and weaknesses and planning accordingly. We’ve seen bounces into water at a few British four-stars this year, so hopefully, many competitors will feel well-prepared for this kind of question.

Fence 12: The Waterloo Rails

Just another airy timber spread after a bit of a gallop uphill away from the Trout Hatchery. A big jump, but a fair and straightforward one to reward the hard work undertaken at the Trout Hatchery.

Fence 13: The Voltaire Design Brush

The same again, really — it’s not a timber oxer, but this hanging brush-topped log-and-ditch is another run-and-jump to keep them moving at a good clip. This bit of the course is a chance to catch up on the clock, but riders have to be careful: there’s a tonne of terrain to come, and draining resources at this early-ish stage is unwise. It’s all about finding a positive cruising rhythm and settling into it — major adjustments use major energy.

Fence 14ABC: Joules at the Maltings

The Maltings is always packed with insanely huge white rails, whether in oxer form or corner form — and it’s the latter we’ve got here. The direct route is a big, beautiful carved hare, and then there’s a curving line between a left-handed to right-handed corner, which are about as wide as we’ve ever seen. It’s a fearsome angle, but those blue lines are a helpful visual aid — and, again, there’s a much longer alternate route that they can choose to take if this is too big an ask. We’ll definitely see that used — especially if we see those MIMs drop easily early on and riders change their plan accordingly.

Fence 15ABC: The Rolex Combination

There are two routes through this question, but this is the more direct of the two. That AB element is SKINNY, and it’s angled off a ditch, and followed by another one of those jaw-dropping big skinny brushes. There’s no mix-and-match between routes here, but this is all about picking a great line, establishing a great, positive pace, and committing. It’s proper five-star stuff.

Fence 16: The Parasol Table

Last year’s penultimate fence, which famously saw Oliver Townend have a freak tumble while up on the clock with Tregilder, is now at the midpoint of the course. It’s as wide as they come and pretty looky, but any horse that has a spook left in it at this stage is being fed on rocket fuel, frankly. It demands respect, so it’s not as straightforward a run-and-jump fence as some of the singles on this course, but it isn’t one of the major questions, either.

Fence 17AB: The Irish Horse Board Bank

As we turn onto the 400m or so of uphill pull that is Winner’s Avenue — one of the toughest stamina tests on the track — we meet one of the most talked-about fences. The A element is an Irish bank, which can be jumped or banked, and then there’s a log fence that’s perpendicular to it and can be jumped from either side. There’s plenty of space to work out all sorts of different curving lines to it, but as Harry Meade points out, the interesting thing will be deciding the approach to the A — do you gallop it for a guaranteed jump, or do you aim for a more compact canter and plan to touch down on top? We’ll see lots of different rides here through the day.

Fence 18: The Cottesmore Leap

Arguably Burghley’s most iconic effort. You can park a Land Rover in that ditch, but on the approach, if you keep your eyes up, it looks surprisingly doable. It’s all about finding pace and power and then letting your horse reach — so they’ll need to keep something in the tank while moving up Winner’s Avenue, or this will feel like a much bigger ask than it needs to be.

Fence 19AB: Fairfax & Favor at Keepers

A brush skinny to a brush corner on a bending left-handed line, which is made more difficult simply because horses will be feeling a touch weary at this point. That might mean it requires a bit more set-up and deft horsemanship than if it was an early question, and we could well see a few horses skim out the side door at that B element.

There’s no messing around at the Dairy Mound at 20ABC.

Fence 20ABC: Defender at the Dairy Mound

The Dairy Mound is a serious question this year. There’s an uphill approach to a huge oxer at A, then two big frangible triple bar skinnies at B and C, with a downhill left-handed approach to the last one. There’s a long route, but long routes add more steps, more time, and take more energy, so we’ll see a lot of people trying to go straight — and probably a lot of penalties accrued here through the day, whether through run-outs or MIM activations.

Fence 21: The Pardubice

Just simply one of the biggest, beefiest bits of brush you’ll ever see — but it rides brilliantly and has a very readable, sloping profile. A delightful mental break and a fence that acts like a pat on the neck for these exceptional athletes.

Fence 22: Rolex Grand Slam at Capability’s Cutting

The terrain on the approach here is the most interesting thing. It’s a road crossing, effectively, with a very steep downhill, a stride on the flat, and then a very steep uphill before meeting this corner on the flat at the top. That makes the approach much more of a challenge, but the uphill should also set horses back on their hocks and help them out a touch.

Fence 23: The Agria Lifetime Equine Slate Mine

A table you could hollow out and turn into a comfortable family home. Kick on.

Fences 24 and 25AB: The Boodles Raindance

A much more intense question here than last year; there’s two jewellery boxes on an angle and then a big drop fence into the water. Riders will hope the last couple of questions and that downhill run put some air back into their horses’ lungs, and they’ll need to really ride this last major question and help them out. It’s another question of committing to a line and being super positive.

Fence 26: The Lion Bridge

Just a straightforward rolltop wagon on a slightly downhill approach before…

Fence 27.

Fence 27: The Lion Bridge, part two

…a fish in the water that’s actually really, really small, which is a challenge in itself because horses can be tempted to get loose in front. It’s got brush on top now, but this will just demand a bit of respect. We’ve seen a couple of horses trip in this water before, too, so no complacency can sneak in here.

Fence 28: Horatio’s Garden

Another big old table en route to the last. Just keep respecting these fences.

Fence 29: The Defender Finale

And then, it’s everyone’s favourite fence: the last one. As before, this always needs to be respected, because silly things can happen at final fences. Then, it’s home safe and back to the support team — well done, folks!

Cross-country starts momentarily at 11:15 a.m. local/6:15 a.m. EST. Check out what riders have to say about the task ahead here, and tune in for live updates here. Kick on, and Go Eventing!

EN’s coverage of Burghley is presented by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn all about their full line of science-backed nutritional support products, including Neigh-Lox Advanced for digestive support.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials Links: Website | Live Stream | Entries | EN’s Coverage

Rise and shine, it’s Burghley cross country time! Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s time for some Burghley cross country action! I hopped off a plane home from AEC at about midnight last night, so I can’t really speak to the amount of brain cells I’m in possession of, but whatever is left up there is ready to party, Burghley style.

We’ll be getting underway at 11:15 a.m. local time (6:15 a.m. EST), and as is tradition here on EN I’ll be keeping you up to speed with live updates throughout the morning. Of course, my updates can’t come close to watching in person, so be sure to snag a Burghley TV subscription to follow along (and catch up on demand if you’re a normal person who enjoys sleep).

Derek di Grazia has quite a challenge built in his sophomore year designing at this British 5*. You can read Tilly’s preview here, view the course on CrossCountryApp here, and read how riders are reacting to it here. The optimum time is 11 minutes, 6 seconds.

You can find the full running order in order of standing here. If you’re looking for the order of go, you can find it here.

Refresh this page periodically for the latest updates. Here’s to safe rides to all – let’s get after it!

Defender Burghley: [Website] [Entries] [Program] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

EN’s coverage of Burghley is presented by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn all about their full line of science-backed nutritional support products, including Neigh-Lox Advanced for digestive support.

11:21 a.m. ET: Here are a few numbers to mull over from today:

Completion rate: 37/58 (63.8%)
Clear rate: 25/58 (43.1%)
Clear inside the time: 2/58 (3.4%)
Fastest round: David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed (10:57)

Tilly Berendt will be along later today with the full report from today. Thank you for following along with us!

11:17 a.m. ET: And Harry finishes with 9.6 time penalties aboard Tenareze to finish the day! I’ll be back shortly with some numbers from the day.

11:16 a.m. ET: Here’s a look at the top five after cross country (full scores can be found here):

11:14 a.m. ET: So Harry now has the track to himself as he navigates to the Cottesmore Leap at 18 with Tenareze.

11:12 a.m. ET: Ballaghmor Class is looking a bit winded at this last part of the course, but he’s still proving to be very genuine for Oliver. Oliver shouts “long route” in the water as he was eyeing the direct route in the water at the Lions Bridge. Oliver can afford six seconds of time and I don’t think he’s going to make it, but it will be close tomorrow. He’s 12 seconds over and 4.8 time penalties, into second for this pair on 29.0. Tim Price will not have a rail in hand.

11:11 a.m. ET: Ballaghmor Class gives the Dairy Mound a hard rub but Oliver’s picked him up and carried him through. Harry is clear at the Trout Hatchery.

11:10 a.m. ET: Tenareze looks green at the Leaf Pit, but Harry uses all of his experience to get the job done. Here’s a look at that Triple Bar:

GIF via Burghley TV.

11:09 a.m. ET: David Doel and Ferro Point had one more 20 at the Lions Bridge and have finished. Oliver is clear through the Irish Bank at 17. Harry navigates the Defender Valley and survives a hairy moment at the Triple Bar.

11:08 a.m. ET: A quick update on our North Americans: nearly all of our pairs will find themselves within the top 15, with Boyd and Tsetserleg highest placed.

11:07 a.m. ET: And our final pair is on course!

11:06 a.m. ET: David Doel and Ferro Point have perhaps the best ride through the Irish Bank at 17AB all day. Oliver is clear through the Rolex Combination hedges. Harry Meade will close us out with Tenareze.

11:02 a.m. ET: And our penultimate pair is away: Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class could take the lead if they can go clear inside the time. This pair has won here before (2017) and hasn’t finished off the podium here in three finishes.

11:01 a.m. ET: Boyd’s time is recorded as 9.6 penalties to go onto a score of 37.7 and sixth place at the moment. He’s also currently in 10th with On Cue.

10:59 a.m. ET: Ferro Point is the latest to drive by the C of the Leaf Pit, but he and David Doel are clear on the next attempt. Bummer!

10:57 a.m. ET: Oh no, it looks like Tom actually pulled Toledo up and it looked like the horse was lame on a front leg. We’ll keep you posted. David Doel and Ferro Point are on course and have the track to themselves for now.

10:55 a.m. ET: Man, what a day – Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser have now retired after some trouble, but I missed exactly where it happened. Harry Mutch and HD Bronze drive by the C of the Leaf Pit and are retiring now.

10:54 a.m. ET: Wills Oakden is working on another fast clear – he’s not going to be inside the time but he’s going to be damn close with 4.4 penalties accumulated with Arklow Puissance. What a great day for Wills!

10:52 a.m. ET: Thomas seems to have picked up a second wind and is home clear. They’ll recalculate his time and I’ll keep you posted.

10:51 a.m. ET: Ok, Boyd has been restarted and is now clear through the Boodles Raindance. Unsure if they were checking on Thomas or if there was some sort of repair to a fence needed. Harry Mutch now returns with his second ride, HD Bronze, and he’s one of just four left to see today.

10:51 a.m. ET: A look at Tim and Vitali on course:

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10:49 a.m. ET: Boyd is shown now talking with the TD Andrew Temkin. Still not sure what’s going on.

10:47 a.m. ET: Now Boyd has also been pulled up, but at least before he made his approach to Boodles Raindance and not in the middle of it. I think Grace may have just damaged the fish in the water ahead of him, but I’ll keep you posted. We’re also joined now by Tom McEwen and his Tokyo partner Toledo de Kerser, who stand as one threat to Tim’s lead if they can go quick.

10:45 a.m. ET: Grace and Game Changer survive a hairy moment at the Lions Bridge but she’s finished clear now with 14.8 time. We’re also joined by Wills Oaken and his second ride, Arklow Puissance.

10:44 a.m. ET: Boyd at the Joules at the Maltings. He’s having to work a little here but Thomas is looking positive and confident.

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:42 a.m. ET: Grace gets a little loose through the Dairy Mounds and gives the pins a hard rub but she’s still working on a clear, dangling martingale and all.

10:40 a.m. ET: Really pleased with how these horses are finishing, I’ll keep saying it! Here’s a look at Boyd straight as an arrow through the B and C of the Leaf Pit:

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:38 a.m. ET: Ah rats, Sophie Fouracre just gets off her line and goes past the C element of the Dairy Mound. She’s clear on the long route attempt. Boyd comes into the Defender Valley at 5. Boyd has talked about Thomas not wanting to turn right early on course at times, and this question was to be a first test of that — all good here.

10:37 a.m. ET: And here comes Thomas blazing out of the box with Boyd Martin.

10:35 a.m. ET: Richard Coney is home clear with Poetry In Motion. It looks like Grace’s martingale has broken, but she’s carrying on and will be hoping it doesn’t interfere.

10:32 a.m. ET: And here’s Grace Taylor, who’s made a big impression with some strong rounds with Game Changer this year. She’s quite competitively placed after earning a sub-30 score in the dressage. Boyd Martin will be back with us next aboard Tsetserleg TSF.

10:31 a.m. ET:

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10:30 a.m. ET: Our newest starters are Sophie Fouracre and Lordana vh Leysehof Z, to be followed by our next American pair Grace Taylor and Game Changer.

10:29 a.m. ET: Tom Crisp picks up 10.8 time penalties with Liberty & Glory and comes home clear and happy.

10:28 a.m. ET: “It was hard work, but that’s the nature of the beast – it’s Burghley. Whilst this horse has given me some amazing rides, with Badminton earlier this year in the deep going – today he just wasn’t taking me the same, so you have to revise your plan a bit,” Tim said of Vitali. “I went into survival mode after about three minutes thinking, ‘this is a long way home’, so I’m just really proud of him.”

10:27 a.m. ET: Our latest starter, 24-year-old Richard Coney, is clear through the Trout Hatchery with Poetry In Motion.

10:26 a.m. ET: Eventing’s power duo share a moment after a clear cross country from Vitali:

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:23 a.m. ET: Tim will keep his lead for the moment with 8 time penalties on a score of 26.7. If Oliver or Tom can go quick, they will overtake him for the overnight lead.

10:23 a.m. ET: The lovely Liberty and Glory at the Trout Hatchery:

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:22 a.m. ET: Tim Price is headed for home and we don’t have a clock on him but the commentators all believe he’s a bit down on the markers.

10:20 a.m. ET: A look behind the scenes:

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10:20 a.m. ET: Tim very nearly comes unseated after Vitali just drags a leg over the Irish Bank at 17. Whew!

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:18 a.m. ET: Tom Crisp and the absolutely lovely mare Liberty & Glory are our next to see as Tim navigates the Joules at the Maltings.

10:16 a.m. ET: Tim Price uses his stick to gently encourage Vitali to move away from the Trout Hatchery.

10:15 a.m. ET: Well it looks like Julia has now been eliminated for the blood in the mouth. Definitely a good call to stand by the rule, but I also stand by the fact that stopping a rider in the middle of a combination is nothing short of dangerous and irresponsible.

10:13 a.m. ET: Wow, Julia has been pulled up in the middle of the Boodles Raindance. Not a fan of that stopping point…looks like perhaps there is some blood in the mouth here and Ardeo Berlin is being checked out by the vets. Still not a fan of that stopping point at all.

10:11 a.m. ET: France’s Arthur Duffort and Toronto d’Aurois run into trouble at the Leaf Pit and have retired here. Julia Norman is working hard on a clear round and is through the Fairfax & Favor Keepers. And here we go with our leaders! Let’s see if Tim Price and Vitali can make good on their 18.7. He has about five time penalties in hand at the moment.

10:09 a.m. ET: Sam Watson points out that fast, tidy feet are a necessity for a handy event horse as this ability gives the rider more options. However, this can often be a curse in the dressage as these horses will struggle to achieve the more elevated, extended movement naturally.

10:08 a.m. ET: The MIM pins at the Dairy Mound element C do their job as James can’t quite get Milchem Eclipse back on his hind end to make it over cleanly. That’ll be 11 penalties on their card.

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:05 a.m. ET: A look at some more fancy footwork at the Leaf Pit, as demonstrated now by Zimbabwe’s Julia Norman and Ardeo Berlin:

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:03 a.m. ET: Padraig and HHS Noble Call take a slight detour and will add a few more seconds to their final time.

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:01 a.m. ET: HHS Noble Call is another to give the B at the Dairy Mound a very hard rattle, but he and Padraig are still working on a clear round. James Rushbrook is clear through the Trout Hatchery.

9:59 a.m. ET: The global 5* average clear range is 55%, and Sam brings up the point that the best cross country horses in the world come to Burghley, which is well-known as the toughest 5* track of the bunch, which often leads to a higher than average clear rate. Today, that’s not the case with around a 40% clear rate at this point.

9:57 a.m. ET: James Rushbrook and Milchem Eclipse are away. We’re just a couple of combinations away from seeing our dressage leaders, Tim Price and Vitali, on course.

9:56 a.m. ET: Sarah Clark has been having a cracking round, making her way home via the Lions Bridge water.

9:51 a.m. ET: Tom Bird, the youngest competitor this weekend at 21, completes with Rebel Rhyme, a couple issues out there but a completion nonetheless. Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and HHS Noble Call are the next to see out on course as fellow Irishman Sam Watson now joins Nicole Brown in the commentator’s booth. I always love Sam’s commentary and his thoughts on the sport.

9:42 a.m. ET: We’ve 16 more combinations to see today, including overnight leaders Tim Price and Vitali, Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg, Grace Taylor and Game Changer, Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser, to name just a few pairs with potential. Australia’s Sarah Clark and LV Balou Jeanz are our next out of the box.

9:41 a.m. ET: Tom Bird and Rebel Rhyme pick up 20 at the C of the Leaf Pit — definitely the most influential fence today so far.

9:39 a.m. ET: And a look at first-timer Holly Richardson and Bally Louis:

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9:38 a.m. ET: Take a look at Pippa’s round with Majas Hope:

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9:38 a.m. ET: “I just can’t believe he was clear around Burghley and it’s our first five-star!” Emma Thomas says at the finish.

9:36 a.m. ET: Another one bites the dust as Lauren Lillywhite falls from Hacien at the Rolex combination. She’ll be alright it looks like, but what a disappointment for her.

9:35 a.m. ET: Nooooooo – Tiana and Cancaras Girl look to have parted ways at the Irish Horse Bank. They both look ok, but what a bummer. Our latest starters are Lauren Lillywhite and Hacien, followed by Tom Bird and Rebel Rhyme.

9:32 a.m. ET: AH after that amazing save, Tiana now runs into trouble with a glance-off at the first corner of the Joules at the Maltings. She’s clear on the second attempt. 5* first timer Emma Thomas is on her way home and looking absolutely ready to go around again. Emma has produced this little pocket rocket herself and isn’t going to be that far off the optimum either.

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:29 a.m. ET: Wow!!! Tiana just made the SAVE of the YEAR, with a popped airvest and all, at the Leaf Pit. They’re clear on the second attempt and continuing on.

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:27 a.m. ET: 12.4 time penalties for Will and Mama’s Magic Way and a lovely clear round. Mason looks quite well coming home.

9:26 a.m. ET: Will navigates the Boodles Raindance at 25 and is getting close to home. I think he’ll be down on the time a bit, but he also certainly hasn’t been hanging about.

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9:24 a.m. ET: Our next starter is U.S. rider based in England Tiana Coudray with Cancaras Girl.

9:23 a.m. ET: Sam Watson brings SAP Talisman home just one second over the time, the quickest since those two double clears earlier in the day. Will is over the Cottesmore Leap with Mason.

9:22 a.m. ET: Good conditions and good designing are bringing horses home looking really well today. It’s really nice to see — well done to their riders with their fitness work.

9:22 a.m. ET: “I think he’s got plenty of blood, but over the years I feel like I don’t have quite as much blood!” Pippa Funnell says at the finish.

9:21 a.m. ET: Really strong through the Trout Hatchery for Will and Mason.

9:20 a.m. ET: Another debut pair, Emma Thomas and Icarus, are our next out of the box.

9:20 a.m. ET: Go back on board with Boyd and On Cue:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:18 a.m. ET: Pippa Funnell stops the clock with 8.8 seconds of time, which will keep her well in contention on a 38.4 and fourth position. Sam Watson and SAP Talisman quickly navigate the triple combination at the Dairy Mound. Will and Mama’s Magic Way show off some epic footwork at the Leaf Pit:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:17 a.m. ET: Will and Mason attacking the early oxers in the arena:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:15 a.m. ET: Oh hey, Mason:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:13 a.m. ET: A look at the very bold ride through the Leaf Pit from Sam Watson and SAP Talisman:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:11 a.m. ET: Sadly Aistis and Commander VG have fallen at the A element of the Dairy Mound. Commander VG wasn’t immediately on his feet but was likely just catching his breath — the next view shows him up and walking away. The pins did activate in this instance.

9:09 a.m. ET: Another pair I’m very keen to watch today will be our next: Ireland’s Sam Watson of EquiRatings and SAP Talisman. Following Sam will be Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way.

9:08 a.m. ET: Pippa takes the red flag down at the C of the Leaf Pit, but looked to be well clear inside from my view with Majas Hope.

9:05 a.m. ET: Next away is Rolex Grand Slam and two-time Burghley winner Pippa Funnell with Majas Hope.

9:04 a.m. ET: Louise Harwood has retired after trouble at the Maltings.

9:03 a.m. ET: Lithuania’s Aistis Aistis Vitkauskas is on course and takes a big risk at the Leaf Pit but is clear on the direct route. Here’s a look at Boyd’s helmet cam with On Cue through this question:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:59 a.m. ET: Louise Harwood is the latest to have a glance-off at the C element of the Leaf Pit. She’s clear on the second attempt.

8:58 a.m. ET: Gah! Tom Rowland’s weekend ends at the Maltings corners after a valiant effort to save it:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:55 a.m. ET: We still have yet to see a third pair achieve the optimum time, with David and Wills still sitting in the clubhouse lead position. Louise Harwood and Native Spirit are our latest starters.

8:54 a.m. ET: What a round! Holly Richardson finishes with time, but no matter — a safe and clear Burghley cross country debut is in the books!

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:52 a.m. ET: Bummer – Richard Skelt takes a tumble from Credo after activating the MIM rail at the open oxer at 6. Both he and Credo look to be no worse for the wear. We’re also joined by Tom Rowland and Possible Mission. Our debut pair, Holly Richardson and Bally Louis are making their way home and looking fit and full of run – lovely!

8:48 a.m. ET: And that’s Burghley cross country, conquered! Jennie and FE Lifestyle finish with 15.6 time — what a debut for this pair and what awesome riding.

8:47 a.m. ET: A look at Jennie at the Boodles Raindance (24/25):

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:46 a.m. ET: Jennie is riding her ass off here, getting Foxy clean through the Dairy Mound at 20.

8:44 a.m. ET: Cottesmore Leap: check!

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:43 a.m. ET: Jennie is clear at the Irish Horse Bank complex at 17.

8:41 a.m. ET: 5* debut pair Holly Richardson and Bally Louis are heading out now!

8:40 a.m. ET: Oliver makes a wise decision to pull up now after Swallow Springs puts his back legs down in the A element of the Dairy Mound. This will change up the standings, as he was in second with this horse, and leaves him with just one to go in Ballaghmor Class. Jennie is clear through the Trout Hatchery. Go girl!

8:39 a.m. ET: Jennie chooses the left handed side at C of the Leaf Pit and has one of the better trips through this line so far.

8:38 a.m. ET: Jennie and Foxy are safe and straight through the Defender Valley at 5.

8:36 a.m. ET: Swallow Springs stands a bit off the second corner at the Joules at the Maltings, but all clear so far. Cavalier Crystal is m making her way home with Harry — he’s not going to be far off the time, but just a hair over I think.

8:35 a.m. ET: Here we go! Jennie Saville leaves the box in her first Burghley with Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle. She told me when she entered there wasn’t another horse she’d have chosen to tick this box with. Let’s cheer her on around this epic track!

8:33 a.m. ET: A heart-stopping moment for Oliver and Swallow Springs at the Leaf Pit, but they’ve made it through unscathed:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:31 a.m. ET: Bouncy Cavalier Crystal is looking very much in her element in her Burghley and 5* debut with Harry:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:28 a.m. ET: Well scores are showing Michael Owen and Bradeley Law have retired, most likely after that drive-by at the Leaf Pit. This won’t be the ending to his career Michael was hoping for, but what a star Bradeley Law has been for him. It’s been an honor to follow him. We will now be joined by Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs, who are currently in a tie with himself for second place. Jennie Saville and FE Lifestyle, our next U.S. pair, will follow Oliver.

8:27 a.m. ET: Wabbit is still looking keen as ever as Jessie navigates the Lions Bridge direct route. She’s a bit down on the clock but she will be close. Nothing runs like a Thoroughbred! She’s going to stop the clock less than a minute over — great round from these two!

8:25 a.m. ET Our trailblazer Harry Meade is back with his second ride, Cavalier Crystal. Michael Owen and Bradeley Law looked to not have made the jump at the C of the Leaf Pit but it looked like they continued on…

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:23 a.m. ET: Kristina Hall Jackson and CMS Google come home with some time and those unfortunate 20 penalties at the Dairy Mound. Jessie and Wabbit are over the Cottesmore Leap.

8:22 a.m. ET: Some highlights from Lauren Innes’ awesome round earlier:

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8:19 a.m. ET: After a huge jump over the A, CMS Google has a runout at the B of the Dairy Mound combination. Jessie and Wabbit make quick work of the Trout Hatchery water. We are also joined on course by Michael Owen and Bradeley Law, who is running his final 5* this weekend at the age of 19 years young.

8:17 a.m. ET: Wabbit is super keen down the Leaf Pit and they are able to make the straight route work without trouble. Here’s a look at them earlier at the Defender Valley:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:16 a.m. ET: A look at Kristina Hall Jackson and CMS Google making it happen at the bounces at the Trout Hatchery:

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:15 a.m. ET: Here we go with our next North American pair and sole Canadian representative today: Jessie Phoenix and Wabbit with the Cute Ears.

8:13 a.m. ET: Interesting choice here as Kristina Hall Jackson opts to go long at the Leaf Pit, perhaps because she felt CMS Google might be too keen off the drop and encounter the same trouble many others have. It pays off, and they stand off from the brush at C but make the line work.

8:12 a.m. ET: Matt Heath and Askari climb all over the B element of the Dairy Mound but leave the pins unscathed.

GIF via Burghley TV.

8:10 a.m. ET: CMS Google and Kristina Hall Jackson are our latest starters as we move toward the halfway mark. Andrew Heffernan has also opted to retire Harthill Phantom ahead of Cottesmore Leap.

8:10 a.m. ET: Highlights from Boyd and On Cue’s round:

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8:07 a.m. ET: Askari and Matthew Heath are the latest to fall victim to the corner at the Maltings, also picking up a drive-by here but clear on the second attempt. Andrew Heffernan also has a drive-by at the Leaf Pit, coming in smoking hot to the brush and unable to make it work. The big brush oxer on an uphill approach ahead of this encourages a forward stride, but then you’ve got to have enough management to get the horse’s eye on the left or right-handed brush. Also an update: Emily King’s missed flag penalty has also been removed, so she’ll just be sitting on the 11 for the pin falling and time penalties.

8:05 a.m. ET: Dutch rider Andrew Heffernan now leaves the box with Harthill Phantom; this is Andrew’s first 5* start since 2017 and Harthill Phantom’s debut at the level.

8:04 a.m. ET: Alice Casburn and Topspin turn in a speedy round; they’ll collect 7.6 time but will but themselves well into contention for a strong finish with that scrappy round.

8:03 a.m. ET: Our latest starters are the very experienced Matthew Heath with a new 5* horse, Askari, who was produced through the 3* level by Dickie Waygood.

8:02 a.m. ET: Luc Chateau has retired after a glance-off at the B element of the Joules at the Maltings. This is set on a very forward four strides, requiring commitment and concentration on the part of horse and rider.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:59 a.m. ET: To catch up on scores so far, our clubhouse leader is currently David Doel, who achieved a clear round inside the time with his first horse, Galileo Nieuwmoed, earlier today. He’s one of two clears inside the time — Wills Oaken and Oughterard Cooley are the other pair to earn the time so far. Luc Chateau has a hairy ride through the bounces at the Trout Hatchery, and Alice Casburn survives some trickiness at the Fairfax & Favor Keepers after a huge leap over the Cottesmore Leap:

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:58 a.m. ET: Francis brings DHI Purple Rain home quite well with some time, but much improvement from their last attempt here where the horse appeared to tire fairly early on.

7:55 a.m. ET: Our first of two French pairs, Luc Chateau and Viens du Mont out seeking their third 5* finish this weekend and their first Burghley together.

7:54 a.m. ET: A handful of horses have banked the massive Irish Horse Bank at 17, including DHI Purple Rain, who also almost takes out the cameraman on his way out!

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:51 a.m. ET: We’re now joined by 21-year-old Alice Casburn and Topspin, already with a Burghley and a Badminton under their belt and looking for a strong performance today. Here’s a look at Francis Whittington and DHI Purple Rain through the Trout Hatchery:

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:49 a.m. ET: Ah, bummer. Tim and Gaston have had another problem at the Joules at the Maltings and are now opting to retire.

7:44 a.m. ET: Francis Whittington and DHI Purple Rain are our next to see, looking for a Burghley completion after coming here last year and opting to retire on course.

7:43 a.m. ET: Lauren Innes and Global Fision finish with about a minute of time, and she looks thrilled. Nicely done! Meanwhile, Tim is the latest to have a glance-off at the brush at the Leaf Pit, another one to go for the bold, long stride to the final element and paying the price for it.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:42 a.m. ET: Also some highlights from Harry Meade and Away Cruising’s pathfinding round:

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7:39 a.m. ET: Lauren Innes is clear at the Cottesmore Leap with Global Fision M. Tim Cheffings (who is celebrating his 40th birthday today!) and Gaston are our new starters, looking for a first 5* completion this weekend.

7:36 a.m. ET: Phil Brown is our latest starter with Harry Robinson. They run into trouble at both Defender Valley and the Leaf Pit and have opted to call it a day.

7:31 a.m. ET: Here’s a glimpse at Wills Oakden’s cracking round earlier:

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7:30 a.m. ET::

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7:30 a.m. ET: Our first Kiwi of the day will be Lauren Innes (who celebrated her birthday yesterday — happy birthday!) and Global Fision M.

7:28 a.m. ET: Now Austin has a drive-by at the brush coming out of the Leaf Pit. He, much like Zara earlier, came in quite bold to the brush oxer and just couldn’t get Colorado Blue’s eye on the next question. Austin has opted to retire now, not much point to continue on without hope of competing — this horse certainly doesn’t need the extra mileage at this point.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:27 a.m. ET: Austin O’Connor has to pony club kick “Salty” with his left leg to make the line to the big corner at Defender Valley, and they look to be getting into their stride as they carry on.

7:25 a.m. ET: RATS – Pencos Crown Jewel just catches a leg at the second of the pinned arrowheads at the Dairy Mound and sends Ros out the left-hand door. What a disappointing ending — highs and lows, man.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:24 a.m. ET: Now here’s a pair I’ve been waiting to see: Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and the elite Colorado Blue.

7:22 a.m. ET: Oh no! Our latest starter, Christoph Forsberg, comes in a bit hot to Defender Valley’s upright rails and very nearly makes the save but can’t quite make it work and takes a tumble. He looks to be absolutely fine, though he’ll be salty about that early ending, to say the least.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:20 a.m. ET: Ros is nicely through the Trout Hatchery with Pencos Crown Jewel.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:18 a.m. ET: “I rode rubbish to a single fence and ended up having a rail at the pinned oxer. It was completely only my fault, but on the hard fences he was phenomenal — he was super,” Emily King says in the vet box. She notes that she dropped her whip at the MIM oxer and also felt her girth move up with the rub, so she contemplated pulling up until she heard some encouragement from the crowd. “I heard someone in the ground say “you’re doing a great job!”

7:16 a.m. ET: Greta Mason is still managing a very keen Cooley For Sure as they navigate the Dairy Mound at 20. Another one who’s struggled to get the control, but who also looks quite fit for the task.

7:14 a.m. ET: Here we goooooo – your reigning European Champion is underway with a horse that poses a serious threat this weekend: Ponchos Crown Jewel.

7:13 a.m. ET: Boyd’s 15 penalties for missing a flag have been removed, leaving him with just 10.8 time added aboard On Cue. That puts them onto a two-phase score of 42.6.

7:12 a.m. ET: Emily is home a little over 60 seconds past time and with that broken MIM and a missed flag at the Joules at the Maltings.

7:11 a.m. ET: Nicky Hill and MGH Bingo Boy are our latest starters. Emily King and Valmy Biats are at the Lions Bridge at 26/27.

7:08 a.m. ET: Emily and Valmy Biats seem to be no worse for the wear from their broken pin and are jumping well and on their way to Cottesmore Leap. Greta Mason had a drive-by at the Defender Valley early on at 5 with Cooley For Sure.

7:07 a.m. ET From an elated Alex Bragg: “I don’t know that any horse is going to finish as strong as that!”

7:06 a.m. ET: Yikes, Emily King and Valmy Biats break the pin quite hard at the Waterloo Rails at 12. They’ve continued on and look to be ok thus far.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:05 a.m. ET: Zara is retiring just before the Cottesmore Leap, the same place where Oliver pulled up earlier. She’s been having to really encourage Class Affair and likely has decided it’s not going to be worthwhile to push for a finish.

7:02 a.m. ET: Alex and Quindiva are going to be over the time, but the mare looks exceptionally fit coming home — what a great round for this pair. Super impressive so far – a testament to the fitness of these horses we’ve seen to this point as well as the intelligent course design on the part of Derek. We’ll see if the time proves to be catchable for more pairs, but so far we’re seeing horses looking well as they finish which is the top priority.

GIF via Burghley TV.

7:01 a.m. ET: Class Affair knocks the bounces coming into the water at the Trout Hatchery and Zara is really needing to ride this gelding in the earlier going.

6:59 a.m. ET: Quindiva is still looking really well in herself as she navigates the Irish Horse Bank at 17, on Winners’ Avenue. Emily King now leaves the box in her first Burghley with Valmy Biats.

6:58 a.m. ET: Oh gosh, Zara Tindall just loses her center after a big distance at the brush oxer coming out of the Leaf Pit and then cannot make the line to the brush work. That’ll be a disappointing and unlucky 20 for this pair.

6:57 a.m. ET: Harry Mutch brings home Shanbeg Cooley with the 20 penalties at the Leaf Pit and about 40 seconds of time.

6:56 a.m. ET: From Boyd: “She’s a legend horse. About halfway around she really felt that hill going up to the Trout Hatchery and I sort of thought to myself if I push her any faster she might be out of petrol by the end. I just love her to bits and got her home a bit over the time.”

6:55 a.m. ET: Zara Tindall is now away with the experienced Class Affair.

6:51 a.m. ET: Boyd has a missed flag penalty from the Joules at the Maltings — I don’t think I saw that combination so not sure what it looked like. He brings Cue home about 30 seconds over the time, and she looked quite well within herself galloping home. We’ll see what happens with the flag.

She’s 17 years young! GIF via Burghley TV.

6:50 a.m. ET: Alex Bragg now joins us with the mare Quindiva.

6:48 a.m. ET: Boyd sails over the Cottesmore Leap at 18. He loses his balance a bit at the Fairfax and Favor Keepers but keeps himself in the tack. Cue kicks out the red flag at the second MIM-pinned arrowhead at the Dairy Mound but she’s clear through.

GIF via Burghley TV.

6:47 a.m. ET: Tom brings Luna Mist home 47 seconds over with this first-timer — a really nice first round for this mare. I will be keen to see her develop with this big experience under her belt. Harry has picked up a 20 at the Leaf Pit, with the 9-year-old Shanbeg Cooley just getting a bit of an extra peek at the big drop. Listen, I would need a second too, I get it.

6:46 a.m. ET: Harry Mutch now joins us with his first of two rides today, Shanbeg Cooley. Luna Mist is boldly through the Lions Bridge on her way home.

6:44 a.m. ET: A really nice trip through the Trout Hatchery for Boyd.

GIF via Burghley TV.

6:43 a.m. ET: Boyd and Cue are neatly through the Defender Valley at 8 as David Doel finishes inside the time by a whopping 14 seconds. Jonelle notes that she felt many people would catch the time today. Boyd chooses the left handed option through the Leaf Pit.

6:40 a.m. Luna Mist has a HUGE jump through the bounces at the Trout Hatchery, just showing her greenness a bit — but hey, she’s enthusiastic! Tom’s task will be to keep her energy contained to save it, and also to keep her confidence up. Boyd is away!

6:39 a.m. ET: Next out will be our first U.S. pair, Boyd Martin and Maryland 5 Star winner On Cue. Let’s goooooooo! Enjoy Boyd’s hype video to get you amped:

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6:38 a.m. ET: Tom McEwen navigates the Leaf Pit and takes the left-handed corner option with this greener horse, who’s quite keen and impressed by the crowds in this early going.

6:36 a.m. ET: Wills is inside the time! 11 minutes, 2 seconds — what a class round. This is one of the toughest courses in terms of terrain and stamina demand, and this horse set an example of fitness today. Also, I’m a big fan of how these bounces at the Trout Hatchery ride (as demonstrated by David Doel):

GIF via Burghley TV.

6:35 a.m. ET: Both Wills and David are having absolute cracking rounds so far, with their horses looking really fit and within themselves at this point. We now see Tokyo Olympian Tom McEwen on course with Luna Mist, a 10-year-old 5* debutant who’s also a newer ride for him.

6:30 a.m. ET: “I think everything was sort of as expected. I think he was a good yardstick for everyone to watch and get a good indication of the course,” Harry says of Away Cruising. We’re also joined now by David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed.

6:29 a.m. ET: We now are joined by Wills Oaken and Oughterard Cooley, who have finished as well as 12th here at Burghley. Also, some unfortunate news for Oliver as it looks like his left rein has snapped with no hope of getting it back, forcing his retirement just before the Cottesmore Leap at 18.

6:28 a.m. ET: Harry and Away Cruising are home! They will pick up about a minute of time plus those 15 penalties for the missed flag.

6:26 a.m. ET: Harry and Away Cruising jump the widest part of the corner at Capability’s Cutting and has to come back around for the option. He also opts for the option at the Lions Bridge at 26/27.

GIF via Burghley TV.

6:24 a.m. ET: Harry Meade is riding Away Cruising strongly as they get to the back third of the track, having done quite a bit of uphill climbing to this point. Away Cruising is a bit tired, but he is responding well to Harry’s aids. Tregilder is clear through the Trout Hatchery water.

6:23 a.m. ET: Oliver kicks out the white flag at the corner out of the Leaf Pit as Harry sails over the Cottesmore Leap at 18.

GIF via Burghley TV.

6:21 a.m. ET: Harry is clear at the Joules at the Maltings — a notoriously huge combination that requires a brave, attacking stride to make the distances work.

6:19 a.m. ET: Jonelle notes that she feels the Trout Hatchery (11 and 12) is “a bit of a let-up” this year. The bounce into the water rides quite well for Harry and Away Cruising. Meanwhile, Oliver Townend is away with his first of three rides, Tregilder.

6:15 a.m. ET: And that whistle means we’re away! Harry Meade and Away Cruising are away, and we’re treated to commentary from Tina Cook and Jonelle Price to kick us off. This is Away Cruising’s eight appearance at this level, and he’ll be looking to be a competitive pathfinder for Harry today.