Brookfield Inocent takes the Grantham Cup with Piggy March in 2022, giving his connections plenty to celebrate ahead of his Badminton debut. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Reigning Defender Burghley Horse Trials champion Piggy March, who won the event’s 2022 renewal on Vanir Kamira, has announced she will not return to fight for her crown next week as intended with her Hartpury winner Brookfield Inocent, after the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Inocent 3 x Shalies Pet, by Kings Servant) picked up a ‘minor bone injury’ in his preparation.
“Very sadly we have had to withdraw Brookfield Inocent from Burghley this year,” she writes in a statement on her social media channels. “He has come back to top level competition in flying form but has sadly incurred a minor bone injury which requires a short period of rest. Thankfully it isn’t serious and our dream of him getting to the big B’s can still live on! Gutting for all concerned especially his owners John & Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn as we all long for him to have his chance at this amazing venue but it’s just not meant to be this year. Best of luck to everyone going there — it’s such a great event and looking forward to an exciting week’s sport.”
Brookfield Inocent won his final prep run, the tough CCI4*-S at Hartpury earlier this month, and was second in his comeback international, a CCI3*-S at Aston-le-Walls in July, which followed over a year out of action. He’d been one of British eventing’s ‘ones to watch’ prior to ‘a very small injury’ that saw him withdrawn from Badminton contention last spring, after having won the CCI4*-S season opener at Thoresby. The previous year, he was individual silver medalist and team gold medalist at the European Championships at Avenches, and in 2020, he finished second in his five-star debut at Pau. In his 19 FEI runs with Piggy aboard, he’s finished on the podium 13 times.
Brookfield Inocent was statistically the favourite to win this year’s competition; according to data company EquiRatings’s Prediction Centre computer model, he led the field on a win chance of 19% and a top ten chance of 62%. The withdrawal moves Oliver Townend up to the top spot in their predictions with Swallow Springs, followed by Ballaghmor Class, another of his four entered ride options.
Burghley begins on Wednesday, August 30, and will conclude on Sunday, September 3. Keep it locked on EN for all the news and updates in the lead-up, and during the week of, the event.
