Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.
Oliver Townend claimed yet another CCI4*-S win at this weekend’s FEI Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials – taking his tally in the flagship class at this event to an unprecedented 16 titles.
The win this time came with Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s mare, Cooley Rosalent. Cooley Rosalent has a pretty good track record at Burnham Market herself, having won the CCI3*-S with Oliver in 2021 and finishing second in the CCI4*-S last year.
Oliver and Cooley Rosalent were foot perfect all weekend, completing on their dressage score of 25.6. They finished ahead of Laura Collet and Hester in second, and Oliver’s Olympic Gold medal winning partner, Ballaghmor Class in third.
“I’m thrilled to have been back to Burnham Market,” said Oliver. “I’ve been coming here for a lot of years and it’s a great place to prepare your horses for spring 5*s. I’m as thrilled as I could be with both Ballaghmor Class and Cooley Rosalent. It’s my 16th win here and hopefully it will be a stepping stone to Badminton.”
The CCI3*-S title went to Katie Magee with Lady Sharon Parnaby’s exciting young horse, Cushlas Indigo. The pair were lying fourth after dressage and moved up to the top spot thanks to a faultless performance in today’s jumping phases. They finished on their dressage score of 27.9, with Max Gordon and Shades of Sligo II in second (30.6) and Alex Bragg and Shannondale Aldo in third (31.3).
“We’ve had a really fantastic few days here at Burnham Market,” said Katie. “It was a lovely surprise to win the CCI3*-S. Cushlas Indigo is a fantastic eight-year-old. He did a beautiful test and a lovely double clear and he will have learnt a lot from a really fantastic cross country track. So, we go away very happy, and we’ll enjoy the trip home to County Durham.
“The atmosphere was amazing as always and it’s been helped by brilliant weather. It’s really good experience for the young horses to see crowds around the water jumps and some of the technical questions and still have to focus. We were really glad we brought him and hopefully it will stand him in good stead for the rest of the season.”
The crowds that headed to north Norfolk for the event were treated to three days of glorious sunshine and outstanding sport. There was barely a cloud in the sky and the atmosphere matched the forecast perfectly, with plenty of smiles and good vibes.
Full results from across all the days, including the national classes, are available here.
All the action from the weekend’s cross country is available on catch up via your mobile, tablet, TV or desktop with H&C+. Visit the Horse & Country website to find out more.
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International: [Website] [Scores] [Live Stream Replays]
