Last year’s winner, and lying 3rd overnight, Caroline Powell and Lenamore come through the finish clear and inside the time. Caroline told us Lenamore is in fine form, “he feels fantastic”, but with age comes some wisdom, “he’s so much more trainable – before you had to sit on him and pray, now we’ve got a happy marriage going on. We don’t fight on, we just get on with it.” Caroline put yesterday’s error of course well behind her, and even turned it to her advantage, “Actually, it just took the pressure off, and just meant I could enjoy today, and as they all said, I’m much better when I’m chasing, I enjoy the chase!”
Without exception, every rider came off the course and told us it was riding big and long. Sam Griffiths was a great pathfinder on the experienced Happy Times, bringing him home clear with just 1.6 time penalties to move up two places to 8th.
After he’d finished briefing Chris Burton, (who incidentally was having a terrific ride until popping off at the Cottesmore Leap, both horse and rider are fine, thanks to ESJ for the update!) Sam came over and told us about his ride.
Look at this great shot Nico Morgan got of Happy Times galloping to the finish – what a horse, he reminds me of those old fashioned racing prints, just such a classically beautiful animal!
Georgie Spence, another of GB’s rising young stars rode a strong round on Running Brook who improved after a slightly sticky start. She also came to tell us about her round afterwards.
Very proud Dad leading Running Brook around to cool off after a clear round with 9.6 time.
Francis Whittington, one of GB’s most stylish riders, and recently reserve for the European Championship Team at Luhmuhlen, rode an immaculate clear on Sir Percival. Due to a hold, he said he got slightly confused with his timing and came in some 15 seconds under the time.
Francis talked about the course, and his ride.
“It’s a big test this year. There’s a lot of questions that we haven’t really seen for a long time and it was fun to get there and ride around it. The rhythm that Mark’s created around the course allows a gallop to flow and keep traveling to the fences. It’s a nice course out there, and I think if the horses are going right they’ll gain in confidence. It’s just if you start having a few mistakes, or the odd moment where they might lose confidence, it could build up at this sort of course.”
Francis had an annoying glance off at the bottom of the leaf pit, but went on to have a terrific round, (see ESJ’s shot in a previous post!), and later tweeted that he was thrilled with how Easy Target had risen to the challenge.
I’ve already written about my overwhelming pride and joy in Boyd and Neville’s achievement, and I couldn’t be happier for Sinead too. Finishing with 4.8 time penalties, she rode with such composure and drive, and talked to us after her round.
“He was so good: it just kept coming, you could never take a break or re-asses. I had to make sure that if I had a hairy fence I took care of it on landing and gave him a good next jump because there were certainly a few hairy fences, but I was thrilled. I was so convinced he was going to do strides in the Trout Hatchery but I rode him with everything and he just did it in the one, which is not normal for him and shows that he’s growing up quite a bit. It was awesome, but I don’t want to do it again for a while though! He got a bit winded towards the end, and we just love each other so much, Tate and I, and I said to him I’ll keep going if you keep going, can you give me a little more? He said yes, and I told him I was right there with him! A lot of it isn’t even the fitness side it’s the adrenalin, and at a horse trials the adrenalin never leaves you, but at a four star like this, at 12 minutes, the adrenalin starts to fade towards the end.”
Sinead also repeated what many other riders said,
“It didn’t look like a hunter round, that’s for sure, but we can be pretty in dressage. Cross country’s a different game.”
and as for show-jumping?
“It will be interesting, he’s quite good, he jumped a clear round in Kentucky. Actually we’ll know more tomorrow at the trot up, if he’s crazy and bucks at the trot-up, he’ll jump well. I rode him in the grass at Boekelo last year, and he’s a real light horse, so if we get a bit of rain and the grounds a bit heavy he struggles a little bit. This is his second four-star and his first one wasn’t that long ago so we’re still trying to figure out how he feels like a run like this.”
Crossing my fingers for no rain, and for Tate to be a lunatic at the trot up tomorrow!
Jessie Phoenix had a fabulous round on Exponential, garnering tons of praise and admiration among the press corps. She also kindly came over to have a few words with us afterwards.
I’d turned my camera off because I was running out of batteries, but Jessie told it was hard being here without Jacob, her son, “but that’s my job so I just focus.” She walked the course three times, “Burghley is massive, but my horse gives me so much confidence, going out and jumping him – there’s no other horse I’d rather be on. He’s phenomenal, he was amazing. He’s so adjustable too, like he put a three in instead of a two at the big oxer at 9 to the brush, and he can do it, I just love him!”
Clarke Johnstone rode a fantastic round on Incognito, clear with just 2 time penalties and so stylish. He was rightfully thrilled. Never mind the Germans, the Kiwis are going to be hard to beat next year notwithstanding Blyth’s retirement this afternoon after a so-so day on Santos.
Clarke gets a congratulatory hug first from Mum,
then one from Team Manager Erik Duvander.
Jock Paget rode two terrific clear rounds; he continues to impress me each time I see him, and to bring Clifton Promise home with just 2.4 time, and Clifton Lush to finish on his dressage score proves how capable he’s become.
Mark Todd was lucky to escape elimination after Major Milestone alll but ploughed through the second brush at the Trout Hatchery, and he now sits in 22nd place after just picking up a couple of time penalties.
Mary King drew on all her experience to bring King’s Temptress home clear, albeit with an expensive 1.2 in time that moved her out of the top 3 down to fourth place, “it was that pull at the second to last! I was on a real, forward stride but it was so open that I chickened out and ended up holding and getting so close and making it really awkward for her, and I hate doing that. I think that was a bit of time, I don’t know where else really because she just sort of trucked along smoothly without going absolutely crazy.”
Mary said she was very happy with the way King’s Temptress went, although she was feeling slightly sore herself, and might try and find team magician physio Andy Thomas tonight to see if he could help her. Mary added that she thought if she hadn’t been wearing her air vest in Luhmuhlen she wouldn’t even have been here today.
Pippa Funnell was another rider who had to draw on all her considerable experience to bring her second horse, Instant Reaction, home clear, after a much smoother go earlier on Mirage D’Elle. Pippa told us that not being full thoroughbreds they had perhaps lacked some staying power today, but that she was so proud of them today for digging deep, and they had both learned a lot. She said she does just as much work with these two as she did with her old long format Badminton and Burghley horses, but may even increase the longer gallops in place of some of the sprints. Pippa said she came into Burghley with no expectation of either horse and is just glad to have a chance to keep her eye in at this level. Instant Reaction only started eventing as an 8 year old and is eleven now, “so I had an awful lot of undoing, because he came from the world of show-jumping so he never knew what the word gallop meant until he was 8. He is physically getting stronger; you underestimate how long it really does take to get a horse to this level, I mean if you think of Rocky, (Supreme Rock), he was 11 when he came good, but I had him when he was younger and he started a lot younger, this horse is several years behind. It’s really good for me to wagon two horses round, to get back to looking a bit ugly, throw the stylish thing out the window and get down to what you’re really feeling, the horsemanship side.”
Pippa bringing Instant Reaction over the last, photo with permission by Nico Morgan
Kyle Carter looked to be having a great go of it on Parker, (photo again with kind permission of Nico Morgan) until according to their blog, a lost shoe caused them to slip into the big log pile at 12. They’ll now re-route to Blenheim next weekend – Good Luck!
I also hear that first timer Gaby Cooke who retired her horse Sir Roscoe had blood drawn and and has discovered he is running a virus, and may also have flipped his soft palate.
Gin’n’Juice was flying round, and just had an unfortunate glance off at the corner after the house on the mound at 14 but finished strong and full of running for Hawley Bennett-Awad. Thanks to Nico Morgan again for all these fantastic pictures. Make sure to check out the complete Burghley gallery at his website.
Of course we’ve all come to expect great rounds from the experienced campaigners like William, Mary, Andrew et al, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. William spoke to us after his first round on Parklane Hawk who took an early lead, which was unassailable after Simone Deitermann’s unfortunate but harmless fall at Capability’s Cutting.
However, there were some really impressive rounds from younger riders too. Tom McEwen at his first Burgley showed what’s made him so successful at the Young RIder level, riding with guts and gusto to bring Dry Old Party home clear within the time for 10th place.
Zara Phillips must be thrilled with High Kingdom’s round, vindicating her faith in him with a lovely clear, answering all the questions in a really genuine fashion.
Julian Stiller had a great round but for one little blip at the Trout Hatchery and must be pleased with her lovely black mare, Chapel Amble who improved all the way round.
Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz flew round, making mincemeat of the course. The only sticky moment I saw was at 6/7 the Discovery Valley, which really didn’t look to ride that well all day. (Guess what – photo by Nico Morgan!)
John Kyle gave Step in Time a fabulous round, clear inside the time and looked like he was out hunting.
Kitty King’s High Havoc was impressive, also Clea Phillipps’ Lead the Way and Lauren Shannon on Zero Flight. Add to that Matthew Wright, the lovely Comanche and his rider, vet James Robinson. Commiserations to our friend Hamish who pulled up at the far end of the course near 20, I’ll try and catch up with him tomorrow to make sure everything’s ok, and to Michael and Nathalie Pollard. I’m sure I’m forgetting so many but it’s getting really late, and I don’t want to be left alone in the press tent in the dark! It’s hard on the saturday night, to share in the elation of those that did well, but also to empathise with those who didn’t have the day they hoped for, and try and reconcile the two. Perhaps that’s why I’m sitting here typing solo!
Congratulations to everyone, it seems that all horses and riders are safe which makes it a good day in those terms. I hope everyone has a good night’s sleep, myself included, and looking forward to a very exciting show-jumping tomorrow with everything to play for – yikes! Go eventing!
