EVENTING News


Burghley Leaderboard Shuffled After Cross Country
Saturday, 2 September 2017


The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials delivered this morning and the leaderboard has certainly had a decent shake up.

It’s been a bit of a challenging cross country day for the Kiwis, but Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy sit in fourth and Andrew Nicholson aboard Nereo in sixth, heading into tonight’s showjumping.

But it is tight at the top – Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class, the last combination on the course this morning, lead on 40.6 penalty points, with Gemma Tattersall (GBR) and Arctic Soul second on 43 and Izzy Taylor (GBR) aboard Trevidden in third on 45.6. Price is on 46.5, Piggy French (GBR) and Vanir Kamira fill fifth spot on 46.9 and Nicholson is on 47.1. That’s less that two dropped rails across the top six.

Overnight leader Sir Mark Todd had a fall from Leonidas II fairly late in the course, and while very frustrated and disappointed, was fine.

“I was having a really good ride and he was fairly well up on time,” said Todd. “At Discovery Valley he just over-jumped. I may not have had too nice a stride into it and he just launched and lost his footing when he landed. It is not something he has ever done before . . . it is just really frustrating. Without that we probably would have been inside the time. I am not going to have too many more chances here.”

It was an uncharacteristic fault from a horse who is usually super reliable in the cross country. But Todd was philosophical, saying it had been a good, interesting and exciting day.

“And that is what it is all about.”

Nicholson and Qwanza also parted company and while winded, the rider was passed fit to ride later on Nereo.

“She (Qwanza) is a bouncy, buzzy thing and it was early on in the course,” said Nicholson. “It was a two stride combination and she did it in one – the second element is very big and very wide, and she is only little.”

Tim Price admitted his round with Ringwood Sky Boy was a little scrappy.

“He is not the most elegant tidy jumper, but he is incredibly enthusiastic and brave, and I try to use those things as our main tools,” he said.

The combination finished just outside the time, adding 5.2 penalties to their dressage score, and sit 5.9 penalties adrift of the leader.

“It would mean everything to me (to win at Burghley),” said Price. “I came close a couple of years ago and was fourth last year. It has been quite a testing year. To win would be the icing on the cake. I think it is a real sign of the top riders and I would like to be one of those one day.”

Price picked up time and jump faults aboard his second ride, Xavier Faer.

Nicholson and Nereo were also just over the time allowed, and added 7.6 penalties to their score, but he had nothing but praise for his chestnut gelding.
“I have a much easier job riding Nereo than most of the other riders have out there,” he said. “He has done so much. He knows every type of fence that is coming and he knows where he should be jumping from. It makes it very easy to ride.”

He felt the last third of the Captain Mark Phillips-designed course was tricky.

“They weren’t big but when you have been riding at very big fences . . . and then suddenly they start to get smaller and the horse is getting tired. It’s quite trappy.”
He’s now focused on jumping a clear in the showjumping tonight.

Caroline Powell rode a very solid round aboard Onwards and Upwards to come home clear, adding just time faults to sit in 14th place on 65.5 penalty points.

“He was very good,” she said. “It was definitely a huge challenge out there. Both horses jumped it really well. It just doesn’t give up. Towards the end of the course it does get a little smaller but there are more combinations, so that in itself is really quite hard for the horses.”

Powell picked up both time and jump faults aboard Spice Sensation, but she was thrilled with the efforts of the plucky mare on her first Burghley outing.

“She has the heart of a lion. I don’t think this will be her last – she was stunning. One stop on a huge track isn’t bad.”

The course threw plenty of challenges, and just three combinations were clear and inside time. Eleven combinations were eliminated, and four retired, including the mighty Michael Jung (GER) and La Biosthetique Sam FBW.

For results and times, head to http://www.bdwp.co.uk/bur/17/
For more information, head to http://www.burghley-horse.co.uk/
For livestreaming, follow The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Official Page on Facebook

The horse details –
Nereo (owned by Libby Sellar), Qwanza (owned by Mark and Rosemary Barlow and Andrew Nicholson), Leonidas II (owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and Sir Mark Todd), Ringwood Sky Boy (owned by Robert Taylor, Varenna Allen, Tim Price and selwood.com), Xavier Faer (owned by Trisha Rickards, Nigella Hall and Tim Price), Onwards and Upwards (owned by Cameron and Mary Crawford and Caroline Powell), Spice Sensation (owned by Claire and Michael Hunter and Caroline Powell).

By Diana Dobson, ESNZ High Performance Media Liaison