Podium for Price at Burghley
Sunday, 4 September 2022
World no.2 Tim Price and Vitali have placed third at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, in the UK, with Jonelle Price and her 19-year-old superstar mare Classic Moet fourth.
Both combinations shone throughout the competition, with Tim and Vitali posting a 21.3 dressage mark before adding a few time penalties in a very challenging cross country, with rails this morning in the showjumping to finish on a score of 38.5.
Tim said the showjumping phase was something they would continue to work on but the horse was “super” at dressage and “fantastic” on the cross country. “I have faith he will come through and improve,” he said. “This is his first time at Burghley and he has proved to me he is worthy . . . now we will just go and fine-tune it. It is all about experience.”
World no.5 Jonelle and Classic Moet shot up the leaderboard in the cross country as the only combination in the field to come home clear and inside time. Today they had two rails down for fourth.
Jonelle would have liked to have been on the podium but says to pick up another top five 5* result was brilliant. “Particularly at her ripe age,” said Jonelle. “The highlight was posting the only clear round inside time on the cross country and was a real tribute to her cross country prowess.”
The combination scored 32.2 in the dressage and had two down this morning to finish on 40.2. “It would have been nice to have jumped perhaps a four fault round today but on the whole I have to be delighted with the week,” she said.
Tim placed 17th with Bango who finished on 57 penalty points while Hollie Swain and Solo have added another first to their competition cv, completing their first Burghley in 28th spot.
The CCI5*-L was won by Piggy March (GBR) aboard Vanir Kamira on 27 penalty points, with Tom Jackson (GBR) and Capels Hollow Drift second on 32.5, Tim and Vitali in third on 38.5, and Jonelle with Classic Moet fourth on 40.2.
The Kiwis picked up a swag of silverware – for Vitali’s third-placed effort, owner Joe Giannamore received the Stamford Challenge Cup, Tim received a silver frame, Classic Moet breeder Elaine Hepworth won the Richard Matson Memorial Trophy and £1,000 as the breeder of the highest-placed British bred horse; Trisha and Sophie Rickards, with Jonelle received the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain bronze; and Jonelle won the Avebury Trophy for the best cross-country round as judged by Captain Mark Phillips.
The Avebury Trophy is a new award to Burghley and was presented by Mark and Rosemary Barlow in memory of their three-time Burghley winner who did so well in the hands of Andrew Nicholson. Avebury retired from competition in 2016, and sadly had to be put down due to a malignant tumour in his jaw later that year. He is buried in the garden at the Nicholsons' home at Westwood Stud in Wiltshire.
Rosemary Barlow, who enjoyed so many great days with Andrew and Avebury, said the horse was at his most brilliant at Burghley. “He and Andrew made the cross-country track here look easy, which it certainly is not,” she said.
"We thought that to present an award to the rider who delivers a cross-country round that makes it 'look easy' would be an appropriate way to remember Buddy (Avebury) – and also to pay some tribute to Andrew, who retired from competing at the top level last autumn but won Burghley five times in total, and is rightly celebrated as one of the greatest cross-country riders we have ever seen."
Samantha Lissington placed fourth in the Burghley Young Event Hore for Five-Year-Olds with Muppet on a score of 81.3. The class was won by Robyn Gray and Jack of Clubs on 84.8.
WHAT: Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials WHERE: Lincolnshire, England WHEN: August 31-September 4, 2022 MORE INFO: www.burghley-horse.co.uk LIVESTREAM: Burghley TV
The horse details –
Bango – owned by the Numero Uno Syndicate Classic Moet – owned by Trisha and Sophie Rickards and Jonelle Price Vitali – owned by Joe and Alexander Giannamore and Tim Price Solo – owned by John Bodenham Muppet – owned by Brayden Lissington
