Badminton: Burto leads the way

Australian Christopher Burton is poised to add the Badminton crown to the Burghley title he won last year. Can he do it?

Christopher Burton and Graf Liberty have a commanding lead (Image: Jon Stroud Media/FEI)

With a remarkable seven different countries represented in the top 10, the scoreboard after two days of dressage at the Badminton Horse Trials is a veritable United Nations.

The traditional flurry of good marks at the end of the second day happened again this year, with Australian Christopher Burton taking a commanding lead at the conclusion of the first phase – scoring a whopping 78.10% average for 32.9pen on Graf Liberty. Ingrid Klimke of Germany is second, riding Horseware Hale Bob OLD, 3.5pen adrift on 36.4pen, and crowd favourite, Ireland’s Jonty Evans, is third on Cooley Rorkes Drift, on 37.2.

Karin Donkers (Belgium) is just 0.1 behind him, fourth on Fletcha Van’T Verahof, and Andrew Nicholson is the best-placed New Zealander on Nereo,  fifth equal with USA’s Lauren Kieffer on Veronica, scoring 74.64% for a penalty mark of 38.

Andrew Nicholson and Nereo are sitting pretty in fifth equal (Image: Stephen Bartholomew/Libby Law)

Yesterday’s leader, Thibaut Valette of France, is seventh, followed by Germany’s Bettina Hoy and Michael Jung. Astier Nicolas (FRA) rounds up the top 10.

‘Burto’, who won his first European four-star at Burghley last September, was over the moon with his score on the 12-year-old Irish-bred Graf Liberty, by Limmerick. “I’m absolutely delighted with him. He went into the ring and I said, ‘uh-oh’ but he just put his periscope up and had a little look around and then went back to work, and really stuck with me.”

Ingrid Klimke didn’t let her huge fanbase down either, with her trademark beautiful test on her beloved ‘Bobby’, who was her Rio Olympic partner. “He was so brave as he got quite excited outside and I couldn’t walk any more, so I just thought, just relax, hopefully he will walk out there. The moment I came in he was totally with me, and he really just tried to give me his very best.”

Ingrid Klimke rode Horseware Hale Bob OLD into second place (Image: Stephen Bartholomew / Libby Law)

Ingrid’s vast experience came into good use when the pair entered the packed stadium. “I went inside the [TV] camera as I saw some horses spooking there, and I took as long as I could until finally the bell rang, but the moment he came in [to the arena] he thought, ‘Okay, now I am safe’.”

Jonty Evans has competed once before at Badminton, 10 years ago, and was never sure he would make it back – but what a way to do it! He was ecstatic when 75.18% went up on the scoreboard for Cooley Rorkes Drift, the horse he rode to a creditable ninth place at Rio.

Jonty Evans was thrilled with Cooley Rorkes Drift (Image: Stephen Bartholomew/Libby Law)

“I am so pleased. He’s only 11 now and in his short career he has done everything I have asked of him. I am absolutely so indebted to him. He just went in there today and did exactly what I asked.”

Jonty came across the horse when he was helping some people who had broken down in their horse truck. He took the two horses home while they got their truck towed – one of the horses was Cooley Rorkes Drift!

Jonty also spent some time working for Andrew Nicholson, so will be delighted that he has inched in front of him at this point!

Irish eventing’s superstar Jonty (Image: Stephen Bartholomew/Libby Law)

Andrew, the last rider to go, did a lovely test with his veteran partner Nereo and is just 5.1 penalties behind the leader. “Nereo does his job very well. You can trust him to go in there and focus and give you 100%. I think I might have fluffed up a couple of flying changes, which is not my strongest point, but otherwise it was good.”

Andrew is chasing his first win in this event, having completed it an amazing 35 times (more than anyone else in history). He has certainly set himself up in a good position, and of course getting the cross-country time is one of his strengths. When asked how special Badminton is to him, he replied that it was the top. “It’s the pinnacle of eventing. I’ve been coming here an awful long time, and I can tell you it is very difficult to win. We will give it our best shot, and what will be will be.”

Andrew also sits in 64th place on his young horse Qwanza, who did her test yesterday, scoring 55.1.

Sir Mark and NZB Campino recorded a 43.6pen score, just behind his 42.9 from yesterday’s test on Leonidas II. He therefore sits in 13th and 14th spots. Having both his horses in the top 20 certainly shows just what a master horseman he is. Talking about Campino’s test, he said: “It was a bit frustrating because the horse is capable of doing a really good test, but I think a lot of horses have been upset by the wind and everything else, and when he does get a little bit nervous like that he gets snatchy in the hand – there is very little I can do.”

Sir Mark Todd and NZB Campino are 13th after dressage (Image:Stephen Bartholomew / Libby Law)

Tim Price is the next-best-placed Kiwi, sitting 34th on a score of 48.2, 15.3 behind the leader, with Xavier Faer in the horse’s first Badminton. Tim was happy enough with his test and his young horse. “Late changes cost us on the scoreboard, but those are his difficult changes so it wasn’t out of the usual. We have been getting more of them nailed but when you put on the pressure of the actual ring-time in the mix, it can be much more testing. The rest of it was right on par with where he has been working. I was actually rapt as he went and acquitted himself well.”

Tim Price was happy with Xavier Faer’s test, and is now 34th (Image: Stephen Bartholomew / Libby Law)

Blyth Tait was philosophical after his test on Bear Necessity, his score of 49.3 leaving him in 37th place. “It could have gone better. It wasn’t bad. The horse is getting more established at this phase. He was just a bit heavy in the hand. He didn’t do an awful lot wrong.”

Blyth Tait and Bear Necessity: getting more established (Image: Stephen Bartholomew / Libby Law)

After their dressage yesterday, New Zealanders Jesse Campbell and Kaapachino are now in 40th on their score of 49.9, and Dan Jocelyn is 73rd on 56.5 with Dassett Cool Touch.

The home side were notable by their absence from the top 15 – the best-placed Brits are Alexander Bragg and Tom McEwen in 18th equal place. Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul were third last year, and were tipped by many to be right in the mix again this year, but the horse boiled over in the arena, and with a score of 55.8pen they are languishing in 67th.

Still, with such a big and bold track it’s not expected to be a dressage competition, and as Gemma says, “he is a fantastic cross-country horse.”

Christopher Burton admits to being “terrified” of the big course. “Unfortunately I have to start thinking about it now. Of course I am looking forward to getting out there, but I will be more excited to be at the end of it.”

Burto has more than one reason to come home safely, as his wife Bek is due to give birth. “There might be a baby when you get back,” she said to her husband after the dressage.

Toddy, meanwhile, most adeptly summed up the cross-country challenge awaiting the riders: “We can get hung up on the dressage but tomorrow is a completely different story. It is question after question with very little let-up.”

Tim Price has ridden around many Badminton tracks, and says he’s never seen it as big. “Even the let-up fences are maximum. The placement of everything – there is something big that requires the scope and the power and then you have to go and do something with precision afterwards. It will be interesting to see. The cream is supposed to rise to the top and that is what is supposed to happen at four-star.”

Blyth Tait plans on taking advantage of his position in the draw to watch the ones before him go, and says fortunately ‘Bear’ is both scopey and very honest. The course requires real accuracy, according to Blyth. “It is as big as I have seen here at Badminton for a long time. It is really demanding all the way.”

Ingrid Klimke is looking forward to the challenge. “There are so many chances when you are not perfect on a line or path or whatever, then you can easy run out, but on the other hand you have to be really bold as lots of fences are really big. But I am happy, as Bobby already did many difficult courses so I know he has scope, he loves it and I trust him.”

Andrew Nicholson is never one to show any fear before a cross-country. He described the course as “proper.”

“They have had big tracks here before but it is big, it is fair and we’ve got to ride it properly, and hopefully, that is what I will do tomorrow.”

The best of luck to them all!

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