Coming hot on the heels of this weekend’s 2017 European Eventing Championships in Poland, this year’s Land Rover Burghley will be a truly international affair, with more than 80 horses from nations spanning Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, USA and the UK competing for the £90k first prize.
The list includes a number of former winners: 2010 champion, New Zealander Caroline Powell, is entered with two rides (Onwards and Upwards and Spice Sensation); 2009 winner and team GB member Oliver Townend is also riding two (Ballaghmor Class and Cooley SRS); and three-time Olympic gold medallist, Germany’s Michael Jung, who won in 2015 and is currently ranked world number one, will be there too.
As always there will be a strong Antipodean presence, led by last year’s winner Christopher Burton riding Nobilis 18, and Sir Mark Todd on Leonidas II and NZB Campino. Sir Mark and NZB Campino were ninth last year.
Tim Price is riding Ringwood Sky Boy, who has had good placings at Burghley (including fourth last year), and Australia’s Andrew Hoy is another former Burghley champion, who this year brings The Blue Frontier. And, of course, 2017 Badminton winner Andrew Nicholson will be there on his quest to achieve the Rolex Grand Slam.
Seventeen first-time combinations will be competing, including Lissa Green, daughter of two-time Burghley winner Lucinda Green, and three well-established international riders will be making their Burghley debut: Ireland’s Clare Abbott, France’s Maxime Livio and Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon.
The hugely popular Zara Phillips, a former runner-up at Burghley, will ride her WEG silver medal horse, High Kingdom. Nicola Wilson, Kristina Cook and Piggy French – all members of Team GB – will be travelling there directly from the European Championships.
Something else to look out for is the Peden Bloodstock International Pairs Challenge in which the 15 highest-ranked British riders are paired, in reverse order, with the 15 highest-ranked Rest of The World riders. Each pair’s scores will be added together and their placing calculated on the FEI Rules for Scoring.
Land Rover Burghley Event Director, Elizabeth Inman says: “As always, Mark Phillips’ cross-country course will provide a true four-star challenge and we’ll see talented young riders such as Lissa Green, Harry Dzenis and Georgie Spence pitted against established campaigners, including Oliver Townend and Michael Jung. With Andrew Nicholson focusing on his quest for the elusive Rolex Grand Slam, there is all to play for.”
Andrew will be the first Kiwi to compete at this year’s event, having drawn sixth spot on Qwanza. Tim will be the last New Zealander out, drawing 75th.
