The Burghley crown looks almost certain to return to British hands, after a rugged day’s cross-country saw the home side with seven of the top 10, including the first three spots.
New Zealand riders had a tough time over Captain Mark Phillips’ daunting track, with Tim Price completing on just one of his three rides, Bango, to be best of the Kiwis in seventh place going into the final phase.
Caroline Powell and On the Brash were the only other New Zealand pair to jump clear, and rose from 43rd after dressage to 19th as a result, despite 30 time faults.
Dan Jocelyn received 11 penalties for a broken pin – one of a number of riders to trigger the safety devices – but rode a sympathetic round on the relatively-inexperienced Blackthorn Cruise, and is now in 26th place.
Samantha Lissington, who was one of 24 first-timers at Burghley this year, was seriously impressive with Ricker Ridge Rui. The scopey Rui showed his bravery and agility in the early part of the course, making it look – if not exactly easy – very rideable.
But like many other combinations, they came unstuck at the influential and fiendishly difficult Joules on the Maltings combination, which had two massive airy white oxers to a huge corner. A split second of hesitation or perhaps indecision on the approach to the first oxer and the horse stopped – but Sam was able to regroup, complete the alternate route and go on to finish in grand style.
She received 38 time faults, but simply to get around is a huge achievement. “It feels crazy to be standing here having completed the Burghley cross-country track,” Sam says. “I can’t believe we made it through the finish flags after so many years of hard work. I had one green moment and unfortunately we paid the price but, fingers crossed, we’ll be back next year and we’ll do better.”
Sam is now in 33rd place, with only 33 combinations completing. There were 20 eliminations, and 11 retirements.
The Price family will be bitterly disappointed with their day. Jonelle retired Faerie Dianimo at the Trout Hatchery, when a sticky jump over the rails into the water broke the frangible pin. Earlier, Tim made a similar call with Xavier Faer, who faulted at the same complex.
But most gutting was his elimination with defending champion, Ringwood Sky Boy. They’d fair cruised around the vast majority of the course, and were looking on track to be close to the time and a top four spot. But literally within sight of the finish, cantering through the water under the bridge, the horse stumbled and tripped on to his knees, tipping his rider off.
The three British riders at the business end of the leaderboard – all veterans of the sport and members of the team who won the silver medal at the European Champs a week prior – have a huge margin on the rest of the field.
Pippa Funnell rode a gutsy, determined round on MGH Grafton, and with four time faults for being 10 seconds over the optimum time she retained her lead by the narrowest of margins, 0.1 of a penalty, on 26.8.
The only clear round inside the time elevated Piggy French and Vanir Kamira from equal sixth to second place on 26.9, while Oliver Townend completes the top three with Ballaghmor Class; they stopped the clock five seconds over the time to finish on 27.6.
There is a big gap back to the fourth placed rider, Sweden’s Ludwig Svennerstal, who had six time faults with Stinger to finish on 38.8.
British riders Sarah Bullimore (Reve du Rouet) and Gemma Tattersall (Santiago Bay) fill fifth and sixth places, and Tim is seventh with Bango, having incurred 12 time faults to sit on a score of 41.6.
Britain’s Imogen Murray and Ivar Gooden’s fantastic cross-country round saw them make a meteoric leap up the leaderboard from 60th after dressage to eighth, thanks to posting one of the fastest rounds of the day with just four time penalties.
