Changes to entries for the 50th Anniversary Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, many past winners will be present at the event – with several of them riding once again.
William Fox-Pitt, Virginia Elliott, (nee Holgate) and Mark Todd are the most successful riders to compete at Burghley, all winning 5 times. William Fox-Pitt in 1994, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2008; Virginia Elliott in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1989 and Mark Todd in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1997 and 1999.
William and Mark will both be riding at this year’s event. William was entered on many horses including the Kentucky 2010 4* winner Cool Mountain, however he has now withdrawn all horses except Neuf des Coeurs and Parklane Hawk. As the two-time winner of the HSBC Classics series – the valuable accumulator series that ties the premier four-star events together – William is recognised as one of the most successful riders in modern eventing. He has topped the world rankings three times and has won seven team gold and two individual silver medals at European Championships, as well as Olympic team silver 2004 and bronze 2008. He is one of three riders to win Burghley five times – and in 2008 he achieved a one-two with Tamarillo and Balincoola
Mark Todd needs little introduction as an icon of the sport who made his eventing comeback in 2008 following an eight-year ‘retirement’ from the sport when he went home to New Zealand to breed and train racehorses. At Burghley this year he will partner Major Milestone, who he took over from Owen Moore in July 2009. The pair has notched up some promising results; including 11th at Badminton in 2010.
Another icon of the sport is the British rider, Mary King will be riding King’s Temptress and Apache Sauce. Mary had a heavy fall from Imperial Cavalier on the cross country at the European Championships at Luhmuehlen last weekend requiring her to go to hospital for a precautionary X-ray (Mary broke her neck in a riding accident several years ago and says that after any fall, her first concern is her neck – not surprising!) but she has had a very successful year including winning Kentucky 4* 2011 on the homebred King’s Temptress which will certainly be one to watch.
Some other significant recent withdrawals include Andrew Nicholson’s Armada although the very in form New Zealand rider still has two rides on Nereo and Avebury, British rider Polly Stockton has withdrawn Regulus and German riders Marina Kohncke and Kai Ruder have withdrawn Calma Schelly and Le Prince des Bois. From the Australians, Sam Griffiths has withdrawn Danaan Prince but still has the lovely Happy Times to ride and Brook Staples has withdrawn Tova
Despite some withdrawals this is still shaping up to be a cracker of an event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. In this video, some past winners, including Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks who will be competing on Prada, reflect on what it has meant to them as we wonder who will join them next Sunday as the winner of the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
