© Eric Knoll/FEI

London Olympian Chris Burton has bolstered his chances of making a second consecutive Australian Olympic Team after winning the Saumur (FRA) CCI3* three day event at the weekend.

Riding the horse Santano II, Burton established a strong lead from the outset, scoring a very competitive 40.20 penalties in the dressage. The pair solidified their advantage in the cross country adding just 1.20 penalties to their score and held onto top position on the final day, despite adding four jumping penalties in the show jumping.

Their final score of 45.40 clinched the title for Burton who previously finished first and second (riding Haruzac and Holstein Park Leilani respectively) at this event in 2012 ahead of the London Games. 

It is the first time that Santano II has completed a CCI3* and while Burton has been enjoying success with the horse through the lower levels, he was cautious heading into Saturday’s cross country. 

“It is always nerve-wracking when we ride a horse that is doing his first three star cross country course. You never know if he will hold the distance and if he will continue to jump.

“We are very excited by this horse,” he said. “He has an interesting background. Because of his bloodlines people say it is a dressage horse but that is not the case. He has a lot of energy and good jumping skills.”

Also on the weekend Australia fielded a team in the Odense round of the 2016 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup – the second of three nominated shows for eligible riders vying for Jumping team selection for Rio. The team of Jamie Kermond (Yandoo Oaks Constellation), Julia Hargreaves (Blinky Bill), Steven Hill (Yalambi’s Bellini Star) and Phillip Lever (Comme II Faut) accumulated a total of 23 penalties which saw them finish in 11th position.

Click here to see the full results from Samaur CCI3*.

Source: Equestrian Australia