Main image: Sophia Hill and Humble Glory. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
An exceptional field of horses and riders will contest Defender Burghley Horse Trials (5-8 September), with 76 pairs representing 10 nations entered for the prestigious CCI5* event.
The star-studded entries are headed by two members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics, Ros Canter and Tom McEwen. Lincolnshire-based Ros will bring her Paris ride – and 2023 Badminton winner and European champion – Lordships Graffalo, as well as Pau CCI5* hero Izilot DHI. Tom, the current world number one in the FEI rankings, will ride CHF Cooliser. Ros is one of two former world champions in the field – the other is Zara Tindall, entered with Class Affair.
Rosalind Canter riding Lordships Graffalo at the Paris Olympics. Image by FEI/Benjamin Clark.
Among the immensely strong British squad heading to Burghley is last year’s winner Oliver Townend, who is bringing his Defender Kentucky champion Cooley Rosalent in a bid to earn a fourth Burghley trophy. He is joined by Pippa Funnell (MCS Maverick), who took Burghley in 2003 and 2019. There are also two past winners representing New Zealand in the field: Tim Price, victorious at Defender Burghley in 2018, will be pathfinder in the competition – and will also be the final rider. Tim, like Britain’s Harry Meade, is planning to ride three horses at Burghley. Harry, third last year, has actually entered five horses but will run only three of them. And Caroline Powell, a Burghley winner in 2010, will ride her 2024 Badminton champion Greenacres Special Cavalier.
Other entries with a chance of taking the Defender Burghley title include recent British National Champion Emily King (Valmy Biats), and Britain’s Tom Jackson with his 2022 runner-up Capels Hollow Drift,
There are seven entries from the USA, nine from New Zealand, one from Australia (Sophia Hill and Humble Glory) and nine from Ireland – including all three members of the Irish Olympic team in Paris, and Lucy Latta, who finished second at Badminton this year. Six riders will represent France, including Nicolas Touzaint, a member of his country’s silver medal-winning team in Paris and a former double European champion and Badminton winner.
Excitingly, recent Olympic bronze medallists Japan (Ryuzo Kitajima and Toshiyuki Tanaka) and Switzerland (CCI5* winner Felix Vogg and Nadja Minder) will be represented at Burghley for the first time in more than 15 years.
Burghley’s Event Director Martyn Johnson said: “We have a hugely exciting set of entries this year, with great strength in depth from the most international field seen at a CCI5* for some time. To have such a global entry with highly competitive riders from nations such as Japan and Switzerland shows how the sport of eventing has grown in recent years. With many new developments to the event this year, the stage is set for a truly brilliant week, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming all our visitors to Defender Burghley 2024.”
Equestrian sports analysis company EquiRatings points out that this is the first time that Burghley will attract eight previous CCI5*-winning horses to its line-up. These are Cooley Rosalent (Oliver Townend), Chilli Knight (Gemma Stevens), Colorado Blue (Austin O’Connor), Lordships Graffalo (Ros Canter), Izilot DHI (Ros Canter), Coup De Coeur Dudevin (Tim Price), Grappa Nera (Jonelle Price) and Greenacres Special Cavalier (Caroline Powell).
EquiRatings’ co-founder Sam Watson, himself a CCI5* rider and world silver medallist, said: “Burghley winners have only ever come from six nations: GBR (38), NZL (14), AUS (4), USA (2), GER (1) and IRL (1), so we may see a seventh flag enter the roll of honour in 2024.”
As ever, there are plenty of first-timers (25) all keen to test their skills in riding and training their horses against Burghley’s thrilling and challenging cross-country course, designed by the USA’s Derek Di Grazia.
Sophia Hill and Humble Glory, pictured here on their way to finishing third in the CCI5*L at Adelaide Equestrian Festival in 2023. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
Sophia Hill and Humble Glory – Burghley first-timers
Short listed for the Paris Olympics, Sophia and rising 13-year-old off the track Thoroughbred Humble Glory (Bernardini x Shovhog) travelled to Europe earlier this year and have since completed Bicton, Bramham and Hartpury CC4*S where they were clear of jump faults on all three occasions. As Olympic reserves, they also took part in the pre-Games training camp. Burghley is set to be the pair’s second five-star, after finishing third in the CCI5*L at Adelaide last year. Sophia and Hughie are 53rd in the drawn order.
View the full list of Burghley CCI5*L entries here.
Source: Event press release/edited by EQ Life
