Australian eventer Sammi Birch, pictured here riding her five-star horse, Finduss PFB, at a previous event.

© Elli Birch / Boots & Hooves Photography

Sammi Birch second after the CCI3*S dressage at Burgham International

By Equestrian Life

Burgham International Horse Trials is underway in the UK, with Australian Sammi Birch sitting in second position on 26.7 riding Jutopia following the CCI3*S (Section A) dressage phase.

Jutopia is an 8 year old KWPN mare owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller; Burgham is her second FEI start, having only previously completed a CCI2*L (34.6). Jutopia has enjoyed success at national level with Sammi, winning an Intermediate level class in May.

Fellow Aussies Clayton Fredericks riding FE Coldplay and Bill Levett riding Shannondale Archie are in 15th and 19th place respectively at Burgham, while Lissa Green and Royal Etiquette are in 43rd. Bill Levett is also 45th with The Bossman II in the CCI3*S (Section B).

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent lead the CCI3*S (Section A) on 23.3, just 3.4 penalties ahead of Sammi. Results here.

Read the full event report from the dressage phase below…

TOWNEND AND TAYLOR LEAD AT HAMBRO SPORT HORSES BURGHAM

Olympic team gold medallist and world number one Oliver Townend is in pole position once again at Hambro Sport Horses Burgham International Horse Trials – an event at which he has enjoyed multiple wins in the past few years.

Riding Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s 14-year-old Swallow Springs, on whom he was third at Badminton this spring, Oliver scored 22.6 in the dressage to top section H of the feature class at the Northumberland event, the Hambro Sport Horses CCI4*-S.
Oliver said: “It’s great to be back at Burgham, which has been a happy place for me and my team over the years. It’s just a shame that Swallow Springs’ owners weren’t able to be here to see him – I was very pleased with the way he went and he’s a lovely horse to ride.”

Young British star Yasmin Ingham is close behind him with a score of 23.7 on Moorecroft Ltd’s Rehy DJ.

Izzy Taylor, winner of Burgham’s CCI4*-S in 2021, heads up the second section of the Hambro Sport Horses CCI4*-S (section I), having achieved a mark of 25.4 aboard Sarah van Vegchel’s 11-year-old mare Ringwood Madras. Izzy has a 2.6-mark lead over local rider Harry Mutch, who scored a personal best of 28 on Carole Mutch’s HD Bronze.

Izzy said: “The exciting thing about ‘Maddie’ is that I think there is so much more to come from her. This weekend should set her up well for Burghley in September.”

In the Howard Russell Construction Ltd CCI3*-S, Oliver Townend also is in first place in section A with 23.3 on Cooley Rosalent, while his team-mate from the Tokyo Olympics, Tom McEwen, is in control in section B with a mark of 27.7 aboard Brookfield Cavalier Cruise.

The CCI3*-S competitors progress to showjumping and dressage tomorrow (Friday, 29 July), while dressage continues for the CCI4*-S class and the Holme Dodsworth Metals Ltd CCI2*-S gets underway. There are also British Eventing national classes at intermediate and novice level.

There are a great selection of tradestands and food and drink outlets to help spectators enjoy a great day out in the picturesque Northumbrian countryside.

For more information and a full timetable, and to buy event tickets, please visit www.burghaminternationalhorsetrials.co.uk.

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