We often talk about going out with a bang, but today, we kicked things off with one!
From the moment they entered the arena, Olympic gold medallist Ros Canter and Izilot DHI were all business. Poised and composed, their early movements set a high standard, leading to a career-best score of 19.9, giving them a strong lead.
“I’m over the moon,” said Ros of her 2023 Blenheim and Pau winner. “Since Luhmühlen (in June) I’ve been practising having Izilot in self-carriage. I’ve tended to play safe with him in the past because he can be sharp and spooky, and now I want to show off his ability and movement and let him dance.”
Could she best herself tomorrow with her Paris ride and 2023 Badminton and European champion, Lordships Graffalo? “I’d like to think he wouldn’t be a million miles off but, because he now has a lot of experience, time management in the atmosphere is key with him,” said Ros.
Rolex Grand Slam and dual Burghley winner Pippa Funnell is in second place with MCS Maverick. Over the past two seasons, the pair won the CCI-L 4* at Bramham Horse Trials in 2023 and placed in the top ten at eleven events, including this year’s Badminton Horse Trials.
The 11-year-old bay gelding is, according to Pippa, one of the best horses she’s had on the flat at home, though he requires careful handling in the high-energy atmosphere of major horse trials.
“You really have to do the breathing for him in the arena, but it is all going in the right direction,” she said.
Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift are continuing their strong Burghley form. The pair, who finished second in 2022 on their Burghley debut, delivered another impressive performance with a score of 28.6, placing them in third, just 0.3 penalties behind Pippa.
The FEI CCI5* dressage test, C, is a new experience for some riders this year, including Tom Jackson.
“It felt a bit different and wasn’t as symmetrical as some I have been used to,” he observed, “but I think Capels Hollow Drift’s performance was as good as in other tests and I just hope we have done enough to be in the mix.”
Swiss Olympian Felix Vogg is in fourth place and is the highest-placed first-timer at Burghley this year, riding Cartania (28.8). Max Warburton is pleased to be the highest-placed British debutant in fifth with a score of 28.9 on Deerpairc Revelry.
Seasoned New Zealand rider Tim Price, who won in 2018, is in sixth place on Viscount Viktor (29.5), while Harry Meade holds seventh and eighth places with two of his three rides, the mare Cavalier Crystal, who was third last year, and Superstition, returning after a break.
Alfies Clover, a stalwart of the sport, performed his final dressage test today with his partner Richard Jones. They were met with rapturous applause as they exited the arena, reflecting the appreciation for a distinguished career and admiration for this remarkable gelding. Solid in dressage, with a look as though he’s been told to tidy his room, he will give the Derek Di Grazia course his all tomorrow, as he always has.
Outside the competition, today marked the opening of Burghley’s new public restaurant. The Avebury Restaurant celebrates the incredible grey who won Defender Burghley three times consecutively from 2012.
His image decorates the walls of this elegant space, which serves delicious cooked breakfasts and lunches, provided by the friendliest team in the business.
Burghley President Miranda Rock welcomed Avebury’s owners—Mark and Rosemary Barlow, and his rider Andrew Nicholson—to cut the ribbon on the new venue.
