Badminton winner, Olympic champion and Zara Tindall among latest Burghley entries

A clutch of top-class entries has flooded in for the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (31 August-3 September) over the past couple of days.

Andrew Nicholson, who has won Burghley five times, has entered three horses for the event — this year’s Badminton winner Nereo, plus Qwanza and Teseo — as he attempts to take the title again for New Zealand.

For the home side, Zara Tindall will come forward with London 2012 team silver medallist High Kingdom, who finished 10th here in 2011 and could well go better this time.

Germany’s Michael Jung will return to Burghley with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW. Sam is now 17 and has an unbelievable record including two individual Olympic golds, world and European individual gold, Badminton (2016) and Burghley (2015) titles and two seconds at Badminton, including this year.

Last year’s winner, Australia’s Chris Burton, has entered Nobilis 18 to defend his title.

New Zealand’s Tim Price continues to seek his first British four-star title and has a strong hand in Ringwood Sky Boy (second here in 2015) and Xavier Faer (third at Badminton this spring). His compatriot Mark Todd has entered his two experienced four-star campaigners, his Rio ride Leonidas II and London team bronze medallist NZB Camino.

Some of the horses long-listed for Britain’s team for the European Championships in Strzegom have also been entered for Burghley. They include Toledo De Kerser (Tom McEwen), One Two Many (Nicola Wilson), Arctic Soul (Gemma Tattersall), Billy The Red and Calvino II (Tina Cook). Tina also has Star Witness, who is not long-listed, entered at Burghley.

Continued below…

More eventing news:

France’s Maxime Livio will make his Burghley debut on Qalao Des Mers, with whom he won Pau CCI4* last year and has finished second in the four-stars at Kentucky and Luhmühlen. He will be a strong contender for the title, despite being a first-timer.

The ballot for Burghley closes at noon tomorrow (28 July), so final entries will be made over the next 24 hours.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.