Gemma Stevens topped the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2026 results this afternoon, showjumping clear to win with a 13.4-penalty margin.
Gemma and Chilli Knight, bred by his owners Chris and Lisa Stone, started with three fences in hand after errors from all the pairs placed second to eighth overnight.
The time Chilli Knight had five showjumps down, at Badminton 2025, loomed large in the mind, but actually, that was a bit of an outlier on his record. Out of the four times he had showjumped at five-star before today, he’d had one down twice and jumped clear once – when he won the Bicton Horse Trials one-off five-star in 2021.
He did it again today and again, the result was a five-star victory, validating that Bicton triumph and putting himself in the rare group of horses who have won two different five-stars.
“Honestly to jump a clear round is just so damn cool. I’m so proud of that little horse and proud of myself for holding it together because I was literally shaking down the reins,” said Gemma, who was the only rider to finish on her dressage score.
“He felt amazing over the first two and I thought, ‘Come on boy, we can do this.’
“I did feel horrendous this morning and the waiting around was torture. I said to Dickie [Waygood, British performance manager], ‘I’m just jumping at Hickstead, right’, and he said, ‘Yes, you’re just jumping clear round at Hickstead’ and that’s what we did.”
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Gemma Stevens pilots Chilli Knight to a wide-margin victory at Burghley 2026
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Husband Gary – who proposed just after Gemma won her first five-star, at Bicton exactly five years ago – said “Alfie” has given Gemma the lift she needed after elimination at the eventing World Championships in Aachen and he couldn’t be more proud of the pair of them.
Gemma says: “Aachen was one of lowest points in my career, the second lowest point in my career.
“The guilt I felt was horrendous. I took a place up and I failed. No matter who says you were still part of the team – and yes, I definitely earned my place – but I felt horrific.
“But you’ve got to show resilience in sport, pick yourself up and get on with it.
“Chilli Knight’s heart’s as big as he is, he’s an amazing little animal. He wants to do it, wants to please, he’s a little tiger out on the cross-country.”
Gemma, 41, has been riding at this level for 19 years. She also rode at five-star on Chilli Knight’s dam Kings Gem, with whom she was under-25 national champion.
“I feel like I’ve been doing this a long time. I can’t tell you how amazing this feels – to win a big B is a dream come true, it really is,” said the 41-year-old.
Chilli Knight’s sire, Chilli Morning, was of course also a five-star winner, courtesy of his Badminton Horse Trials 2015 victory.
The USA’s Caroline Pamukcu also had redemption for elimination at the World Championships, where she had a fall from HSH Blake. Today, the pair had the first fence down but still moved up from fifth to third.
Tom Jackson showjumped clear to take fourth on Hawk Eye, up from ninth overnight. Nadja Minder was fifth for Switzerland with Toblerone, hitting the last but still gaining one place.
Yasmin Ingham showjumped clear to move up from 10th to sixth on her Burghley debut, riding Goliath Du Loir.
The pairs placed second and third overnight both had expensive rounds today – Tim Price and Global Quest had three down to finish 11th and 20 jumping faults, plus 0.8 of a time-fault, dropped Holly Richardson with Ballyneety Silver Service to 15th.
Defender Burghley 2026 results
1. Gemma Stevens (GBR) on Chilli Knight 2. Katie Magee (GBR) on Treworra 3. Caroline Pamukcu (USA) on HSH Blake 4. Tom Jackson (GBR) on Hawk Eye 5. Nadja Minder (SUI) on Toblerone 6. Yasmin Ingham (GBR) on Goliath Du Loir 7. Will Coleman (USA) on Very Dignified 8. Benjamin Massie (FRA) on Filao De Perle 9. Jonelle Price (NZL) on Chilli’s Midnight Star 10. Harry Meade (GBR) on Cavalier Crystal
To re-live all the excitement from Burghley, subscribe to the Horse & Hound websiteand buy this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 10 September) for full analysis.
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.
