Shock late withdrawal of Burghley title contender before first horse inspection: ‘Absolutely gutting’
David Doel explains to H&H why he had to make a late withdrawal from Burghley with Galileo Nieuwmoed
David Doel made a shock late withdrawal from Defender Burghley Horse Trials this afternoon, pulling out his stalwart five-star campaigner Galileo Nieuwmoed shortly before the first horse inspection at 4pm.
“It’s absolutely gutting,” David told H&H. “He bashed his eye at the beginning of the week and it just hasn’t quite settled well enough for me to feel he’d be happy to compete.
“Hopefully just a few more days’ rest and he should be right as rain.”
David is on site at Burghley and was spotted out walking the cross-country course earlier. Galileo was listed on the trot-up order, so the British rider evidently hoped he’d be able to present him, but it was not to be today.
David and Galileo Nieuwmoed, who is now 15 years old and belongs to his rider, Mary Fox and Gillian Jonas, have a super five-star record, with eight top-10 results at the top level, spread across the six northern hemisphere five-stars.
They were second at Burghley in 2023, but had a fall here in 2025. They came back with ninth at Pau Horse Trials later that autumn and then were third and best of the Brits at Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring.
The Burghley result is very open this year and David Doel had a genuine chance of scoring a first five-star victory before his withdrawal.
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Data analytics experts EquiRatings ranked him as fourth favourite, with an 8% win chance, behind Britain’s Sarah Bullimore (Corimiro), New Zealand’s Tim Price (Falco) and US rider Caroline Pamukcu (HSH Blake).
David’s withdrawal leaves a field of 48 to go to post at the British autumn classic.
Other withdrawals from Burghley this week include popular home side rider Laura Collett and the enthusiastic five-star mare Bling, Swiss rider Felix Vogg with Cartania and Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy with Lady Ophelia.
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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.