‘The course has quite a different flavour this year’: Burghley’s course-designer shares hints for tackling 2026 track
“Riders have to have a really good plan, because of the way the course comes at you,” says Derek di Grazia
Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course-designer Derek di Grazia has shared expert insight into what riders need to know before tackling his 2026 track on Saturday (5 September).
This year’s course runs in the same direction as 2025, heading under the Lion Bridge early on, then climbing up to the Dairy Mound and breezing down Winners’ Avenue.
At the Burghley media day on 11 August, Derek said the course has “quite a different flavour” to last year and that fitness and endurance will play a big part on cross-country day.
“I think riders have to have a really good plan, because of the way the course comes at you. In the first three minutes, there is quite a lot of uphill so you can’t be in a hurry,” he said, encouraging riders to be patient.
He added that riders are likely to be behind their minute markers at three minutes, and there will be places to catch up, such as the run down Winners’ Avenue.
“I think if you go too quick early, then it’s not going to be as comfortable getting home,” he said.
“You have that uphill climb early, which will require energy and fitness, but at the same time, right after they jump the Irish Horse Board Cottesmore Leap (fence 11), they go down Winners’ Avenue and it’s freewheeling all the way down, so they are going to make up time there.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“It gets quite intense when you get to Pedigree Ditches (fence 14abc) and at Joules at the Maltings (fence 15ab &16abc), so you’ve got to pay attention there. Then you’ve got another section where you can roll along [until the Trout Hatchery at fence 19abcdef], so I think if they have a good plan and are able to ride to the plan, they should have a good day.
“I think the course is fair and it’s there to be jumped. There are a number of alternatives out there for various reasons, but I think as they go along, depending on how their horse is going will determine whether they are going to take a long way here or there.”
He added: “Once you get to five-star, these horses are trained – at least they should be. They’ve jumped these kinds of corners and narrow fences, but it’s all how they are on the course.
“There are areas where it’s fairly intense and they have to be able to keep organised and focused, especially in those intense areas. Then I think they just have to be very careful not to underestimate some of the questions.”
He added that having run the course in this direction in 2025, seeing how horses handled that and finished well have helped inform his design choices for this year.
“I think they just have to be very careful not to underestimate some of the questions”
Derek di Grazia
Reflecting on how he handles watching on cross-country day, Derek said it comes down to knowing the preparation and attention to detail by the Burghley team in the year leading up to the event.
“If we know that we've done our job as well as we possibly can, then really, once we get to Saturday, it's up to the riders to do their job, and it's up to the horses to perform as well as we think they can,” he said.
“If that all happens, we're going to have a good day. Obviously, you never know what's going to happen. But I think for me, if I can get to Saturday knowing that we have done that job, I'm ready to see it happen.”
Derek highlighted several new questions for Burghley fans to look out for on 2026 cross-country day.
“There is a beautiful new swan at fence six, the 65th Anniversary Splash. Joe Weller carved that and he did a wonderful job,” he said.
“Beyond that, all the combinations are different, we’ve shuffled some single fences around and have a couple of new ones, so I think the course has quite a different flavour this year.
“I think it will be very exciting for the riders and will give them something new to look at.”
- To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout Defender Burghley Horse Trials, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.