Welcome to Horse & Hound’s live reports from Defender Burghley. The H&H team will be bringing you all the news you need to know as it happens.
The action begins on Wednesday 2 September with the first horse inspection at 4pm. This is followed by two days of dressage, then cross-country on Saturday. On Sunday morning all the horse are reinspected to ensure their fitness to continue, before jumping the key showjumping rounds that will decide the title.
I will be at Burghley throughout bringing you all the news as it happens via this live news service. I will be joined by H&H dressage editor Oscar Williams, while H&H features editor Martha Terry will be in the mixed zone interviewing the riders and H&H senior news writer Lucy Elder is our roving reporter, who will be capturing videos from around the venue.
If you don't want to miss a moment, then join us as we look forward to sharing the highs and lows of Defender Burghley Horse Trials with you here.
Useful links:
- Burghley form guide
- How to watch Burghley TV
- Watch Tina Cook walk key cross-country fences
- Burghley drawn order
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We hope you’re enjoying our coverage of Defender Burghley, including exclusive insight from our reporters on site.
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Phew! That was a whistlestop tour.
So sad to lose David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed with their late withdrawal.
Everyone who presented passed, so there will be 48 starters.
We’ll have a report from the trot-up, full cross-country course pictures and dressage times on our website soon.
And I’ll be back here tomorrow ready for the dressage, which provisionally starts at 10am. Bookmark the page!
Final two...
Katie Magee presents Treworra, who was fifth at Badminton in the spring and went well here last year bar a run-out in Defender Valley. He passes.
And the last up is Will Coleman – who led the US to team bronze at the worlds with Kentucky winner Diabolo. He rides Very Dignified here and they are accepted.
Robin Godel of Switzerland presents Dealer De La Bride for his Burghley debut and they are through. Robin retired his championship stalwart Grandeur De Lully CH at the World Championships last month.
Another grey next – D’Artagnan, who impressed with third at Bramham for Wiltshire-based US rider Tiana Coudray. He looks very smart as he passes.
Anthony Clark comes next, with Ballinaguilkey Fortunus, a grey, and he passes. It’s Anthony’s Burghley and five-star debut.
Jennie Brannigan of the US, with FE Lifestyle, is accepted - they’ve had a couple of good runs here.
Next we see US-based Aussie Ema Klugman with Chiraz, who passes.
Stop press. Late withdrawal of one of the favourites – David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed. We’ll try to find out more and bring you the news.
Kate Rocher-Smith wears a blue and white floaty dress and long boots to present Dassett Select. Big smiles from her as she makes her Burghley debut and the horse passes.
Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint are next – our 2024 Badminton runners-up who had a run-out at the Trout Hatchery here last year. Lucy is taking a sabbatical from working full-time in marketing to make the most of her horse of a lifetime. "Paddy" passes.
She’s followed by another for Ireland, Austin O’Connor with Sixmilewater, who is accepted for his second Burghley start.
Sarah Bullimore is up next – according to EquiRatings, she’s the favourite, with the home-bred Corimiro, who went clear across country in the time at Badminton this spring, but lost a podium place in the showjumping. He’s just 10 years old. No problems for them. Sarah seeks a first five-star win.
Arthur Marx is next, for France, with Church’Ile. I saw him out course walking earlier with compatriot Benjamin Massie and Swiss rider Robin Godel. Church’Ile accepted.
Tom Strawson then presents Public Address, who went very well here last year on their debut. Tom works full-time in property and is a big hunting man. He looks a little anxious but Public Address passes.
Green trousers, green patterned jacket and pink top for Tara Dixon, daughter of the great Karen Dixon. Master Smart is accepted too.
Matt Heath’s ride Benedict Radau is accepted, for the horse’s British five-star debut.
Then Centennial returns from the holding box. The holding box vet – who can talk to the rider and physically inspect the horse – makes the usual report to the ground jury and veterinary delegate. Tayla Mason re-presents and they are through. Phew.
Nadja Minder is back from the holding box with Toblerone, too. Relief there too as he’s accepted and she gives the ground jury a thumbs up.
Jonelle Price is wearing a stylish white coat – I hope she doesn’t trip and fall in the mud – to present Chilli’s Midnight Star, by the great Chilli Morning. Another pair for New Zealand safely through the inspection.
For anyone watching, there aren’t nearly as many stallions as the graphics suggest… I don’t think there are any stallions in this field, actually.
Michael Owen’s ride Monbeg Darwin is another who is quite het up but he passes.
Yasmin Ingham is next – it’s the 2022 world champion’s Burghley debut and she rides Goliath Du Loir, who is from the same stud as her top horse Banzai Du Loir. He passes.
Jesse Campbell presents Cooley Lafitte, who was in the top 20 here a couple of years ago. They also represent New Zealand and are accepted.
Sam Watson then trots up Ballyneety Rocketman, for Ireland. Sam is the co-founder of the equestrian data analytics company EquiRatings. His ride looks very excited to be here but passes.
New Zealand’s Caroline Powell, winner here in 2010 with Lenamore, wears a stylish plum hat and long pink coat to trot up High Time, who passes.
We’re on to Emma Thomas with Icarus, who were in the top 20 on their debut here a few years ago. He’s talented but can be tricky. He is accepted.
Australia’s Samuel Jeffree and Santoro pass to set up their debut Burghley start.
Harry Meade is next – he has two horses, but because he initially entered three, the two he has remaining are middle and end of the draw (his first horse Superstition having been withdrawn), hence why he didn’t come forward with the other two-horse riders at the beginning. Et Hop Du Matz and Cavalier Crystal are accepted.
Could this be Harry’s chance finally to win a five-star?
Enjoy unlimited access to HorseandHound.co.uk
We hope you’re enjoying our coverage of Defender Burghley, including exclusive insight from our reporters on site.
If you want to read every article on horseandhound.co.uk including our extensive coverage of Defender Burghley, plus exclusive interviews and top rider opinion, daily training exercises, vet-approved horse care advice and much, much more, you can support our trusted equestrian journalism by subscribing to horseandhound.co.uk today from just £1*.
*First month offer for new subscribers. Auto-renews monthly. Cancel anytime. Ts&Cs apply.
Max Warburton passes with Deerpairc Revelry, a promising young pair for Britain.
And then a young Swiss rider, Nadja Minder, with the 19-year-old Toblerone, who is also sent to the holding box.
France next, with Benjamin Massie and Filao De Perle, who passes.
Simon Grieve follows, with a big smile on his face and sunglasses despite the rain. He presents Autograf, with whom he finished in the top 20 last year. He’s accepted.
Jack Pinkney is set to make his Burghley debut after presenting Claragh Olala successfully.
Alex Bragg brings forward Jaeger Master, who went well at Bramham in June – always a good set-up event for Burghley – and he passes too.
Another for New Zealand – Tayla Mason with Centennial, who was bred by her mother Sonya. Tayla is in loose pink trousers with built-in pink braces. Oh – Centennial to the holding box.
Joseph Murphy presents the experienced grey Calmaro for Ireland and they are through.
Gemma Stevens then comes forward, sensibly wearing a hat, though it‘s perhaps more for sun than rain. Chilli Knight passes. She had a great win in the CCI4*-S at Scone Palace last week on Cooley Park Muze and will want to keep up that form here, after the disappointment of elimination at the World Championships with Flash Cooley.
Young Brit Tom Bird is up next, with Cowling Hot Gossip – he’s gone well across country here previously – and they are accepted.
Mary Edmundson, a first-timer here, looks very damp in a long dress as she presents Lionel II, who is accepted.
Another long dress follows – worn by US rider Cassie Sanger, who is based with double Burghley winner Ros Canter. She and Redfield Fyre made a great debut here last year with a strong cross-country round. No problems for them and they pass.
New Zealander Clarke Johnstone’s ride Domasco looks spicy and a bit of a handful, but he’s accepted.
The first grey forward is Ballyneety Silver Service, who was so impressive across country here last year with young British rider Holly Richardson. He passes, as does stablemate Bally Louis.
Ireland‘s Susie Berry then presents the mare Clever Trick and John The Bull, who are both accepted to start the competition. Susie is wearing a red and white checked shirt from a local shop in Stamford.
Tom Jackson is the last of the two-horse riders. No problems for Hawk Eye or United 36. United 36 is one of the favourites – he’s a smart 10-year-old who went brilliantly for fourth at Badminton in the spring.
Caroline Pamukcu looks smart in a green striped trouser suit. Her two rides HSH Tolan King and HSH Blake are accepted.
Tim Price, a former winner here, is next with Global Quest and Falco. He spoke to H&H yesterday about the decision to bring Falco here after competing him at the World Championships. Tim’s rides both pass too.
The horses come forward in number order, but riders with two horses trot them both up together. So all the two-horse riders will present first.
The very first down the runway will be US rider Caroline Pamukcu, a Burghley debutante. She brings forward her original entrant HSH Tolan King and also HSH Blake, who was re-routed after he tipped Caroline off at the tricky fence 17 at the World Championships in Aachen last month.
It was Aachen and Caroline’s loss, but Burghley’s gain as Blake is a genuine title contender here.
We are expecting 49 horses to trot-up, with late withdrawals including Laura Collett with Bling and Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Cartania.
The ground jury, who inspect the horses alongside the veterinary delegate, are France’s Xavier Le Sauce, Ireland’s Joanne Jarden and Britain’s Sandy Phillips
It's raining here at Burghley, which isn’t ideal as everyone likes to put on a nice outfit for the trot-up and get a smart photo of them and their horse!
Wednesday: first horse inspection
Hello and welcome to the Horse & Hound live blog from Defender Burghley. I'm Pippa Roome, magazine and eventing editor at H&H and I'll be your main guide through this week on the blog, with help from my friends and colleagues.
We’re less than 15 minutes away from the start of the trot-up and the excitement is building.