Harry Meade holds the top two spots at the halfway stage of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country today (Saturday 6 September), while other top contenders have fallen by the wayside.
Harry finished seven seconds over the time with a super round on Charlotte and Peter Opperman’s mare Cavalier Crystal – one second slower than on his first horse Et Hop Du Matz – and currently sits first of those who have completed on the mare and second on pathfinder “Hoppy”.
Burghley Horse Trials cross-country: Harry Meade on form
“She’s a lovely horse – I’ve ridden her since she was a five-year-old so we know each other really well,” said Harry Meade after his second 2025 Burghley Horse Trials cross-country round.
He added that he wasn’t sure Cavalier Crystal was a five-star horse until he brought her to Burghley two years ago, when she finished third, a result she repeated last year.
“She used to scamper, with a quick turnover of footfall and no length of stride, so it’s been a case of getting her to switch off and relax and lengthen her stride,” he said. “She’s a cool cross-country horse and has been great the past two Burghleys and was even better this time.”
British rider Holly Richardson piloted the 10-year-old Ballyneety Silver Service round with 9.2 time-faults to sit third behind Harry’s pair at this stage. He is Holly’s second Burghley ride; she completed here in 2023 on Bally Louis and withdrew that horse before the second horse inspection last year.
“I’m so pleased that he’s gone and shown what he is, I’m really chuffed,” said Holly.
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“It’s definitely helpful, having been here before, because you know how the terrain rides but obviously it’s going the other way round so that’s made a difference this year. To be honest, when I walked it, I thought it would suit him better, because he is a real blood horse, and I knew he’d gallop up that hill.”
Although he’s such a good galloper, the grey is ridden in a snaffle.
Holly added: “He’s quite polite. You give him a little check and he’s quite happy to sit and wait for you. There were a couple of moments where I went, ‘Whoa, just wait.’ And he went, ‘Okay, I’ll wait.’ and I was like, ‘No, no, keep going’ and actually, he did keep going.”
March, Rawlin and Latta among the faulters
Derek di Grazia’s cross-country track is proving very influential.
Piggy March’s challenge ended when MCS Maverick (fifth after dressage) ran out at the final big corner at Joules at the Maltings (fence 18b) and the pair then had a further problem at Defender Valley (fence 24abcd). Piggy then missed the final element in taking the long route, so she was pulled up before the final few fences on course.
Piggy said the round showed that the pair have a short partnership and there were places where they weren’t quite on the same pages.
“He was staying very genuine until we got to the two hedges [Pedigree Brushes, fences 15 and 16] and we ended up doing four strides, which probably took a life away from him,” she said – and things then went wrong at the following combination. “The line felt great, the stride felt great, it was just that lack of trust with where we are at in the partnership.”
Piggy added that MCS Maverick is an “incredible athlete” and the pair will have learnt a lot for an exciting future this week.
Will Rawlin, 11th after dressage, had 20 penalties at the corner at the Defender Dairy Mound (fence 9abc) and his Burghley challenge ended when he fell off at the second of the brushes with ditches at the Pedigree complex (fences 15 and 16).
Ireland’s 2024 Badminton Horse Trials runners-up Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint were having a peach of a round until the Trout Hatchery (fences 21abcd and 22), where they ground to a halt at the arrowhead out of the water.
“He jumped into the water and stumbled on landing, I picked him back up and pointed him at the arrowhead, but he was on a half stride and just couldn’t jump it,” said Lucy. “He did nothing wrong, I’m gutted for him.”
US visitor Cassie Sanger, the youngest rider in the field at 20, had one of the rounds of the day so far with her long-term partner Redfield Fyre. The pair were not far off the clock for much of their round, with the 12-year-old horse just tiring in the later stages. Cassie did a good job to balance him through the final questions and the pair finished 33 seconds over the 11min 24sec optimum time for 9.2 time-faults.
“I was just very nervous this morning and then the second I got on my horse, he just gives me so much confidence, and he just tries so hard for me,” said Cassie, who is based with Ros Canter and received feedback on the first few rounds from her before she started.
“I said to someone right before I went out, ‘What if he doesn’t do this for me?’ And they were like, ‘Nope, he will. He’s 100% going to, if you get there a bit funny, if your plans don’t go just right, he’ll be there for you.”
Cassie has had Redfield Fyre since she was 15.
She said: “I always like to joke around and say he’s used to the young rider, the Cassie Sanger ride – sometimes it’s not always right, but he’s just so smart with his footwork and we’ve always called him a little freaky, because he can get himself out of the way, even though he’s huge, 17.3hh. But he’s just such a smart horse.”
British first-timer Tom Strawson also came home clear, piloting ex-racehorse Public Address round for 25.6 time-faults.
“He baled me out four or five times – he’s unbelievably genuine,” said Tom.
Fellow home side first-timer Daniel Alderson misjudged his turn through the Pedigree Brushes and Blarney Monbeg Pepper ran-out at the second (fence 16), with the Ireland-based rider pulling up after a further problem at Joules at the Maltings (fences 17ab and 18ab).
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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.
