Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend both had problems in the final stages of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country day, putting paid to their attempts to challenge for the podium.
Tom and Vicky Bates and David Myers’ mare CHF Cooliser, who was making her Burghley debut, had a great round – aided by determined riding from Tom – but for breaking a frangible at the Fairfax & Favor Boot Racks (fence 19ab).
Tom made sure of the first oxer here – where dressage leader Kitty King faulted – but then ended up adding a stride before the second element. Too close to it, “Eliza” hit the front rail hard, incurring 11 penalties for breaking the frangible device.
Overall, though, the Olympic team gold and individual silver medallist was delighted with how CHF Cooliser went, describing her as a “fantastic game mare”.
Tom said he perhaps watched too many riders before he started: “I think if I was first of the day, I would have just cracked on and actually flowed and have been a bit braver, but because I’d seen a few mistakes I added strides in the main arena, which then set us up for a six strides at the next combination [instead of five].
“Then Eliza was Eliza and disunited fighting to the big oxer at fence six and I was like, ‘Oh my god’ and to be fair, she was fantastic there.
“At the Boot Racks, I should have just trust myself and flowed on up and gone on one stride less. Thank goodness for MIMclips – they are there for safety in our sport. We hit it hard – I know she’s got a leg in every corner of the planet and she probably would have stayed up over anything – but at the same time it’s why frangibles are there in our sport.
“Some people got unlucky [with broken frangibles], but that definitely helped me out and 11 penalties is 11 penalties, but she came home and she’ll have learned a lot.
“This will have wholly got her ready for a clear inside the time next year at Badminton and then we’ll get her a little bit fitter and tougher ready to come back here again.”
The pair finish the day in 14th place, with 9.6 time-faults to add to the 11 faults for the frangible.
Oliver Townend was the final rider out on the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course, with Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs, but his campaign came to an end at fence 10, the Trout Hatchery. Swallow Springs caught his front legs at the corner in the first pond and came down in the water. Both he and Oliver walked away.
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Dressage leader Kitty King drops down ranks after Burghley cross-country: ‘I’m gutted for the horse’
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Superstar mare delivers fastest cross-country round at Burghley as top-three horse retires
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