‘I took a risk and it worked a treat’: Bubby Upton puts pressure on Burghley leaders

The ultra-competitive Bubby Upton put a couple of high-profile disappointments behind her with a fabulous dressage test on Cola III at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Bubby changed her warm-up routine after Badminton, where the pair scored 36, and was rewarded with a mark of 28.2, taking sixth place at this stage. Tim Price and Vitali took over the lead on 21.3 earlier in the morning (Friday, 2 September).

“I changed the warm-up because at Badminton he went very flat in the arena because I thought the crowd would lift him and he didn’t give a monkeys, and we hadn’t perfected it at Hartpury either,” said Bubby, who has been “playing with two-time changes” on Amy Woodhead’s dressage horses to help develop her own seat and sharpness. “Today we thought we’d take a risk as we’d tried two things that didn’t work, so we cut the warm-up to 15 minutes and it worked a treat.

“Cola is such a pro, he rises to the atmosphere, so I had to trust he’d stay with me and he absolutely did that. I wanted to be sub-30 so I’m pleased, but there is so much more to come. He has so much potential, which sounds strange for a 12-year-old, but hopefully next year we’ll see the best of him.”

They kicked off with a nine for their first halt (although the E judge, Judy Hancock, gave a 5.5 for it not being square or the off-hind slightly resting from her vantage point), and the good scores kept rolling in. His extended walk was another highlight, earning a nine. The only mistakes came in the right-to-left flying changes, which lacked the flow that characterised the rest of the test. But overall, this flashy mover with four white socks showed so much lift and Bubby was able to show off his presence while he stayed soft and harmonious.

When Bubby was preparing for Badminton, she was in the middle of her university finals, and she has relished the extra time she’s had on her hands since.

“I’ve been riding and going to the gym in the morning, and not working until midnight,” she said. “It’s been so nice and refreshing and has allowed me to focus on myself and the horses.”

Bubby has put herself right into the reckoning with her dressage mark, but she has plenty of respect for Derek di Grazia’s track.

“It’s big, technical and tough, and the more I walk it the tougher it seems to get,” she said. “Derek has made us commit to the straight routes so we need horses that trust us. Fingers crossed my relationship with Cola will shine through and he’ll dig deep as he always does. The terrain is a massive unknown but he’s a fighter.”

Burghley Horse Trials dressage: William Fox-Pitt prepared to climb

A couple of wobbles kept the six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt out of the top placings, on a score of 30.2. He brought forward Oratorio II, a gelding by William’s Pau CCI5* winner Oslo out of a point-to-point mare, and William has long been touting him as a Burghley type.

The most successful Burghley rider came into the ring smiling, and the first part of the test was tremendous, starting with an 8.5 for his first half and trending for a 25. However, the halt at C simply didn’t happen when the 13-year-old seemed suddenly to catch sight of the crowd for the first time, which also affected the rein-back.

“He was really shy of the crowd when he had to halt by them even though they’re miles away,” said William. “He had a moment and threw away rather a lot of marks.”

Initially the picture was delightful – the horse has a beautiful way of going, with ears pricked and good self-carriage. William showed all his tact to settle Oratorio again after scoring a two for the halt, especially in his ground-covering extended canter, which earned eights. They lie in 12th spot with just over a quarter of the field to do their dressage.

“It’s a bit annoying I’ve started down the order, but it might rain a lot, so I can climb,” said William. “I’ve had all sorts of horses here in the past, and I never come expecting to win, but you have to hang on to the end. It’s a tremendous course which has really got us thinking. There are funny distances and lines, a good old Burghley and we’re going to kick on and go for it.”

You might also like to read…

‘I’m not a dressage rider!’ Tim Price’s Vitali dazzles at the top of Burghley leaderboard

Injured rider takes Burghley lead on tiny ‘superstar with the attitude of a 22hh horse’

‘My horse’s flight was cancelled five times’: tortuous trip to Burghley ends in smart test

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