Irish showjumper Jessica Burke shares her whirlwind story on the eve of her first World Cup Final
Showjumping editor Jennifer Donald finds out about Jessica Burke’s pint-sized star with “frightening ability” and their exciting times ahead as they head to the World Cup Final in Texas, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers
Proving that if you dream big, the results will follow, is showjumper Jessica Burke. Seven years ago, the Galway maths teacher decided to pursue her passion for horses, embarking on an exciting new career as a professional rider. She’s since gone on to represent her native Ireland in Nations Cups and won the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead.
But this week, after a whirlwind few months on the indoor circuit, she finds herself making her debut in the World Cup Jumping Final in Texas, competing among the global elite for one of the sport’s most coveted prizes.
While most of her rivals arrive in Fort Worth with a string of grand prix horses at their disposal, Jessica only has the one five-star horse, the small but ever
so mighty Good Star Du Bary.
It’s a proper pinch-me moment for the 34-year-old, but “we’re going there with big hopes,” she reassures.
So how did this remarkable tale of David versus Goliath unfold?
Jessica always knew she’d found something special in the diminutive grey Good Star Du Bary, known at home as Rocky, who came from France as a
six-year-old via fellow Irish showjumper Ivan Dalton. She produced him carefully through the levels, including finishing an eye-catching 14th in the seven-year-old World Championship in 2023. Last summer they represented Ireland in the Nations Cup of Kronenberg, when Rocky finally felt ready to step up to the big time.
Jessica and the now 10-year-old gelding by Rock’N Roll Semilly used Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) as the springboard for what has developed into a phenomenal winter season indoors, culminating in a landmark first victory in a World Cup qualifier, in Bordeaux, France, in February.
“Rocky had been jumping really well, but it’s so hard to get into some of those better shows – especially in the summer – so I was thinking, ‘I have a really good horse here, he’s only nine, but I have to start doing something with him; I reckon he could be very good indoors,’” reveals Jessica.
“He was brilliant at HOYS in October, then at the World Cup show in Oslo, his first five-star, he had one down, but he just cantered round, he found it so easy. That’s when I knew. I just had this really good feeling about him.
“So then I was on the phone ringing all the shows, the federation, everyone, asking where can I go next!”
The following weeks involved checking off a bucket list of prestigious World Cup venues in Verona, Stuttgart, Mechelen and Basel. But despite excellent performances that accumulated vital points towards qualification for the World Cup Final, frustrations began to build about the series of four faults that appeared on the scoreboard.
It was in Bordeaux, however, that everything changed.
“I knew he was finding it all very, very easy so it was just about putting everything together. Jumping that first clear round in the World Cup there was
a huge relief,” she explains.
In a four-way jump-off that included Olympic veterans Daniel Deusser and Yuri Mansur, Jessica and little Rocky outsmarted them all, securing victory
with the sole double clear. Not only had she triumphed at just her sixth attempt at one of these hugely valuable five-star competitions – the first female rider to win Bordeaux’s showpiece class – she had stamped her transatlantic ticket to Texas and earned the chance to write showjumping history.
“To have patience and wait for your day to come is very hard,” she says. “So to win in Bordeaux was just amazing.
“Moments like that don’t happen very often so you have to enjoy them,” continues Jessica, who was overcome with emotion that day, surrounded by family and friends. This entourage included Rocky’s owner Liam Nicholas, who has been one of her greatest supporters of the past decade, and for whom it coincided with some 60th birthday celebrations.
That performance in Bordeaux also acted as a massive confidence boost and, having used the recent CSI5* Saut Hermès in Paris as her final prep show, Jessica arrives in Texas with a completely different mindset.
“I feel like Rocky – both of us actually – are in a really good place now,” she says. “We feel more comfortable at that level now. We treated Paris a bit like a championship: three days of jumping, which was a lot for him, but he was brilliant once again.”
Rocky enjoyed some downtime before boarding the chartered flight from Belgium to the USA last week with Jessica’s long-time groom Aaliyah Phillips.
While the number of European-based riders travelling to this year’s World Cup Final has dropped significantly against an uncertain background of international conflict, Jessica says, “I won’t let America, or anyone, get in our way!
“Look, the world is in a bit of a strange place at the moment but, for me, the World Championships in Aachen were never the goal this year. I think it would be just a bit too soon for Rocky,” she says. “So the World Cups were my goal and maybe we’ll look at the European Championships next year.
“I’ve never been to Texas and always wanted to go. Some of my family are travelling out, too, so we’re really looking forward to it.”
Jessica remembers watching the World Cup Final as a child and, ahead of fulfilling this dream to contest one herself, she’s been doing her homework.
“I’ve studied the whole schedule, the way it runs and I’ve watched it all before. But I’m quite a laid-back person, so I don’t tend to think about these things too much and try to keep my feet on the ground. Right now I’m focusing on my young horses jumping in Cluny,” she says as we chat during the two-star show in France.
The only slight thing missing from Rocky’s armoury, she says, is a bit more experience over 1.60m tracks, but Jessica has parked those doubts.
“It would be nice if we had another year at 1.60m under our belts, but I am enjoying the build-up and I am happy with Rocky’s fitness after Paris,” she offers. “I’m in a really good position because I’m going there with a very good horse who has all the ability and I know that, if I can do my job right,
he can do his.
“We’ve competed at 1.60m, we’ve enjoyed a really good winter, we don’t have any excuses. It’s time to knuckle down and get some results
on the board.”
Describing the “very intelligent” Rocky as “the best horse I’ve ever ridden”, Jessica says she wouldn’t trade him for anything. While he’s totally relaxed in the warm-up, he lights up with the crowd in the ring and the hugely likeable little grey gelding is developing a huge following.
“We’ve since met his breeder [Marina Storgato] and nearly everybody involved in his career,” she smiles. “When you look back at his videos from the early days, from when I first tried him even, he was always very good.
“He looks normal when he jumps – he won’t go an extra two feet in the air or anything – so when he jumps around 1.30m or 1.40m, there’s no indication of how much scope he has. But there was always a feeling of immense power.
“Actually, jumping the 1.60m grand prix in Paris was the scopiest he’s ever felt. I didn’t think he could surprise me again, but he did! There was a difficult line a lot of really good horses struggled with, but his ability is frightening really. Nobody expects it from such a small horse either.”
But while Good Star Du Bary is undoubtedly the star of the show, a new venture between Jessica and Ballyward Equestrian in Northern Ireland means her string is already expanding, with plenty of exciting youngsters from the McConville family’s breeding and production system vying for her attention, ready to stake their claim as future champions.
Jessica was based with Arion Stud in Hampshire for the past six years and in that time she amassed some great results with a high-calibre string that included her Queen’s Cup winner Express Trend, Nikey HH and African Affair.
“A move had been on my mind and I made the decision last summer,” says Jessica. “We were following the World Cups over the winter so it made sense to stay in Europe until the end of January when I started with some new horses from Ballyward on the Sunshine Tour and now in Cluny.
“But we’ll officially be back in Ireland after Texas, so it’s hugely exciting. Ballyward’s owner Brian McConville is very motivated about doing the sport and making it work, so I’m really looking forward to being part of their team. They do a bit of everything – breeding, producing – and hopefully we’ll buy a
few in. I hope it means I can stay at five-star a bit longer, too.
“This feels like a really good time in my life,” sums up Jessica with her trademark positivity. “Especially with the move home. Arion Stud was, I suppose, the start of my career professionally and we did all these amazing things while I was there. But a change is always good and I’m in such a fortunate position that I can take this opportunity and build another team of horses for the top level.
“I suppose mine is a good story. It feels like everyone is behind us and I’m appreciative of everyone around me. We’re enjoying it and long may it continue.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.