There were so many remarkable stories out of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England, which ended today. It has certainly lived up to its reputation as the toughest of all the 5-stars (including Kentucky and Maryland in the U.S.) under its new cross-country course designer, Derek di Grazia, who also laid out the route for the Olympics last year. (He designs Kentucky as well).
Of the 51 entries who started cross-country, 31 completed that phase. Three of those, however, did not go on to show jumping.
Britain’s Piggy March, rated number four in the world, was the winner on Vanir Kamira with 27 penalties, which included four for a show jumping knockdown (but her margin was such that she even had another rail in hand). Meanwhile, another Brit, world number one Oliver Townend, was eliminated on cross-country after falls with two separate horses.
The USA’s Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8 made the biggest leap that wasn’t on the cross-country course by finishing 10th after standing 50th of 52 starters in the dressage phase. She was clean in cross-country except for 8.4 time penalties, and fault-free in show jumping. A star is born!
The other U.S. riders who finished were Emily Hamel (Corvett) 20th and Meghan O’Donoghue (Palm Crescent), 24th. Wood Baughman was eliminated for three refusals on cross-country with C’est la Vie 135.
To me, the most amazing result was a fourth-place finish for Jonelle Price of New Zealand on the 19-year-old Classic Moet, the only horse to complete cross-country without time penalties. Don’t know how she did it; the battery on Jonelle’s watch died while she was riding, which means she has a very accurate clock inside her head.
Her achievement earned the new Avebury Trophy for the best cross-country round of the day, judged by former Burghley course designer Mark Philliips.
It was donated by Rosemary and Mark Barlow, owners of three-time Burghley winner Avebury, bred by New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson. Their first Burghley win came in 2012. The horse retired in 2016 and was put down that year due to a malignant tumor. He is buried at the Nicholsons’ home at Westwood Stud in England.
Jonelle Price and Classic Moet. (Photo courtesy Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials)
What spoils Jonelle’s story a little bit is the fact that she dropped two rails in show jumping, without which she would have been second. But fourth place on 40.2 penalties is still pretty terrific under the circumstances.
She finished just behind her husband, Tim on Vitali (38.5), who was back of runner-up Tom Jackson, another British rider. He collected 32.5 penalties on Capel’s Hollow Drift.
