It was all change on the leaderboard at Defender Burghley Horse Trials this afternoon, with six combinations entering the top 10, and it is a familiar face in Oliver Townend who leads the way after two days of dressage.
The two-time Burghley champion piloted the 11-year-old Irish mare Cooley Rosalent into the top spot after the pair delivered a polished test for a score of 22, just ahead of defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo.
“She’s a good girl. I’ve been slightly caught out by the atmosphere. She was not as quite as I’d have liked her to have been in there, but she’s ended up in the right place so far,” said Oliver, who won the title here in 2009 with Carousel Quest and in 2017 with Ballaghmor Class.
“There were a couple of frustrating things that she’s brilliant at, but we threw marks away, like the halt and rein-back, but the work is becoming better and better.”
2. Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo
Reigning Burghley and Badminton champions, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, sit hot on the heels of the leaders, just 0.4 of a penalty in arrears after they received a dressage mark of 22.4.
“It’s all about trying to eke out as many of those marks as we can, but I was particularly thrilled with his changes today,” said Ros, who recently announced that she is pregnant with her second child.
“We missed two of those [changes] at Badminton and it had always been something that we kind of get, but they wouldn’t necessarily be 100% believable.
“I’ve worked hard on those since May, and today, they just felt really secure, so that’s what I was most pleased with.”
3. Tim Price and Vitali
Last year’s runners-up Tim Price and Vitali are third at the end of the first phase, having topped the leaderboard at lunchtime.
They received a mark of 23.1 for their “rideable and relaxed” dressage test.
“He’s super. He’s a class dressage horse, and he has got all the ingredients for a really hot test,” said Tim.
“It’s funny, because sometimes he’s been quite unrideable and scores really well, sometimes he’s been really rideable and scores not so well, and vice versa so it’s a little bit down to what the judges are looking for on the day.
“But from my point of view, rideability, super, relaxation, lovely. Just a great partnership on display.
He went through all the motions other than one movement where he thought he was going to halt on the centre line or do a poo or something. The rest was spot on what I was looking for.”
Tim won the title here in 2018 on Ringwood Sky Boy.
With Vitali, the New Zealand rider holds the record Burghley dressage score of 18.7, a feat they produced in 2022.
4. Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig
New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig, a 12-year-old bay gelding, occupy fourth on 24 despite a last minute bit change.
“He felt really secure and lovely to ride. I was actually in a spot of bother, umming and ahhing about what bit to have him in today,” said Samantha.
“Typically he runs in a double bridle.
“He’s a quite strong horse and can sometimes be a little tricky to put together, but I’d recently come to the conclusion that maybe a snaffle might be better if the frame drops a bit low, then I’m not punished as much as from some judges, which I think is what happened in Aachen, and we saw a bit of that in Luhmuhlen as well.
“Then I was like, you know what? If I don’t do it now, I’m not going to do it, so let’s just see what we’ve got in the arena.
“At the end of the day, this is not the be all and end all, we’re preparing for [the World Championships] next year, so we needed to see and he really delivered.”
Samantha is also in 45th position with Billy Alberto.
5. Piggy March and MCS Maverick
Thursday leaders, Piggy March and her new ride, MCS Maverick, sit in fifth after dressage.
The 2022 Burghley champion took over the ride on the 12-year-old son of Mill Law from Pippa Funnell earlier this year and the pair is contesting their first CCI5* together.
“He is a beautiful horse and he’s got it all there. He’s had the best training in the world coming from Mrs Funnell so I haven’t got any excuses,” said Piggy.
“The big thing with this horse is getting his brain and that’s just what the two days of being here is.
“We’ve been riding, lunging, riding, lunging, lunging. He’s not the finished article yet.”
6. Emily King and Valmy Biats
In sixth place are Emily King and Valmy Biats, who are enjoying a great run of form having finished fifth at Badminton in May and third at Scone Palace last month, on 26.1.
“I’m very pleased with how he coped because he’s a very sensitive horse and there was quite a lot of extra atmosphere following Mr. Townend,” said Emily, who has been riding her own, David King, Paula and David Evans’ 16-year-old Selle Francais gelding for five years.
“He’s super sensitive, but he really tried in there so I was really pleased.
“It’s great to get off to a good start, but they’ve built a phenomenal track and it’s going to be a proper cross-country competition.”
7. Christoph Wahler and D’Accord FRH
Germany hasn’t fielded a Burghley entrant since 2018, but Olympian and world team gold medallist Christoph Wahler ended the nation’s drought when he entered the dressage arena this afternoon aboard D’Accord FRH.
They scored 27.2 to slot into seventh at this stage.
“He has felt great all week. He warmed up really, really well, and I thought can I please just manage to get this in the arena today? Then he listened to me all the way around,” said Christoph of the 13-year-old gelding.
“He’s been to Badminton, Kentucky and Aachen, so he’s been in these sorts of arenas and he doesn’t usually get too excited.
“I’ve been hoping to get a Burghley horse one day and now we’re here.”
The 31-year-old rider said the cross-country is one of the toughest tracks he’s seen.
“It’s more technical than I thought it would be. I was expecting many big fences. I was expecting stamina. It is very hilly here,” he said.
“D’Accord is incredibly fast, but he’s never been here so I have absolutely no expectations other then to try and do my best to help him jump clear.”
8. Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue
Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and the experienced 16-year-old grey Colorado Blue pulled off a personal best at this level when scoring 27.8 to lay eighth overnight.
“We’ve struggled to break the 30 mark and it’s been quite frustrating at times,” said Austin.
“We keep chipping away at it and he’s in great form. I think he’s improving, as well as myself.”
After warming up, Austin dismounted for a while to give the gelding a break.
“He loses concentration fairly quickly and I just thought he feels so good in his body, I’m going to get off his back for 10 minutes.
“It was something different, and it might not have come off, but I thought hopefully he’ll pick up where we left off.”
This is the first time this pair has scored a sub-30 at five-star level.
When they won the Maryland CCI5* in 2023, it was on a dressage score of 33.7.
“It’s great, because some people don’t realise the energy, effort, support that goes in to just this one phase,” added Austin.
“The horse deserves it because he’s known as a cross-country horse, but he’s never done a bad test. It’s just not been quite up there.”
9. Alexander Bragg and Ardeo Premier
Occupying ninth position are Alexander Bragg and Ardeo Premier, a 12-year-old Irish Sports Horse who finished second in the Eventers Grand Prix at Hickstead this year, on a score of 28.4.
“He’s really versatile. He’s a real cool dude and multi talented,” said Alex.
“It’s always nerve wracking before you go in [to the dressage arena].
“You put hours and hours of training in to get to that point and you know what the horse is capable of, but actually delivering that and performing on the big stages is tricky, because you’re dealing with the horse’s apprehension from outside distractions and the atmosphere, and you’ve also got to deal with your own and try and remain composed.
“I think if you get a good centre line, that’s always helpful, and I knew which bits I could be brave at with him.”
Alex said the horse’s extended canter work and flying changes are particularly good and were highlights in his test.
10. Tom Crisp and Dassett Rock Star
Tom Crisp and Dassett Rock Star, the 11-year-old gelding owned by Eve Mayes, Izzy Mayes and Louise Nash, produced a test for 28.5 to round out the top 10.
“I knew we could do it and I’ve been working hard at home with Sune [Hansen] at Spring Hill Dressage. He’s helped me a lot just to be a bit more confident and really go for it,” said Tom.
“If you make a mistake, you make a mistake, but I think you’re better off setting off thinking you can go for it and make mistake than be a bit too careful, which is what I’ve been guilty of for a few years.
“This horse is very capable of doing a good test and today it came together so we’re really, really chuffed.
“He was just with me the whole way, kept his head in the game, nailed all of his changes. It’s so easy just to miss one of them and then that’s a mark gone, isn’t it?
“We’re very rarely at this end of the leaderboard after dressage. It feels a bit strange, but I can get used to it.”
The pair completed Badminton earlier this year in 51st position.
Top 10 after dressage
The standings at the end of the dressage phase are:
- Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent on 22 penalties
- Ros Canter and Lorships Graffalo, 22.4
- Tim Price and Vitali, 23.1 penalties
- Samanatha Lissington and Lord Seekonig, 24
- Piggy March and MCS Maverick, 25.7 penalties
- Emily King and Valmy Biats, 26.1
- Christoph Wahler and D’Accord FRH, 27.2
- Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, 27.8
- Alexander Bragg and Ardeo Premier, 28.4
- Tom Crisp and Dassett Rock Star, 28.5
View the full dressage leaderboard here
Cross-country will get underway tomorrow, Saturday 6 September, at 11.30am when Harry Meade and Et Hopz du Matz take to the course.
Images by Tim Wilkinson
Related content
- Top rider’s battle with nerves, too! How one Burghley rider overcame a confidence loss
- US journalism student based with Ros Canter is youngest rider in Burghley field
- Property director and ‘cheap’ ex-racehorse make their CCI5* debut
- ‘A very special horse’: from unbacked five-year-old with a teenage rider to five-star form
- Meet the Burghley first-timer on a quirky mare who dislikes large crowds and refuses flatwork lessons
