Defending champion Ros Canter and current world number one Harry Meade are among the entries for next month’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials (4-7 September).
Ros, who recently announced that she is expecting her second child, is entered with her 2024 Burghley champion and Paris Olympics team gold-winning ride Lordships Graffalo.
The Lincolnshire pair produced the best-ever finishing score (26.6) in Burghley’s history last autumn and took their second Mars Badminton title in May, making them clear favourites for back-to-back Burghley victories.
Harry is hunting the first CCI5* victory of his career and has Annaghmore Valoner, Cavalier Crystal and Et Hop Du Matz entered this time.
Five-star winners in the hunt
There are seven CCI5*-winning riders entered.
Piggy March will be back at Burghley for the first time since her 2022 success, this time with new ride MCS Maverick.
Fellow Brit and back-to-back Olympic team gold medallist Laura Collett will partner Bling.
New Zealand also boast two top-level winners in Tim Price and Caroline Powell, the 2011 Burghley winner, who brings High Time V.
This will be a 20th Burghley start for Tim, who took the title in 2018, and he will ride Vitali.
Ireland’s Austin O’Connor is entered aboard his 2023 Maryland CCI5* hero Colorado Blue, while Switzerland’s Felix Vogg will pilot Cartania.
The latter triumphed at the Luhmuhlen CCI5* in Germany three years ago, making him the first Swiss rider to win at the level since Hans Schwarzenbach’s Badminton success in 1951.
First-timers
Fourteen riders will be making their Burghley debuts.
Among them are the newly crowned British Open Champions Katie Magee and Treworra.
Katie fulfilled a “lifetime ambition” when piloting this horse into 11th place at Badminton earlier this year, a feat that earned her the accolade of highest placed first timer.
Germany’s Christoph Wahler, who was part of German’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 World Championships, will be competing here for the first time.
He will ride D’Accord FRH, on whom he was seventh at Badminton this year, and is the first German to compete at Burghley since Michael Jung in 2018.
Ireland’s Lucy Latta is entered aboard her Badminton 2024 runner-up RCA Patron Saint.
Ones to watch
Other riders to watch include young British riders Emily King (riding Valmy Biats) and Bubby Upton, who will pilot Magic Roundabout IV.
This year’s entry list is the second-highest rated field in the past 10 years, according to Irish statistics company EquiRatings.
“I’m delighted that once again we have great entries for Defender Burghley,” said event director Martyn Johnson.
“While there are some clear favourites, I think it is an open field featuring some superb cross-country horses, and I’m looking forward to seeing them in the spectacular setting of Burghley Park in three weeks’ time.”
Defender Burghley entries close today, Friday, 15 August, and the draw for the running order will take place early next week.
View the full entry list.
Find out more about Burghley and book tickets.
Main image of the 2024 Burghley top three: Tim Price (left), Ros Canter and Harry Meade. Credit: DBHT/Peter Nixon
