British triumph
Oliver Townend heads a formidable line-up of Brits on young horses, as the sun shines on a wonderful weekend of sport at a vintage Burghley
Oliver Townend spearheads a British charge, with home riders filling all four of the top spots
OLIVER TOWNEND ON BALLAGHMOR CLASS
OLIVER TOWNEND won Burghley, performing with all his innate horsemanship and acquired skill on a beautiful young horse he has produced through the grades, the flea-bitten grey Ballaghmor Class.
He led a British assault which resulted in a home-side top four and spectacularly ended a barren period. It is six years since William Fox-Pitt’s 2011 victory on Parklane Hawk, the last British triumph here.
This was Oliver’s third four-star win and it has been a long eight years since that magical season when he took both Badminton and Burghley on two other greys, Flint Curtis and Carousel Quest.
“I keep crying; it’s not good for my image,” the 34-year-old said, back in the collecting ring moments after pulling off his hat in a victory salute as he crossed the finish line. “For me, Burghley is the most difficult four-star to win and this means the world.”
With his Yorkshire accent as strong as ever, Oliver can appear tough. He’s the hardest-working rider in eventing — the leading rider in Britain over the past three seasons by sheer weight of numbers and his results week in, week out. But his deadpan façade can hide how much he cares about his horses and the huge emotion he feels in a big result.
To say Oliver has been in the wilderness would be wrong. He has had 12 top-eight four-star results since his four-star double. But he has often been squeezing every inch out of average horses, or coaxing performances out of ones with all the ability, but none of the rideability.
They have been building years, growing-up years. Unashamedly driven by financial security,
Oliver has owned a farm since he was 25 and in the intervening time has consolidated his business. Meanwhile he has tried to cut back on equine numbers and dross.
As with every win in our sport, it takes a village. The first post-cross-country hug was for Karyn Shuter. Friend, personal assistant, gatekeeper — Karyn accompanies Oliver to all the big events and plays many roles.
It was to Karyn — who also part-owns Ballaghmor Class alongside Val Ryan and Angela Hislop — that Oliver confided his ambitions for the 10-year-old “Thomas” at the start of this year.
“I said I’d like to take him to Burghley and she said, ‘Christ, you’re in cloud cuckoo land, what’s the rush?’” he said.
“Then things kept going to plan and the fates played a part — he was going to Bramham, but my Tattersalls horse dropped out so we took him instead as he was
‘We’ve all had a go at falling off him at home and he ditched a girl two weeks ago on the gallops’
ready and that was ideal.”
He finished fourth at the Irish CCI3* on his dressage score and was long-listed for the Europeans, but had the chance to come to Burghley when Cooley SRS was chosen for the team.
“I knew he wasn’t going to scare himself with a fence as long as I did my job, which is why in my mind it was OK to bring him,” said Oliver.
The rider admitted it’s a long time since he’s looked around a collecting ring and not wanted to swap his horse for anyone else’s, but it has taken patience to unlock the son of Courage II’s talent.
“We’ve all had a go at falling off him at home and he ditched a girl two weeks ago on the gallops,” said Oliver. “As a young horse he ran out of the school through the rails, ran through a mirror. He’s done lots of things he shouldn’t have in his life, but then so have I!
“If I hadn’t liked him so much we’d have got rid of him, as he was pretty dangerous. But he was always beautiful when asked to do his job.”
Oliver said on dressage day that Ballaghmor Class was probably at Burghley a year too early, but as it turned out, this was his week. Drawn last to go, he won that place by right on showjumping day and it was very much a case of last but not least.
A WAVE OF BRITISH SUCCESS
DICKIE WAYGOOD and Chris Bartle have enjoyed a fabulous honeymoon with the British squad (see box, above) and, galloping in on the heels of European team gold, this Burghley was furlongs ahead of other recent runnings for the home side.
“Chris and Dickie haven’t waved that much of a magic wand, but the feeling is very positive and we all respect them,” said Oliver.
Tina Cook spoke of the pair’s complementary roles and the quiet, relaxed manner Chris brings to his attention to detail.
After a frustrating crosscountry day when potential winner Calvino II had a run-out shortly after being held due to another competitor’s fall,
Tina settled for seventh on Star Witness. This is his third top-10 placing here in three years — not bad for a thoroughbred with kissing spines who was bought from Doncaster Sales.
“He’s a difficult horse to keep sound and gives me lots of grey hairs,” she said. “We manage him to get to the four-stars. He can do some shockers at one-day events, like leaving the arena backwards.”
‘The baby break came at a good time. I was bored by the end of it and I’m keen to enjoy eventing now, which hasn’t always been the case’ RUNNER-UP PIGGY FRENCH IS BACK IN THE BIG TIME
Bridget Biddlecombe, Shaun Lawson, Nicolas Embiricos, Althea Gifford and Jim Chromiak’s horse was the only one to finish on his dressage score.
Piggy French rode superbly all week to claim the runner-up spot on Vanir Kamira, Trevor Dickens’ 12-year-old who returned to her this year. Piggy actually started this Camiro De Haar Z mare’s career, but she then spent four years with Izzy Taylor and Paul Tapner.
“She blows hot and cold
on you, but she is a gutsy little girl,” said Piggy after dressage, adding: “I’ve never managed a top-10 placing at Burghley so it’s definitely on my wish list.”
Piggy had her son Max last year and her hunger for success is undiminished, but perspective has made her a happier competitor.
“The baby break came at a good time,” she said. “I was bored by the end of it and I’m keen to enjoy eventing now, which hasn’t always been the case. Sometimes it doesn’t work when you try too hard.”
Piggy has now been second at Badminton and Burghley; Gemma Tattersall and the ex-racehorse Arctic Soul have now been third at both. Third here was a fourth top-seven four-star result for “Spike”. Frustratingly, a fence down cost them the win, but if they can repeat their personal-best dressage, Spike’s time could still come.
Tom McEwen scored his best result at this level with fourth on another 10-year-old, Toledo De Kerser, who he owns alongside his mother Ali and Jane Inns.
It is one thing to say a horse is incredibly talented, another to rise above the weight of expectation and Tom did that this week.
British glory didn’t end there. Izzy Taylor collected ninth on Dr Patricia Turner’s Fleetwater Opposition 12-year-old Trevidden.
“I loved him from the word go,” said Izzy of her partner of a year. “He’s very blood and he gallops and jumps. It’s not all about this week, I hope he is a horse for the future.”
And Harry Dzenis achieved a best four-star result in 11th with Xam, while also being the only rider to produce two jumping clears across country; Dromgurrihy Blue, another horse bouncing back to a previous rider, was 25th.
THREE U.S. RIDERS IN TOP 12
THE US had an encouraging week, with sixth for Lynn Symansky (Donner), 10th for Boyd Martin (Steady Eddie) and 12th for Lauren Kieffer (Veronica), the best Burghley debutant.
Ian Stark is working with the US riders on cross-country at European events this autumn, part of an interim solution while a new coach is appointed.
Burghley has often been a New Zealand benefit and there were two in the top eight. Ringwood Sky Boy — who shares his sire, Courage II, with the winner and is owned by Robert Taylor, Varenna Allen, Selwood.com and rider
Tim Price — took fifth, his third top-five result here in three years. Andrew Nicholson claimed eighth on Libby Sellar’s Badminton winner Nereo, who has now broken the 3,000 British Eventing points barrier, a new record.
First-timer Clare Abbott’s 13th for Ireland on Cormac McKay’s neat home-bred Euro Prince made it four nations in the top
15, but this Burghley belonged to Britain — and about time too.