A ‘massive’ track
The Mark Phillips-designed crosscountry poses big questions
THIS was Mark Phillips’ 25th Burghley track. The advantage that bestows is exceptional, in-depth knowledge of every inch of ground and its possibilities, but Mark’s real skill is in his ability to produce something fresh and creatively innovative each time.
“I thought his course last year was brilliant, and I expected it to stay broadly the same this year — but it’s totally different,” said Harry Meade.
One of the joys of crosscountry day was that the issue that has dogged the sport this year, the 50-penalty rule for missing a flag, never came up. There were skinny fences and angles aplenty, and accurate riding was essential — even on the long stretch home without combination fences, as the obstacles were so big and square — but the questions asked were obvious enough to the horses at all times.
“It walked massive and rode bigger — it isn’t just the biggest course in the world; it has the most [demanding] terrain and atmosphere,” said Oliver Townend, first out on the hardpulling MHS King Joules. He was clear with 10.4 time-faults, and when Mark Todd (NZB Campino) and Tim Price (Bango) came home with 14.8 and 9.2 timepenalties apiece, it seemed that Mark Phillips’ prediction that no one would make the time, despite perfect going, would be true.
It was also clear that Mark had achieved his aim of making riders think and choose the options that suited their particular horse. Those three riders, among the very best in the world across country, had all chosen slight variations through the challenging combinations packed together in the central section of the course — perhaps the days of “the straight route” are over.
UP AGAINST THE CLOCK
TIME was undoubtedly the greatest influence on deciding the overnight positions after cross-country. Four people proved Mark Phillips wrong and beat the clock, the fastest of which were Oliver Townend and his girlfriend Elizabeth Power, both of whom stopped the clock at 11min 3sec, seven seconds under the time allowed, on Ballaghmor Class and Soladoun respectively.
“The whole of this year has been about preparing for this,” said Elizabeth. “He’s never been off the bridle before; I think I had this notion that he would cruise round and it felt like hard work. He had to dig deep, and it’s nice to know he can do that.
“I only have one horse at this
level and I had to make today count — this matters more than you could imagine.”
Lynne and Kerri Lyons and the rider’s 11-year-old Soladoun is a full thoroughbred, as is Star Witness, on whom Tina Cook became the first rider of the day to get the time, just before Elizabeth did so.
Star Witness has all sorts of physical issues and hadn’t actually run cross-country since Burnham Market in April, but they belted round for their fourth Burghley clear in a row.
“I knew I was a couple of runs short, so I relied on his class to get the trip,” said Tina.
It was a scrappier round than Elizabeth’s — but very few fast and clear four-star rounds look immaculate at every moment. The point at this level is that the rider and horse work together as a team to help each other out, not that one carries the other.
Having got the measure of the course on his first ride — Libby Sellar’s Jet Set IV, who came home with 2.4 time-faults — Andrew
ELIZABETH POWER, ULTIMATELY NINTH ON SOLADOUN ‘I only have one horse at this level and I had to make today count’
Nicholson was the fourth rider to avoid time-penalties, aboard his second horse, Swallow Springs.
“Jet Set is more genuine, but this fellow oozes class,” said Andrew.
ANOTHER DOOR OPENS
DRESSAGE leader Mark Todd and Kiltubrid Rhapsody’s fall after chipping in an extra stride at the upright Gurkha Kukri at fence 10 left the door open for Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, but it’s unlikely Tim knew that when he set off as he was only four horses later. It was a lovely round, just one second over the time, and the only drama was Tim being stung by a wasp on course for the second year running.
“He ate it up; he showed all his class and experience,” said Tim. “He’s an old friend, I know how to ride him and the conditions were perfect.”
Kiltubrid Rhapsody and Zagreb, 14th after dressage with Alex Bragg, suffered the only horse falls of the day. Zagreb’s came at the huge corner that followed five strides after a gigantic white oxer at the Joules at the Maltings complex, fence 14. Ben Way and Galley Light retired there after climbing all over the oxer and breaking a frangible device, but in general it rode very well.
Pins also went at the next question, the Rolex Combination, triggered at the corner by Stinger (Ludwig Svennerstål, who had looked good until then, but pulled up straight away), and at the oxer by Dassett Cool
Touch (Dan Jocelyn).
Perhaps the most surprising fall of the day was that of sixthplaced Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Avedon. The horse appeared to misread the Rolex Grand Slam Rails — a big but straightforward set of crossed rails over a ditch — at fence six, and Andreas looked seriously fed up as he picked himself up from the floor.
Both Polly Stockton and Frenchman Cedric Lyard were fired like bullets into the ditch in front of 5b, the first of two combinations at Discovery Valley, when Mister Maccondy and Qatar Du Puech Rouget skewed violently over the first log at 5a.
MOVING ON UP
THERE were some happier results — and some very good riding — from people lower down the order after dressage. Vet Katie Preston soared up from 55th after dressage to 20th at her first Burghley on the feisty 15.2hh Templar Justice with just 8.8 time-faults.
“He flew up Winner’s Avenue [the third and most draining hill on the course] on a loose rein, saw the Cottesmore Leap and towed me into it,” said an emotional Katie. “He’d lay down and die for me — I’ve never had a horse anywhere near this level before and I still haven’t got anywhere near to the bottom of him.”
Imogen Murray and Ivar Gooden have consistently impressed at four-star in the past two years and they recorded another eye-catching round for just 5.2 time-faults and 18th place at this stage.
A badly broken collarbone six weeks ago didn’t hinder Willa Newton, clear, fast and into 11th spot with 5.6 time-faults on Chance Remark. Tom Rowland, who also broke his collarbone just three weeks ago at Hartpury, was slower with 29.6 time-penalties but jumped a well-judged round at his first Burghley with Possible Mission.
Louise Harwood retired her four-star stalwart Mr Potts on course, but her spirits were raised by a clear with 18.8 time-faults on 11-year-old Balladeer Miller Man, having his first start at this level.
Rebecca Gibbs was thrilled with a confident, competent round from 16-year-old CCI4* debutante De Beers Dilletante.
“That was brilliant — I loved it!” she exclaimed. “He’s a very relaxed character, but when you
flick the switch, he goes.”
Oliver Townend’s rounds on MHS King Joules and Ballaghmor Class were smoother, but his ride on the less brave Cooley SRS was as masterful, if not more so. The Ramiro B 11-year-old goggled at every ditch and Oliver really had to hold his hand.
It was lovely to see Pippa Funnell looking so comfortable at four-star again. She gave Majas Hope a beautifully positive ride for 4.8 time-faults, moving up from 40th after dressage to 14th in the process.
“A few bad falls in the past few years had knocked me, and it was great to feel that I enjoyed that so much,” she said after her crosscountry round. “Maybe I looked after him a bit too much on the way home, but this is his first fourstar and the step up is like going from a molehill to a mountain.
“The older I get, the more of a buzz I get out of some of the more
difficult horses — I love getting inside their heads and trying to find the key to them. Quietly trying to turn his head and his body into that of an athlete is a little personal challenge for me.”
Richard Jones has a serious horse in Sandra Martin, Dinah Saunders and his own 11-year-old Alfies Clover, and they franked their seventh place Bramham with an excellent clear for 2.8 timepenalties. He moved up from 33rd after dressage to ninth.
A PROMISE FOR NEXT YEAR
THE only combination on the course where the pictures looked consistently unattractive — although it actually caused no penalties — was Clarence Court, formerly the Dairy Mound. The two sizeable “egg boxes” on four strides rode well, but no matter whether riders put in two, three or four strides to the final skinny “coop” — and Oliver Townend tried all three with his three rides — it didn’t seem to ride very well.
“I didn’t enjoy watching Clarence Court — that last skinny won’t be there next year,” promised Mark Phillips, who was quietly satisfied at the end of what was a very good day’s cross-country. “We saw some class riding and some class horses, which was fantastic, and crosscountry played a real influence on the result.”