Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier are chasing their second 5* win of the year this week when they line up at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials in the UK. Photo by Libby Law Photography
Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier will be hunting down a second 5* win of the season when they start this week at the prestigious Defender Burghley Horse Trials in the UK.
Hot on the back of their win in May at Badminton, the duo are one of eight Kiwi combos starting in the 75-strong field in Stamford.
World no.6 Tim Price has two on the start card including his Tokyo Olympic mount Vitali on whom he placed fourth in 2023 at Burghley when he also set a new best-ever dressage score for the event with an eye-watering 18.7. The combination were recently eighth at Badminton and were third at Burghley in 2022. They have not been out of the top 10 in their five 5* starts. He’s also in on Viscount Viktor who has completions at Luhmuhlen and Pau.
“I am looking forward to this week,” said Tim. “It sounds like the cross country is going to be very demanding and Burghley-esque . . . as it should be. It is fun to jump these massive tracks and try and do a good job, so that is what I want to do.”
Caroline and Greenacres Special Cavalier, New Zealand’s alternate for the Paris Olympic Games, last month won the CCI4*-S at Blair Castle. In her usual understated way, Caroline figured they’d “go do it, have a good time and see what happens”.
Caroline previously won Burghley in 2010 aboard Lenamore.
US-based Monica Spencer, who was on the reserve list with Artist for the Paris Games, opted to stay on for Burghley. “In the lead up to the Olympic Games, all my focus was on that, but once that was over I thought let’s redirect and stay on and give Burghley a crack,” she said. “So here we are!”
She has already watched the Derek di Grazia-designed cross country preview and is excited to get underway with her first-ever Burghley.
“I have had some great support to enable Max (Artist) and I to stay in the UK and make this dream happen.”
She says it is “pretty surreal” to be heading to “arguably the toughest event in the world”.
“Everybody tells me I have a Burghley horse so it is time to find out.”
The first horse inspection is on Wednesday afternoon (UK time), followed by two days of dressage, the all-important cross country on Saturday and the Paul Connor-designed showjumping on Sunday. There is a whopping £366,500 prize pool on offer, with a winner’s pot of £110,000. With 22 Olympians entered, including two members of Britain’s gold-medal winning team at Paris, competition is going to be fierce.
Burghley has a strong Kiwi connection. Since it was first contested in 1961both Sir Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson have hoisted the trophy five times apiece.
Tim Price was the latest Kiwi to triumph at Burghley with his win in 2018 aboard Ringwood Sky Boy. Also claiming wins are Blyth Tait (1998 and 2001) and Caroline Powell (2010).
WHAT: Defender Burghley Horse Trials
WHERE: Burghley House, Stamford, United Kingdom
WHEN: September 5-8, 2024
MORE INFO: https://burghley-horse.co.uk/
START LISTS AND RESULTS: https://www.eventingscores.co.uk/events/event.php?eventid=2254
LIVE STREAM: https://burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-tv
