Burghley-Bound Kiwis Seeking Glory   31 Aug 2016

Equestrian Sports New Zealand

Burghley-Bound Kiwis Seeking Glory

New Zealand eventers are being pegged as some of the riders to watch at the 2016 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials this week.

The Kiwis are among riders from Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, USA and the UK who are competing for the substantial £63,000 first prize.

Husband and wife team Tim and Jonelle Price have a trio of horses there – Tim with Bango and Ringwood Sky Boy, and Jonelle with Classic Moet.

Both are excited to be heading to Burghley.

“It will be a good week,” says Tim. “Those horses are all on good form.”

Former Burghley winner Caroline Powell has both Flying Finish and Onwards and Upwards, while Blyth Tait has Bear Necessity V, Dan Jocelyn has Dassett Cool Touch and Sir Mark Todd has NZB Campino. Andrew Nicholson has Nereo and Qwanza entered and will be looking to claim another slice of history.

A win for him would surely be a fairy tale result. Aside from owning the historic hat-trick of wins, he is coming back from a fall in 2015 that resulted in a serious neck injury which in most cases causes paralysis. [This will be Andrew Nicholson's second CCI4* start since his accident. He placed fifth at CCI4* in Luhmuhlen in June.]

New Zealand has a rich history at Burghley, with Nicholson the only person to hold a unique hat-trick of wins, with two other victories also to his credit. Todd and Tait are also multiple winners, with Caroline Powell also on the role of honour.

New Zealand eventing selector Judy Bradwell won on Don Camillo in 1970, with other notable winners including HRH Princess Anne aboard Doublet and long-time cross country designer Captain mark Phillips taking it out in 1973 aboard Maid Marion.

Phillips, who has been involved with the event since 1989 and the cross country designer since 2005, says change to the course is important.

Courage and commitment is the name of the game. Word is riders will have to give the course a lot of thought to determine the best game plan for their horses over the 2016 track.

Back in the early days, Burghley was a “real speed and endurance test, and not just a cross country test”, according to Phillips.

“Horses today have to be as fit as a race horse . . . and that is the problem, to be that fit and brave to take on these fences, they also have to be quiet enough to do the dressage and careful enough to do the showjumping.”

His 2016 course is being described as a bit of a homage to old-fashioned horsemanship and course building.

“I think changes are important, the one thing you don’t want as a course designer is for the riders to be complacent,” says Phillips. “We don’t want them to say ‘same as last year’ and walk on. They really need to respect these fences, they are big fences and they have to be jumped.”

The FEI Classics Series also wraps up at Burghley. Tim Price is the best placed of the Kiwis to pounce, sitting in second place behind Michael Jung (GER) who will not be contesting the final event.

However, Jung sits on a mighty 42 points, thanks to wins at the Rolex and Badminton, so is untouchable. Price is on 18, with Clarke Johnstone on 16 in third. Sir Mark Todd is in seventh place on 13 points.

The winner of Burghley will receive 15 points, with second garnering 12, third will get 10 and fourth eight. With Jung and Johnstone not starting, along with the current fourth-placed Astier Nicolas (FRA) and sixth placed Andreas Dibowski (GER), expect to see a battle royale for the minor series money.

With $US30,000 and $US20,000 on the line for the second and third placed in the series, no-one will be giving an inch.
The event gets under way with the first horse inspection on August 31, followed by two days of dressage, the cross country and finally the showjumping.

What: Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials

When August 31-September 4, 2016

Where: Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK

For more info: www.burghley-horse.co.uk

Latest results: www.bdwp.co.uk

Latest FEI Classics standings: http://inside.fei.org/system/files/Classics%2520Standings%25202016%2520%2528%25205th%2520event%2529.pdf

The horse details -

Bango (owned by The Numero Uno Syndicate), Ringwood Sky Boy (owned by Varenna Allen, Robert Taylor, Selwood.com and Tim Price), Bear Necessity V (owned by Ronnie Bartlett), Classic Moet (owned by Trisha Rickards and Jonelle Price), Dassett Cool Touch (owned by Therese Miller and Dan Jocelyn), Flying Finish (owned by Richard Ames and Caroline Powell), Onwards and Upwards (owned by Mr and Mrs Cameron Crawford and Caroline Powell), Nereo (owned by Deborah Sellar), Qwanza (owned by Mark and Rosemary Barlow), NZB Campino (owned by Sir Peter Vela and Sir Mark Todd).

Notes to editors

The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials are one of just six CCI4* events in the world and part of the FEI Classics Series which unites the top end of the international eventing circuit.

Burghley is the final of the six leg series which starts at Les 4 Etoiles de Pau (FRA) in October, followed by the Australian International 3 Day Event (AUS), the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA), the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the Luhmuhlen CCI4* (GER) and finallyBurghley.

The winner of the series pockets $US40,000, with the runner-up receiving $US30,000 and third place-getter $US20,000.

In 2013 Andrew Nicholson became the only Kiwi to have won the series. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) has won it four times. Ingrid Klimke (GER) is the only other non-Brit to have won it.

Four star ranking is the highest in global eventing competition.

ends


Add a comment

News

Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students

29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more

New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process

7 Mar 2020 News By Rt HON WINSTON PETERS
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more

Business

NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 Business News By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more

NZ Government announces aviation relief package

19 Mar 2020 Business News By Hon Phil Twyford
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more

Living

Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London

6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall. It was the first... more

Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate

12 Jan 2022 Arts By Charlotte Everett
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...  New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more

Property

Fairer rules for tenants and landlords

17 Nov 2019 Property By Minister Kris Faafoi
17 NOVEMBER 2019 The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more

New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax

17 Apr 2019 Property By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more

Migration

Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued

19 Nov 2019 Migration By Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
19 NOVEMBER 2019 We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more

Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location

18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018 HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more

Travel

Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more

New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas more

Sport

The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners

27 Oct 2019 Cricket By Charlotte Everett
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more

PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final

26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more

Columns

Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade

11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade First published on Werewolf The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more

Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome

10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell   Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more

Kiwi Success

Congratulations to Loder Cup winner

26 Sep 2018 People By Hon Eugenie Sage
25 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more

Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO HON JENNY SALESA Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more

Recruitment

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

14 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

22 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more