Three Kiwi combos are in the top eight at the end of the dressage at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials but there’s just a whisker in it, with less than 10 penalty points across the top 18.

Brit Ros Canter is the first rider of the modern era to hold both first and second places at the end of the dressage, leading aboard Izilot DHI on 19.9 penalty points and second aboard Lordships Graffalo on 22. Tim Price and Vitali are in third on 22.3 with Burghley debutant Monica Spencer aboard Artist in fifth on 24.4, and Caroline Powell with Greenacres Special Cavalier in eighth on 25.4.

Tim was very pleased with Vitali’s efforts. “I can’t quibble at 22,” he said. “He did what he does so well which is a nice flowing test . . . he tried really hard and it was fun.”

Tim has two completely different rides in tonight’s cross country. “One is very experienced and jumps through the flags and the other is green and doesn’t know who he is or what he is yet. I am still trying to explain that to him.” But he has huge belief in Viscount Viktor who Tim says will be an amazing 5* horse in the future. “The idea is to just give him a good experience.” It’s quite a different picture with Vitali who “has been there and got the t-shirt”. “I just need to look after him and do the job,” he says.

Caroline Powell continues to love all there is about her Badminton-winning mare Greenacres Special Cavalier. “A lot of work has gone into it (the dressage) and she just remembers it all and loves it.” They shaved five marks off their Badminton effort in their 25.4 effort overnight. “She’s more mature and she now knows what the crowd is there for . . . which is obviously for her,” said Caroline. She felt the cross country was “quite relentless” the whole way round. “If we can take each jump and section as it comes, we will be fine.”

Monica Spencer said it was a real “pinch me” moment cantering down the centre line at Burghley for the first time. “I am just delighted with Max,” she said of her off the track thoroughbred.

Tim also sits in 16th on Viscount Viktor on 29.5,Dan Jocelyn and Blackthorn Cruise are in 34th on 33.3, Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera sit on 37.6, Jesse Campbell with Coley Lafitte scored 41.1, and Lauren Innes aboard Global Fision M finished the day on 42.2.

Equiratings always bring a different and very critical lens to events, and Burghley is no different with their analytics producing fascinating intel. They’re calling it the strongest Burghley field on record and placing it among the top 10 of all 5* fields since 215 – including major championships.

New Zealand has three horses on their top 20 horse list in Vitali, Greenacres Special Cavalier and Grappa Nera. Caroline Powell’s 2010 finishing score of 25.9 with Lenamore is the second best ever at Burghley. Tim is on the top 10 list twice with Ringwood Sky Boy, as is Blyth Tait with Ready Teddy. The best ever score belongs to Lucinda Fredericks (AUS) and Headley Brittania who finished on 25.4 in 2006. Since 2006 only 10 horses have finished on their dressage scores including Andrew Nicholson aboard Swallow Springs, Jock Paget on Clifton Lush, Caroline and Lenamore, and Sir Mark Todd on Major Milestone.

Last year just 3% of the field were clear and inside time in the cross country. Since 2012 that number has never been higher than 6%. Only 15 athletes have gone clear and inside time in the last 10 Burghleys including Andrew Nicholson (four time), Jonelle Price (twice), Jock and Mark.

Vitali is considered one of the most reliable cross country jumpers in the port with a clear rate of 41%. So there is plenty to watch out for in tonight’s cross country which all the athletes are saying is meaty, tough and fittingly Burghley.

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THE HORSE DETAILS

Horse

Breeding

Owners

Artist

by Guillotine out of Maxamore who is by Volksraad

Spencer Eventing

Blackthorn Cruise

by Vancouver out of Ms Cruize who is by Cruising

Panda Christie and Dan Jocelyn

Cooley Lafitte

by Je T’aime Flamenco out of Graf Shenanigans who is by Scirocco Delle

Jay Jaffar

Global Fision M

by Flipper D’Elle HN out of Kantussa who is by Cantus

Innes Family Syndicate

Grappa Nera

by Karandasj out of Cetonette who is by Babalouba)

The Grape Syndicate and Jonelle Price

Greenacres Special Cavalier

by Cavalier Royale out of Greenacres Touch who is by Touchdown

Michelle and Chris Mann and Caroline Powell

Viscount Viktor

by Viscount 22 out of Noble Beauty who is by Nobre

Barbara Cooper, Glynn Norcutt, Ginny Rusher and Tim Price

Vitali

by Contender out of Noble Lady I who is by Heraldic)

Joseph and Alexander Giannamore and Tim Price

By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison
Photos by Libby Law/ESNZ