OLIVER Townend won the seventh five-star of his career last Sunday at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials to move himself even further up the list of eventing greats.

Riding Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse Ballaghmor Class, the pair were winning their second Burghley, having conquered the event back in 2017. Townend also won in 2009 aboard Carousel Quest.

It was a week of ups and downs, fabulous sport and an exciting final day which saw an all British-podium at the world’s richest horse trials; David Doel rose from 25th place to finish second with Galileo Nieuwmoed, ahead of Harry Meade with another Irish Sport Horse, the 13-year-old Cavalier Crystal (Jack Of Diamonds x Cavalier Royale).

There were a total of five Irish-breds in the top eight, while best of the Irish riders after a remarkable cross-country round on Saturday where he was just one second over the time was Co Carlow’s Sam Watson in 13th place with his wife Hannah and mother Julia’s 12-year-old gelding SAP Talisman (Puissance x Ali-Royal), bred by Rosemary Ponsonby. The pair rose from 26th to fifth after a storming around at their first five-star as a combination, but 16 show jumping faults saw them slip down the leaderboard on Sunday.

For Townend, it was further redemption for the gelding who won team gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games but has hit the cross-bar recently, including at Badminton this year where they finished second. The pair rose from third after dressage (24.2), to be second after picking up just 4.8 time penalties on the cross-country. The last fence down over the coloured poles moved him onto a score of 33.0 and when overnight leader Tim Price (NZL) knocked three fences, Townend was promoted to the top spot.

A legend

“He’s as good and as sound as he’s ever been, if not better,” Townend gushed of his winner afterwards.

“I’m just so proud of him and the whole team behind us at home, most of whom have been with me for many years and are responsible for enabling us to win so many five-stars.

"Every Burghley win is nearer to the end for me, so they become more special,” said Townend who scooped a record-breaking first prize of £110,000.

Speaking about the Courage II gelding who was bred by the late Noel Hickey, he added: “He’s Irish-bred and I have always been a big investor in Ireland and luckily it’s paying me back. He’s been incredible from start to finish. I bought him from a long-term friend of mine in Ireland, Cathy Charlton and yeah, he is a legend. My next superstar coming through is an Irish-bred one as well and she is hugely exciting as well for the future.”

Former Junior and Young Rider European team gold medallist David Doel quietly went about his business and jumped one of just six clear rounds with the Dutch-bred Galileo Nieuwmoed (Carambole x Harcos) on what was the horse’s Burghley debut. Even more impressively, they were the only combination in this year’s field to complete on their dressage score.

“He was magic,” said Doel. “We had a couple of lucky rubs in there, but he’s a very special horse and deserves this result. The prize money won’t go amiss either – I owe the wife a holiday and can afford to take one now!”

Irish-bred success

Harry Meade’s third place with Cavalier Crystal was his best ever result at Defender Burghley – his previous best being sixth with Away Cruising (ISH) in 2018 (27th here this year). Cavalier Crystal was bred by Thomas Horgan and jumped a super clear to move from sixth overnight to third.

“That was really cool – she’s such a fantastic little jumper and felt like she was on springs in there,” he said immediately after this round.

Scotland’s Wills Oakden, another former British Young Rider European team gold medallist, had a great weekend, finishing fifth with Oughterard Cooley (Puissance x Cruising), bred by Gerard Lynch, and eighth with Arklow Puissance (Puissance x Cruising), bred by Michael Byrne. Former Defender Burghley winner Pippa Funnell finished sixth with Majas Hope (Porter Rhodes x Flagmount King), bred by Jack Murphy.

Viva Vitali

At the close of play on Friday, Tim Price and Vitali were leading the dressage after producing the best-ever score seen at Defender Burghley of 18.7. It was a career personal best for the England-based New Zealander who was world number one at the time of Burghley (since overtaken by Ros Canter).

“I’ve always known he had a test like that in him, but I can’t quite believe it. He’s a quirky little horse and there’s always been one or two little things that have gone wrong at the big events but it felt like a good, workman-like test and when I was in there I was expecting a score in the mid-20s, so I’m delighted,” Price said afterwards.

With such a huge cushion, the pair held their lead on Saturday evening, despite adding eight time penalties across the country. They went into Sunday’s show jumping as last to jump with a fence and two time faults in-hand, but couldn’t keep it together, eventually ending in fourth place (38.7).

Saturday’s cross-country caused plenty of drama. Townend was forced to retire on Tregilder when his rein snapped on course, while he also retired second-placed Swallow Springs (ISH) who tired on course.

Placed fourth after dressage, Tom McEwen pulled up his Olympic team gold and individually silver medallist Toledo de Kerser who was lame after jumping the Trout Hatchery. Tom issued an update on his social media, saying: “Thank you so much to the Burghley team for their quick reaction and help with Toledo. With some rest and sometime in the field, hopefully we will all be able to enjoy Toledo doing what he loves again.”

There was also disappointment for the newly crowned European champion Ros Canter who fell from fifth-placed Pencos Crown Jewel at fence 20, the Dairy Mound. The pair were both uninjured in the fall.

Ireland’s greatest hope going into the competition was Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue who finished third at Badminton back in May. After being disappointed with his dressage mark of 34.9, he decided to retire after a glance-off at the troublesome Leaf Pit early on the course.

Sam Watson and SAP Talisman moved up to fifth place after cross-country at Burghley \ Nigel Goddard

Sam Watson produced one of the best rounds of the day, just one second over the time allowed with the horse he took to the World Championships last year. “He made me work more than any other horse – I thought at some point he would drop the bridle but he wrestled me the whole way home. He was a lion out there. If I could have settled him, I’d have been inside the time,” Watson commented.

“I knew this course would suit my horse, I knew he wouldn’t get tired. I have questioned if he is good enough for Burghley, there is a lot to jump out there, you have to have scope, it’s a long long road to get here. I’ve always felt this sort of result could pan out for him. There is a huge amount of relief that it has come off, and I am delighted for the horse that it has all come off,” he added.

Cooley Cloverland (ISH) wins young horse final

ROS Canter guided the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Cloverland to win the five-year-old Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final on Friday. By Cavalier Land, out of Clover Light Girl (Clover Hill), the gelding was bred by Peter Rice and is owned by Kate and Joe Walls and Rob and Tricia Sargent.

The horse, who is a full-brother to the 2019 Badminton third-place finisher Cooley Lands (Chris Burton), finished 6.75 marks ahead of their nearest rival.

The Donal Callery-bred Brookfield Danny de Muze (I’m Special de Muze x Ashfield Bobby Sparrow) finished fourth under Sophie Callard, while back in seventh was Noel Dunne with Richard Ames’ Kief Rhapsody Of Belline 510 (Sligo Candy Boy x Lux Z), bred by Kieran Fahy.

Catherine Robinson from Northern Ireland was placed third in the four-year-old Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final, riding the British-bred gelding Malawi Lancer. Clare Abbott made the trip aboard MT Kenobos Touch, a gelding by Mullaghdrin Touch the Stars out of a Lux Z mare, bred by her partner Gareth Carlilse. They finished in seventh place.