HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012: Edge Produces Yet Another Star at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials

Britain’s Ruth Edge and Rogersdale hold the overnight lead after the first day of Dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, final leg of the 2011-2012 HSBC FEI Classics™ Photo: FEI/Fiona Scott-Maxwell  Story: FEI/Kate Green

Ruth Edge (GBR), one of the most accomplished riders in the Dressage arena, is in her customary position at the head of the leaderboard with a score of 45.5 penalties at the end of the first day of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), finale of the 2011-2012 HSBC FEI Classics™.

However, Edge admits that Burghley is a bold step up in class for her mount, Rogersdale, one of a handful of 10-year-olds in the field, as he has only done one CCI3* at Tattersalls (IRL) in June, where he was seventh.

“He’s a big jumper with lots of scope and is genuine, but I’m realistic, it’s probably a year early for him,” said Edge of the Welton Ambassador-sired bay gelding which was produced by the late Ian Olding (IRL).

“The distances encourage you to attack the course,” she said of the Cross Country, “and the going is fantastic. It’s so spongy. It’s probably the best in the world.”

Jonathan Paget (NZL), number three in the HSBC Rider Rankings, only returned four days ago from celebrating his Olympic team bronze medal back at home in New Zealand, but he produced a focused performance to lie in second place, just 0.7 behind Edge, after an accurate test on the 13-year-old New Zealand thoroughbred Clifton Lush.

“My horse is the sort who is the same every day. He’s very level headed,” said Paget of Clifton Lush, the horse he rode to a fifth-place finish at Burghley last year.

Paget, 28, who only started competing as an 18-year-old when he was working as a bricklayer in Australia, is based in the UK and is trained by Andrew Gould (GBR) in Dressage and “the legendary” Luis Cervera (ESP) in Jumping. “My aim is to get more mileage at top level, and get a really major result,” he said.

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) has made a fine start to his bid to win a third HSBC FEI Classics™ title. He is in third place at this stage, just one penalty off the leader, on the 13-year-old Seacookie, the runner-up at Burghley in 2010.

Fox-Pitt’s nearest rival for the US$150,000 prize in the HSBC FEI Classics™ is Andrew Nicholson (NZL), who is currently 15^th on the relatively inexperienced Calico Joe. Nicholson, however, has the talented Avebury, runner-up at Burghley last year, to come tomorrow.

Seacookie, a German-bred horse produced by Ingrid Klimke (GER), spent 2011 on the sidelines with an injury and has been aimed specifically at an autumn campaign this year. “He’s had limited preparation but is in a very good frame of mind,” commented Fox-Pitt. “He’s very concentrated and has done probably his best ever test.”

By contrast, the fourth-placed rider is competing at her first Burghley. Emily Parker (GBR), 22, who scored 48.2 in a composed test in the wet and windy conditions on the Dutch-bred Treefers, is the youngest rider in the field. The 2010 Young Rider European Champion confessed to a mixture of excitement and trepidation at her first CCI4*.

Oliver Townend, winner of Burghley and the HSBC FEI Classics™ in 2009, is in fifth place on ODT Sonas Rovatio, and Emily Llewellyn (GBR), another former Young Rider European Champion, is sixth on Pardon Me ll.

Another first-timer, Kristi Nunnink (USA), had a disconcerting experience when she lost her way in the canter work. Her test had to be interrupted by Ground Jury President, Sue Stewart (GBR), and there was a lengthy pause while Nunnink recovered her bearings. However, the error detracted little from Nunnink’s graceful performance on her attractive grey mare R-Star and the American pair are still in seventh place.

Germany’s Olympic team gold medallist Dirk Schrade, who said London “feels like a long time ago!” came back to earth with a mark of 52.7 on Hop And Skip, which he described as “disappointing”.

The Irish-bred chestnut by Skippy had been producing beautiful canter work in the warm-up arena but, his rider said, “became excited in the busy atmosphere and we made a few stupid mistakes.” However, Schrade, who is in equal 13^th place, promised: “He is a great Cross Country horse and that’s why I’m here. It’s not over yet!”

He’s right. There’s certainly lots more excitement to come, and the enthusiastic Burghley crowd are in for a treat tomorrow with the likes of Mary King (GBR), Bettina Hoy (GER), Kai Rüder (GER), Alison Springer (USA) and Sam Watson (IRL), plus Fox-Pitt, Nicholson and Townend on their second horses, yet to perform their tests.

Burghley by numbers

85 – the number of runners

11 – the number of nations

1 – the number of representatives for Ecuador, Lithuania and South Africa

49 – the number of CCIs won by William Fox-Pitt

6 – the number of Burghley victories for William Fox-Pitt

2 – the number of HSBC FEI Classics™ victories for William Fox-Pitt (2008 and 2010)

5 – the number of Burghley victories for Mark Todd (NZL) and Ginny Elliot (GBR)

19 – the age of the oldest horse, Comanche, ridden by James Robinson (GBR)

58 – the age of the oldest rider, Jean Teulere (FRA)

22 – the age of the youngest rider, Emily Parker (GBR)

5 – the number of former Burghley winners competing (Mark Todd, Mary King, Andrew Nicholson, William Fox-Pitt, Oliver Townend)

 

Results after first day of Dressage

1 Ruth Edge/Rogersdale (GBR) 45.5

2 Jonathan Paget/Clifton Lush (NZL) 46.2

3 William Fox-Pitt/Seacookie (GBR) 46.5

4 Emily Parker/Treefers (GBR) 48.2

5 Oliver Townend/Sonas Rovatio (GBR) 48.3

6 Emily Llewellyn/Pardon Me ll (GBR) 49.0

7 Kristi Nunnink/R-Star (USA) 49.5*

8 Bill Levett/Hippolyte (AUS) 49.8

9 Izzy Taylor/Briarlands Matilda (GBR) 50.5*

10 Elizabeth Power/September Bliss (IRL) 51.5

(*denotes error of course)

Podcasts

Catch up on all the latest comments from the riders talking to LBP’s Kate Justice:

Dressage leader Ruth Edge

Second placed New Zealander Jonathan Paget

HSBC FEI Classics™ leader and in third overnight William Fox-Pitt

Eighth placed Australian Bill Levett

Tenth placed Irish rider Elizabeth Power

Burghley first timer Emily Parker

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012 Leaderboard (after 4 out of 5 events, due to cancellation of Badminton):

1 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 30

2 Andrew Nicholson (NZL) 24

3 Michael Jung (GER) 15

4 Stuart Tinney (AUS) 15

5 Alison Springer (USA) 12

6 Lucinda Fredericks (AUS) 12

7 Sonja Johnson (AUS) 12

8 Boyd Martin (USA) 10

9 Andreas Dibowski (GER) 10

10 Emma Mason (AUS) 10

Equestrian Australia's Report

Riding the 17 yo gelding Hippolyte, Bill scored a 49.80 to finish in eighth position. The pace has currently been set by Ruth Edge (Rogersdale) of Great Britain who scored 45.50. 

A further 42 horse and rider combinations including four Australian combinations will perform their Dressage tests on Friday. Bill now has the day off to prepare for Saturday’s Cross Country.  

“The course is very big and long and will be a true stamina test for the horses, however I think it is a little more obvious where the horses need to jump at the fences this year than last. Discovery Valley is still a very difficult fence but they’ve given you a little more time to back on to the fences,” Bill said on his blog.  

“The first water once in comes up very fast and you have to canter across ground in the water to the second part of the test which can put you off your distance and he’s made the distance shorter at the two elements in the water which will be less forgiving,” he adds.

Quick Links

• Follow the action on www.burghley-horse.co.uk
• Full HSBC leaderboard can be viewed here.