Australian Burton closes FEI Classics 2015/2016 season with Burghley Horse Trials success

Burton, one of the most talented riders to hit the Eventing circuit in the last few years, emerged victorious on Nobilis 18, even if he did live a little dangerously in the closing stages of the competition.

The Australian had four fences down and still won finishing on a score of 49.4 penalties, but having collected 16 faults he almost lost the £63,000 top prize.

Such was Burton’s supremacy after the first two phases that he entered the Jumping arena with four fences in hand, but another fence down would have handed a sixth Burghley victory to New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson who rose a place to be second on Nereo with just one down and a couple of time penalties for a total of 53.2 penalties.

Another New Zealander, Jonelle Price scored her best CCI4-star result this year by taing third on Classic Moet with just four faults. Her husband, Tim, who had taken the pressure off Burton with his three fences down on Ringwood Sky Boy, ended up in fourth place.

“I tried to keep it interesting for you all,” said Burton speaking afterwards.

“Nobilis is usually a careful jumper, but he felt a bit tired and the ground was perhaps a little dead, but that’s three-day eventing for you.

“Never in my wildest dreams did it occur to me that I would win Burghley. I’d walked past all the plaques on Winners’ Avenue – all these old boys with their names on them! – and thought it would be nice to have my name there too.”

France’s Cedric Lyard on Cadeau du Roi and Great Britain’s Oliver Townend on Samuel Thomas benefited from clear Jumping rounds to rise to fifth and seventh places, split by Germany’s Bettina Hoy in sixth, who incurred eight faults on Designer 10.

Townend, the 2009 Burghley winner, was the highest-placed British with 63 penalties after the three-day dressage, cross-country and showjumping event.

Only three other riders – Australia’s Shane Rose on Virgil, Tim Price on Bango, and Great Britain’s Ros Canter on Allstar B – who finished 25th of the 38 finishers, achieved clear rounds.
I what has been an FEI Classics season of great thrills and stories, no one was likely to catch Germany’s Michael Jung who was the runaway winner of the $40,000 USD FEI Classics 2015/2016 first prize thanks to victories at Kentucky and Badminton plus a second place at Pau last year.

Tim Price, who was third at Pau and fourth at Luhmühlen, managed to hold onto second place, whilst Nicholson was surprised to find himself the recipient of $20,000 USD for leaping into third place in the FEI Classics™ 2015/2016, an achievement made all the greater considering he has only competed at two CCI4-star events this season – he was fifth at Luhmühlen in June.

FEI Classics 2015/2016
Result – Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Burghley, Great Britain

1. Christopher Burton/Nobilis 18 (Australia) 30.2 + 3.2 + 16 = 49.4
2. Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (New Zealand) 35.2 + 12.0 + 6 = 53.2
3. Jonelle Price/Classic Moet (New Zealand) 48.5 + 1.6 + 4 = 54.1
4. Tim Price/Ringwood Sky Boy (New Zealand) 38.9 + 6.0 + 12 = 56.9
5. Cedric Lyard/Cadeau du Roi (France) 46.0 + 13.6 + 0 = 59.6
6. Bettina Hoy/Designer 10 (Germany) 34.5 + 19.2 + 8 = 61.7
7. Oliver Townend/Samuel Thomas ll (Great Britain) 53.4 + 9.6 + 0 = 63.0
8. Caroline Powell/Onwards and Upwards (New Zealand) 37.8 + 21.6 + 5 = 64.4
9. Sir Mark Todd/NZB Campino (New Zealand) 42.2 + 16.8 + 8 = 67.0
10. Kristina Cook/Star Witness (Great Britain) 52.9 + 12.0 + 4 = 68.9
FEI Classics 2015/2016
Final Leaderboard

1. Michael Jung (Germany) 42 points
2. Tim Price (New Zealand) 26
3. Andrew Nicholson (New Zealand) 18
4. Clarke Johnstone (New Zealand) 16
5. Christopher Burton (Australia) 15
6. Astier Nicolas (France) 15
7. Shane Rose (Australia) 15
8. Andreas Dibowski (Germany) 15
9. Sir Mark Todd (New Zealand) 15
10. Andreas Ostholt (Germany) 12