‘You always want a bit more’: British team horse makes a bold bid for best five-star result at Burghley

With Ros Canter having set an impressive target of 19.9 as the second rider into the arena in the Defender Burghley Horse Trials dressage phase, the scores from the mid-morning segment couldn’t come close to that. Pippa Funnell and MCS Maverick remain second at this early stage of the competition on 28.3.

But Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift, who were second here in 2022, put in a bold bid as one of the favourites for a top placing. They put in their usual consistent peformance in the first phase, but with Ros having scored such a stratospheric score, they are inevitably left with ground to make up some nine marks adrift.

This pair have three top-five finishes at CCI5* already, and for large parts of their test, it looked like they were propelling themselves right into the reckoning. While not as flamboyant as the leader, Capels Hollow Drift is wonderfully steady and accurate. However, their changes pulled their marks down – while they were trending on 23, the grey rather launched into the changes which upset what was overall a beautifully rhythmic test to finish on 28.6 to sit third at this stage.

“I’m happy enough with that,” said Tom. “He’s done four five-stars and has scored three 28s so its seems like we aren’t improving but there was a lot to like, you just always want a bit more. I’m glad to be in the mix, and hope we can finish close enough to that and be thereabouts on Sunday.

“He’s such a consistent performer – all the way through his career, that’s been one of his strongest qualities,” Tom added of the 13-year-old gelding, who is owned by Patricia Davenport, Milly Simmie and Sarah Webb.

Two debutantes off the mark in the Burghley Horse Trials dressage

Nicole Mills lives just three miles away, as the crow flies, from Burghley, and is making her CCI5* debut at her local event this week. She scored 32.6 on her Arko gelding Fearless W with a calm and accurate test, and admitted the emotions nearly got to her as she realised the enormity of her achievement.

“I’ve been eventing for 24 years and it’s taken all this time – I take my hat off to these guys who get horses here year in, year out,” said Nicole, 41. “I went up the centre line and thought, ‘don’t cry, don’t cry’.

“Fearless does do his changes beautifully and I messed one up which is annoying. He’s a good boy because he loves an atmosphere and as I’m local there were so many people clapping, so I was thinking, ‘don’t do it until he’s finished’.”

Another Burghley debutante Bella Innes Ker already has two CCI5*s under her belt with Highway II, but this is her first British event at the highest level. Their mark of 38.6 was a bit below their best, with the changes being a little troublesome, but Bella is looking onwards and upwards.

“There are areas I wish I could have improved on, his changes are not established yet so I knew I would lose marks there, but I am delighted to have finished it,” said Bella, who turns 30 on Saturday. “I’m excited to give the cross-country a crack. Entering a British five-star is a feeling I’ve always dreamt of. It’s quite overwhelming but I’m going to enjoy the process and have fun – easier said than done!”

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