This year’s FEI Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials CCI-S 4* title went to Laura Collett on Keith Scott’s London 52.
The result proved popular with the crowds, who had come to enjoy some great sport and to help celebrate 25 years of eventing in this stunning corner of north Norfolk.
Laura and London 52 add this title at Burnham Market to their incredible resume, which includes Olympic team gold at the Tokyo Games and no less than three 5* titles.
They were untouchable throughout the weekend at Burnham Market, taking the lead with an impressive dressage score of 19.8 on Saturday afternoon and flying through the jumping phases with no penalties to add.
“Absolutely delighted with London 52 in all three phases,” said Laura of their performance. “He’s been a total professional. He was on cruise control round the cross country, I had an absolutely amazing ride. I’m very, very lucky to sit on a horse as talented as him and I just have to make sure I don’t mess it up for him!”
Fellow Tokyo gold medallist, Oliver Townend was amongst those leading the charge to try and get ahead of Laura. With 15 4* titles at Burnham Market to his name, he was keen to make it a sweet 16 but, on this occasion, had to settle for second with Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Cooley Rosalent.
The pair did everything they could, finishing on their dressage score of 23.4. Kitty King and Vendredi Biats completed an all-British top 3, also keeping a clean sheet to finish on a score of 26.1.
This year’s CCI-S 3* class belonged to New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone, who not only took the win with his own and the Johnstone family’s Domasco but finished with four horses inside the top 7 of a very competitive field.
“I had a very good day today,” said Clarke. “It’s been a busy morning, but my horses all went extremely well – four double clears, which doesn’t happen terribly often. They all loved the ground conditions and the beautiful course, and I was able to really let them all run.”
“I’m just delighted with him,” he added of the winner, Domasco. “He’s quite experienced at this level now and about ready to step up to 4* but it was a quality field, lots of lovely horses, and I couldn’t think of anything he could of done much better for me over the weekend. I had a beautiful round on him and the other horses and couldn’t be happier.”
The top three in the 3* ended up being incredibly close with Clarke and Domasco finishing on a score of 27; Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time on a score of 27.4 in second; and another of Clarke’s rides, Menlo Park just 0.1 behind in third on a score of 27.5.
The international classes were the climax of a wonderful weekend of sport, which also included a strong schedule of national classes. Fabulous weather, great going, super crowds and some stand-out performances seem a fitting way to mark 25 years of eventing on the site.
Started by Alec and Emily Lochore back in 1999, they are delighted to still be welcoming the eventing family to Burnham Market. “If you had asked me back in 1999 how the event would progress over the next few years, I would not have anticipated that 25 years later we would have the privilege to watch the world’s elite horses and riders, with so may Olympic medals to their name, galloping around this beautiful corner of North West Norfolk at our event,” said Alec.
“The 25 years of sport is great testament the the wonderful army of volunteers and sponsors that enable events such as this to take place.”
