Nicholson The Best Of The Kiwis At Burghley

MEDIA RELEASE – 3rd September 2010

Nicholson The Best Of The Kiwis After Day One At Burghley

Kiwi riders are slightly off the pace but still very handy after the first day of the legendary four star Burghley Horse Trials in the United Kingdom.

Star rider Andrew Nicholson, who has just been named in the team to head to the World Equestrian Games later this month, aboard Armada is the best of the New Zealanders. The combination are sitting in 14th position on 54 dressage penalties, with Bruce Haskell on Kiwi Smog in 17th position on 56 penalties, Dan Jocelyn on Special Attorney on 56.8 penalties in 19th position. Nicholson's fellow WEG team-mate Caroline Powell and Mac MacDonald have chosen not to start due to the closeness of the games.

Leading the field after the dressage phase of the three day event are British WEG team-mates Mary King on Apache Sauce on 44.8 penalties and William Fox-Pitt on Macchiato on 46.8 penalties.

There are a raft of Kiwis set to compete today (Friday UK time), including Craig Nicolai on Just Ironic, Caroline Powell on Lenamore, Annabel Wigley on Black Drum, Mark Todd on Major Milestone, Andrew Nicholson on Avebury and Dan Jocelyn on Special Advocate.

The four star class has attracted 77 entries.

Burghley is the longest continuous running international event and one of the jewels in the crown to win. Some great names have designed the courses there over the year, with Captain Mark Phillips, himself a former winner, holding the hot seat since 2005.

William Fox-Pitt, Virginia Elliott (nee Holgate) and Mark Todd are the most successful riders to compete at Burghley, each having won the prestigious crown five times – Todd most recently in 1999 on Diamond Hall Red.
New Zealand's history runs even deeper with the event, with Todd and Blyth Tait the only two riders to have taken first and second places in the same event in 1987 and 1998.

Tait won the event, aboard ready Teddy, in 2001, Nicholson on Mr Smiffy in 2000, and aboard Buckley Province in 1995.

The trials run through until Sunday (NZ time), with the winner pocketing 50,000 British pounds. The cross country phase of the event runs Saturday (UK time), with the showjumping on Sunday (UK time).

Ends

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