After a customary day of Defender Burghley cross country day thrills and spills, it’s all change on the leaderboard which now sees Great Britain’s Gemma Stevens sitting at the top with Chilli Knight, thanks to the formidable cross country duo posting one of only two clear rounds of the day.
Stopping the clock well inside the optimum time of 11 minutes and 20 seconds, with three seconds to spare, Stevens stormed around Derek di Grazia’s immaculate course to remain on her dressage score of 29.6, meaning she and the 16-year-old former 5 star winner are now the only combination in the competition to sit on a sub-30 score.
“What a ride he gave me!” Gemma beamed as she spoke of her round, “there was definitely a moment in the leaf pit [fence 24 AB, the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit] where he said “hold my beer mum, I’ve got this” and I screamed, swore and then told him I how much I loved him all in the space of about five seconds,” which just proves their 16-year-long relationship and trust in one another is invaluable.
“It’s been years of training and belief in each other, I have known him since the minute he was born, and moments like that are what partnerships with your horse are all about.”
Second spot is now claimed by Tim Prize of New Zealand, but not on his overnight contender, Falco, who had an unusual refusal at the second element of the Defender Trout Hatchery, fence 19bc, a hanging log dropping down into the water, incurring 20 penalties and then retiring on course.
“There’s a reason he only has a [show jumping] rail every four or five years, because he is so deliberate and so careful – he’s spectacular the way that he goes about his job – but when I came round to the water on a bit of a cheeky line, he just looked down through the fence to the water and I think took his eye off what was actually required of him to jump,” Price said pragmatically of their round.
“But that’s how it is with horses, you know, you take the rough with the smooth. He’s a very good jumper and he felt amazing until then, and it was nothing to do with anything other than it wasn’t the perfect ride for him in that moment.”
Instead, Price has risen up from 6th place after dressage with the 13-year-old Irish Sports Horse, Global Quest. Finishing the course just 12 seconds over the time, the combination go into tomorrow’s show jumping just 4.8 penalties heavier on a score of 36.9, nonetheless giving Stevens some significant breathing room ahead of him.
“There were quite a few moments where it was ‘seat of the pants riding’, I would describe it as – it was the line we wanted but not the plan or the number of strides, but it was all based on good things from him,” Price said of their cross country round.
“He galloped well and he stayed all the way home, and I’m really proud of him because this is a real journey of discovery for him, and a step in the right direction that will stand him in good stead.”
The biggest climber of the day was Holly Richardson of Great Britain on board Ballyneety Silver Service, who rocketed up the leaderboard from 28th after dressage to finish the day in third place, having been responsible for the only other clear inside the time of the day to stay on her dressage score of 38.3 penalties.
“He’s unbelievable, he just gallops and jumps and is so brave, so my job is just to really try not to mess with it,” she said of the 11-year-old Irish Sports Horse’s performance today.
Richardson has only had the ride on “Butler” since 2023, and with a chequered show jumping record, the rider is pragmatic about their chances after the show jumping phase tomorrow, “his cross country is amazing and the other bits are catching up, it’s just the show jumping left tomorrow and we’ll see how we get on.”
Overnight dressage leader, Switzerland’s Nadja Minder dropped down to sixth after her clear but steady cross country round which added 13.2 time penalties to her tally with Toblerone, leaving the combination a little far off the mark to remain in the top three.
Katie Magee travelled up the leaderboard with Treworra from 19th after dressage to fourth after a blazing cross country round just six seconds over the optimum time, adding 2.4 time penalties to her score to sit on 38.6 overnight.
Rounding up the top five is the second highest climber of the day, Defender Burghley stalwarts, Great Britain’s Harry Meade and Cavalier Crystal, who finished in third place here in 2025. The dressage didn’t go their way yesterday seeing them finish in 30th place, but after Meade’s customary cool and speedy cross country round, the pair go into tomorrow’s show jumping within sniffing distance of a top three placing, on a score of 44.4 penalties to sit in fifth overnight.
Just 28 horses will go through to tomorrow’s vet inspection at 9:00 in the morning, and then Defender Burghley History will be written once more after the final show jumping phase of the competition.
Photo credit Defender Burghley Horse Trials and Peter Nixon
