‘It’s intense – and tests rider reactions’
THIS course is all about riders’ reactions. It’s very fair and beautifully built, and Derek di Grazia has been very clever with where he has positioned fences. If this course was built on a flat track, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as complicated. But you have to take into account the undulations, which are what cause the problems here, rather than the fences.
Everything is very clear for the horses to understand, which I really like. The corner out of the Leaf Pit is the only place horses will have to lock on quickly, but there is nothing trappy or unfair to the horses at all, everything is very obvious for them.
Both rides I’ve had here were amazing – and on horses I wouldn’t describe as “Burghley horses”. Noble Bestman in 2011 was here for experience, while Ginger May Killinghurst was my first five-star ride in 2010 on my 21st birthday, so that was experience for me.
At my first Burghley, the Leaf Pit was very early on. I remember the first time I walked it standing on the top and feeling quite sick – Ginger May Killinghurst was pretty strong. Andrew Nicholson told me to drop the reins. It was make or break at that point; pulling hadn’t worked, so this was either going to work or it wasn’t. Thankfully it did!
I’ve always said I would have absolutely loved to have
