In capturing the new Land Rover trophy, Sept. 1-4, William Fox-Pitt joined an elite group. Only he, Ginny Elliott and Mark Todd have won the Burghley CCI****, Stamford, England, three times or more.

This year, Fox-Pitt led from the front on Ballincoola, an 11-year-old not widely fancied. Although Ballincoola placed fourth at Rolex Kentucky in 2004, and this year in England won the new CIC*** at Barbary Castle, Fox-Pitt retired him at the Badminton CCI**** this spring with a heart fibrillation. Now he was tackling Britain’s last long format four-star in unseasonal heat for England.

Fox-Pitt has been determined to keep Ballincoola in top shape despite the additional demands of preparing Tamarillo for the European Championships the following weekend–which involved travelling 200 miles back home to Dorset to gallop on the Thursday evening. He has also just become a father:

William’s wife Alice, a well-known horseracing TV presenter, gave birth to their first child, Oliver, two weeks before.

With U.S. riders Kim Severson and Buck Davidson not completing speed and endurance, it was up to Phillip Dutton to maintain the morale of the planeload from the States. Dutton, an Australian based in West Grove, Pa., didn’t disappoint, finishing second with The Foreman, who was also runner-up at Rolex Kentucky in April.

The Foreman, owned by Annie Jones, was also the only horse to finish on his dressage score. The result confirmed “Chip” as Dutton’s top choice for World Equestrian Games next year. Dutton was also 10th with Amazing Odyssey, in a top 10 dominated by otherwise British-based Antipodoeans.

Third for the third year was Andrew Nicholson on Lord Killinghurst, who might have moved higher but for a 12-penalty show jumping round.

Mary King, William’s fellow team silver medallist in Athens, was fourth on Call Again Cavalier, formerly ridden by Caroline Pratt, who died in a fall at Burghley last year. Disappointed not to be in the British team for Blenheim, King turned down an individual place at the Europeans to ride at Burghley. She blamed herself for an error of course in the dressage and 7.8 penalties on the steeplechase, which cost her at least two places.

“After that, I am not disappointed we will never have to ride another steeplechase again,” she said. “I let him down. He went better than at Badminton, although he was still a bit strong. But he is a brave bold horse and he jumped himself out of trouble.”

Severson’s bid to become only the third American to win Burghley came to an abrupt end when Winsome Adante had a crashing fall at the 14th cross-country fence. The duo, favorite to take the $73,000 first prize, stood second after dressage.

“Dan” hesitated fractionally at the base of the famous Capability’s Cutting and got under the twisty tree trunk at the top, flipping over and pitching Severson to the ground. Mercifully Dan fell to Kim’s right, and the pair escaped serious injury. Severson was taken to hospital with a sprained shoulder but was back on site that night.

A Fresh Atmosphere

The imminence of Blenheim reduced the Burghley start list to 60, but there was a jolly, anticipatory atmosphere, in stark contrast to 2004 when Pratt’s fatal fall was followed by rider complaints about the soft going and the organizers’ perceived failure to react to fast changing weather conditions.

As a result, Burghley has a new director, its long serving administrator Liz Inman, who has spent much time on the phone to Rolex Kentucky’s Janie Atkinson.

Capt. Mark Phillips returned this year as course designer. The FEI three-day event committee did not adopt the Hartington committee’s recommendation to rotate this role every few years, but Burghley will do so anyway.

On Thursday, Britain’s Ruth Edge took her now customary spot at the head of dressage, with Muschamp Impala on 45.9, a 5.7-penalty lead over Leslie Law on Shear H20. By Friday, Edge was down to fourth when Winsome Adante (42.8), Lord Killinghurst (44.6), and finally Ballincoola (42.4) went ahead.

In recent weeks, international dressage rider Lizzie Murray (nee Loriston-Clarke) has schooled Ballincoola, with obvious results. Fox-Pitt said: “He was as good today in his dressage as he has ever been as he can be a ‘bit chestnut’ and fractious. It is a tricky test–it all comes thick and fast, and I am sure he has more to come once he relaxes a bit more.”

Severson was handily placed, though, in hindsight, this was not a vintage performance (on grass) for her three-time Kentucky winner, who usually scores in the 30s.

Phillips celebrated his return as course builder by designing a new track that produced the ideal result. Half of the field went clear, though only a handful came inside the time. Faults were well spread; no fence caught out more than four horses.

It was decided not to use the Lion Bridge water complex where Pratt’s accident happened last year, so part of the park not used for some years was reinstated. The track ran counter clockwise, finishing uphill, and thus “back to front” through the Leaf Pit, leaving few in doubt that there was no longer the traditional opportunity to make up time in the final stages.

As the second horse on course, The Foreman went round inside the time, looking very composed after a sticky moment early on, as did Andrew Hoy on the first of his two, Master Monarch.

“The time is not very gettable,” said Hoy. “You go up hill for five and a half minutes to the Cottesmore Leap. Mark Phillips has designed a four-star track, and it’s up to you to find nice balance and ride the lines and distances to the fences, otherwise it’s not going to happen.”

The day’s “talking horse” was Tricia Price’s Riva Ruel, making his cross-country debut with Britain’s Sarah Cutteridge, who went to the top of the leader board with a clear round inside the time. Cutteridge had only sat on him for the first time a week before when Price broke her collarbone.

But there was a shock when the veteran Shear H20–who fell at Badminton–ran out at Uncle Ben’s Kitchen, and Law pulled up two fences later. This brought an early end to Burghley for the Olympic champion as Shear L’Eau, Law’s second ride, was diverted to Blenheim at short notice. Coup de Couer, third at Kentucky and Law’s preferred choice for Blenheim, had sustained a small injury.

Of the other overnight leaders, Muschamp Impala was withdrawn in the D box, as was Imtiaz Anees, an Atlanta, Ga., resident aiming to be the first Indian to complete a British four-star.

Other U.S. hopes were dashed when Buck Davidson (Private Treaty) had the spurious distinction of being the last person ever to fall on the steeplechase at a British four-star–both Badminton and Burghley go short format next year.

There were 30 clears, five inside the time, and a further six got round with only one stop. Ballincoola stayed at the top with a show jump in hand over Lord Killinghurst, with little between Mr Pracatan, The Foreman and Call Again Cavalier.

Down To The Final Fence

Disappointingly, seven withdrew over-night, including Master Monarch, who cut his knee at the Arena fence, and a further two did not get through the final inspection, including Mr Smiffy, a former winner here with Nicholson, now ridden by John-Paul Sheffield.

Poles were flying everywhere over Di Boddy’s course. Only four left them up, including The Foreman.

“Maybe they weren’t quite big enough. Sometimes you need to give horses something to make them think on the last day,” said Dutton.

Nicholson and Hoy took the pressure off Fox-Pitt with 12 penalties apiece–and he was to need them, too.

“When Ballincoola had fence five I thought, ‘OK,’ because he only ever has one,” said Fox-Pitt. “But then he stuck his head in the air at that second-last line where they go toward the press photographers. I just had to keep riding him the way I believe; luckily I got him back.”

Bruce Davidson won the World Championship at Burghley in 1974, but it was another two decades before Stephen Bradley took the trophy back across the Atlantic.

Commenting on the difficulty U.S. riders have in making a mark on this competition, Dutton thought it was down to terrain. Not only does the park itself climb and fall, but the “ridge and furrow”–which Bruce Davidson once likened to the moguls in downhill ski-racing–dictate a very precise line.

“The terrain here adds another dimension to your riding,” said Dutton. “We’d all have walked bigger courses, but you need to add new skills here; it’s all about re-balancing and understanding the effect of the ground falling away.

“But I’m really pleased–and it’s also the first time I’ve spent five days in England without rain!”

The Foreman Keeps Impressing

After earning nearly $100,000 in prize money this year alone, The Foreman has long since eclipsed the small amount he won on the flat track before he was purchased for Dutton by Annie Jones. In addition to second-placed finishes at Rolex Kentucky and Burghley this year, he has won at the Red Hills CIC*** (Fla.) and the North Georgia CIC***, as well as winning last fall’s Fair Hill CCI*** (Md.).

“I just need to get his dressage better,” said Dutton. “It’s improving all the time, but on the world standard, it’s not good enough.”

Still, Dutton said “Chip” has proven himself to be one of his all-time best horses. “Chip and I have a pretty good agreement, and he knows when to behave and put his best foot forward,” said Dutton. “Each year he gets better and better. This was a really big weekend for him.”

As he considers Chip to have improved a great deal since Kentucky, Dutton traveledto Burghley with a win in mind. He acknowledged that he was slightly unlucky to draw the slot of second horse to start, which he thinks affected his dressage score somewhat.

“[The win] was not meant to be, but I was still pleased,” he said. “He finished on his dressage score, and I’m quite proud of him. I think his time will come. He’s 9 years old, so he will have more opportunities to win a four-star, and so will I.”

While the Burghley course wasn’t the biggest Chip has faced, Dutton believes it was the hardest. “The terrain is unique–it’s up and down all the way around, which takes its toll on their fitness. You’re constantly re-balancing to keep the horse in front of your leg up and down the hills.”

The final show jumping fence, planks set on an upside down cup, fell continuously all day long. So when Dutton saw William Fox-Pitt use up his two rails in hand earlier in the course, he had a fleeting glimpse of possibly winning the event. “After he had two down, I thought, ‘He still has to jump the planks!’ ” admitted Dutton with a laugh.

But he didn’t dwell for long on what might have been with one of the few ex-race horses competing at the highest levels of the sport, a horse he has brought along from a green 6-year-old. “I just feel extremely fortunate to have the ride on him,” he said.