Jewel of a performance from Canter

European champion Ros Canter (GBR) leads the way at the end of the first session of dressage at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials on a score of 26.9 with Pencos Crown Jewel.

“I’ll take that any day,” said Ros after her test. “She finds it difficult to stay in balance but I feel I got my preparation right here and I’m absolutely delighted as she tried her hardest. I knew I had overdone the warm-up at Badminton [where the pair scored 29.2] so I deliberately kept things short and sweet today.”

Pencos Crown Jewel, aka Jasmine, is a 14-year-old mare by Jumbo and is owned by Kate James and Annie Makin. She and Ros finished 11^th here last year.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials first-timer Emily King (GBR), the daughter of former Burghley winner and six-time Olympian Mary King, is currently second with Valmy Biats on a score of 30. Emily is a former Young Rider team gold medallist and has had the ride on French-bred Valmy Biats for just over three years.

“I’m really pleased,” said Emily. “He’s not the most beautiful – he has a massive head and used to be quite downhill and strong but he’s learning to be more elegant. I’ve been doing a lot of work to try and get him to move in a softer manner with more lift, which has paid off generally but it did also result in a few blips in our test.”

Two members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team from the Toyko Olympics, Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend, currently lie third and fourth respectively, both on a score of 30.5.

Tom was riding Martin Belsham’s 10-year-old mare Luna Mist, who is making her CCI5* debut.

“She performed to the best of her ability so I’m delighted,” commented Tom. “She did everything I asked of her and I’m a bit disappointed with my mark if I’m honest as I think she deserved a lot better.” Tom will ride his Olympic partner, Toledo De Kerser, tomorrow.

Two-time Burghley winner, Oliver Townend, is a busy man this weekend with three horses in contention. His first, the Hazeldines and Mitchell Fox Group’s gelding Tregilder, was second into the Main Arena today.

“He’s huge and has a lot of thoroughbred in his heritage so dressage isn’t really his thing,” said Oliver after his test. “He did four clean changes which I was particularly pleased about as he finds those hard.”

Oliver rides Swallow Springs, who was third here with his former jockey Andrew Nicholson in 2018, later this afternoon, and his 2017 Burghley winner and Olympic partner Ballaghmor Class tomorrow.

The afternoon session starts at 1.45pm with New Zealand’s Lauren Inness and Global Fission M.