Top-class international panel to judge prestigious young event horse finals at Burghley 2026
The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Finals for four- and five-year-olds are the most prestigious young horse championships in the UK, and will take place on Friday, 4 September at the Lincolnshire CCI5* event.
Great experience at CCI5* level – and true understanding of the qualities of a CCI5* horse – are among the attributes of the top-class judging panel for the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Finals at Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2026.
Dressage at the finals will be judged by regular championship and CCI5* ground jury members Christina Klingspor (SWE) and Angela Tucker (GBR), and jumping by Dutch Olympic rider and national team coach Andrew Heffernan (NED) and CCI5* rider and young horse producer Nicky Roncoroni (IRL). Highly respected vet John Killingbeck will judge “suitability and type”.
Clayton Fredericks, an eventing medallist at Olympic and World Championship level for Australia and now a very successful cross-country course-designer, will assess “potential to gallop” for the top 10 finalists in both the four- and five-year-old sections of the championships.
Clayton, Angela, Andrew and Nicky all competed in the CCI5* at Burghley and at other CCI5* events worldwide, and all have produced horses to the highest level themselves. Christina has officiated at Burghley as a ground jury member three times, most recently in 2025, and she was president of the ground jury at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is the 18th year of Dubarry’s sponsorship of these championships, which always attract a huge crowd and a great deal of interest. The two classes will be worth a total of £8,000 for 2026, with a first prize of £1,500 for the Dubarry five-year-old champion and £1,250 for the Dubarry four-year-old champion.
The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final is the culmination of a season-long series of qualifiers in Britain and Ireland, of which there will be 19 in 2026. These will commence at Badminton Horse Trials on 6 May. Qualifiers will take place throughout the summer all over the UK, and at Tattersalls in Co Meath and Millstreet in Co Cork, Ireland. A full list of qualifiers can be found on the Burghley website: burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-young-event-horse.
Burghley’s Event Director Martyn Johnson said: “We are delighted that such a knowledgeable and experienced panel of international judges are able to join us at Burghley this autumn. The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse classes have enjoyed a real renaissance in recent years; we modernised the format, have greatly increased prize-money and the recognition that that the winners receive and have looked further afield for judges for the finals. There is no doubt that these finals are showcases and training grounds for the future superstars of the sport of eventing and are very important for breeders, owners and riders.”
Defender Burghley is the established highlight of the summer social season. As well as top-class sport featuring both the most famous horses and riders in the world and up-and-coming stars, in the beautiful and historic setting of Burghley Park, the event offers superb shopping opportunities, delicious food and drink, elegant hospitality options and lots to entertain children and less-horsey members of the family.
Every minute of the action from Defender Burghley, including the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final, is shown live on Burghley TV: visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-tv.