Barbury International Horse Trials break a world record - can Nicholson and Avebury set another record?
Nigel Bunter at the cross-country courseThe St James's Place Wealth Management Barbury International Horse Trials will be welcoming 1,150 horses when they open on Thursday (July 9.) That total is a hundred more than last year, is a record number for the event and it makes Barbury the world's largest international horse trials.
Barbury Chairman, Nigel Bunter, told Marlborough News Online: "We've spent a month looking at weather forecasts. After the recent rain, the going should be near perfect - and it looks set fair for the weekend."
The chalk under Barbury's famous grass downs and a wind over the top of it, dries the ground very quickly - even after last Friday's freak storms. The grass is looking wonderfully green.
The highlight on Sunday will be the three star eventing competition's cross-country and all eyes will be on Lockeridge-based New Zealander Andrew Nicholson and his amazing 15-year-old grey Avebury who have won Barbury's premier three star event three years running.
Nigel Bunter says they've already notched up a 'remarkable achievement' at Barbury: "They've been using our gallops for the last few months, so we know he's fit and ready to defend his title."
The 'Avebury' obstacleWhatever happens in this year's competition, Avebury's name will live on at Barbury as they have now re-named their cross-country course's signature obstacle - the Stonehenge jump - after him.
Saturday's highlight will come at lunchtime with the second running of the JCB Champions Challenge - a relay held in the main ring. The event raises money for the Injured Jockeys Fund.
This year sees former Champion jockey AP McCoy's first ride in public since he retired at Sandown in April. He is teamed with Richard Johnson (who may well take over from AP as jump champion), Sam Twiston-Davies (Paul Nichol's stable jockey) and Wayne Hutchinson (stable jockey to Alan King who trains at Barbury.)
Opposing them will be a team of eventers led by Andrew Nicholson with Sir Mark Todd, Harry Meade and Tina Cook. The third team will come from the winners of the Inter Hunt Scurry competition. Last year the jockeys - then led by John Francome - won.
When we were at Barbury on Tuesday morning it was obvious the downland site was nearly ready for the horses - and the crowds which usually number about 15,000 over the four days. The Willis Brothers were out working on the cross-country course.
They have to give the obstacles a make over a few days before the event so the birch can stay green in the jumps. Some of the birch they were using comes from Savernake Forest. Later the jumps will be inspected to make sure they are exactly the right height and thickness.
Ashley Willis and Stewart Roberts at work on a cross-country jump
The Willis Brothers are based near Malmesbury and create obstacles for designers of many cross-country courses. In the past they have made Olympic courses and have won the contract for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
This September the European Eventing Championship are being held at Blair castle in Scotland. This has brought a much larger than usual contingent of European eventers to Barbury. And, of course, the locally-based New Zealand eventers will be there in force too - including Jonelle Price (third in the world rankings), Andrew Nicholson (fifth) Tim Price (at 16) and Sir Mark Todd (at 17.)