For someone who topped the British Eventing leaderboard as the rider with the most cross-country clears in 2025, experiencing two uncharacteristic falls with his top horse, Galileo Nieuwmoed, at both Badminton and Burghley could easily have been difficult to recover from.
But leading Wiltshire event rider David Doel is very...
Ros Canter and the stunning Lordship Graffalo claimed their second MARS Badminton Horse Trials title with a flawless round in the final showjumping phase, cementing the horse's status as one of the best eventers in the world. Canter now joins a select group of just five riders to have won...
The world’s greatest three-day event riders are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which is just about to get underway (Wednesday 7 May).
The Barbury Castle estate saw a welcome return to British Eventing at the weekend with three days of competition, showcasing some of our top riders, including Laura Collett, David Doel, Tim and Jonelle Price, Tom McEwen to name just a few.
Badminton 2025 is nearly here, taking place in early May beytween 7 - 11th. One difference for this year - all tickets must be bought in advance as there won't be any tickets sold on the gate this year. There is the 'early bird' advance ticket discount available, but that...
New Zealander Caroline Powell pulled off a shock victory at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials at the weekend, after Tim Price and Vitali and William Fox Pitt and Grafennacht, who were in first and second respectively, had a number of fences down in the showjumping.
Will Rawlin describes himself as “absolutely fine” as he faces his first ever appearance at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which begin on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old first timer, based at Rockley, said he is not overthinking the competition, regarded by many in the sport as the pinnacle in the eventing calendar,...
David Doel’s past two seasons, with his star horse Galileo Nieuwmoed, are the stuff that most event riders can only dream of. A sixth place at his debut Badminton Horse Trials, eighth at Kentucky and runner up at Burghley are the highlights - but for him this is not quite...
Three former successful racehorses, stabled and trained now at Overton Manor Farm (and owned by the White family) in Wroughton have qualified for the Horse of the Year Show at Birmingham’s NEC in October.
Trained by the ladies who will be riding them, the three horses will be competing in the...
When Greta Mason drives through the famous Badminton gates for her debut appearance this week it will be a culmination of a three-year plan.
Greta and her 16.1hh gelding Cooley for Sure (Murphy) moved to base themselves with former Badminton winner Rodney Powell at his Bishopstone yard in 2020, with a...
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.)
Double Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton took another step on her 'changing saddles' challenge in her second point-to-point ride at the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association meeting at a very wet Barbury Racecourse on Sunday (December 6.)
She rode According to Sarah in the AGA Ladies Open race. One experienced racing correspondent tweeted that she was 'comfortable and in control' and later wrote she was 'growing in confidence'.
But after coming up to join the leaders, the seven-year-old mare tired and Victoria pulled her up two fences from home.
In October she came off during a flat race at Newbury - and was none the worse for her fall. Last month she rode her first race over jumps at the Black Forest Lodge point-to-point in Devon. Again she pulled up before the second to last fence.
Victoria Pendelton's challenge is being sponsored by Betfair and she has been schooling with Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls' horses. Last Thursday Nicholls reported that he was nearly rundown and she nearly came unstuck when Ceasar Milan decided not to take a jump during schooling at Nicholls' yard.
Victoria Pendleton may be riding next Sunday (December 13) at the Hursley Hambledon point-to-point at Larkhill.
Wesko and Tim Price at Pau (Photo by Libby Law - copyright Libby Law Photography)Eventing horse Wesko - one of New Zealanders Jonelle and Tim Price's string of eventers based at Mere Farm, Mildenhall - has just been named Horse of the Year for the 2015 season by British Eventing.
A 12-year-old Dutch bred gelding, Wesko - also known as Dash - notched up 415 points over the 2015 season to beat Sir Mark Todd's Leonidas II - the long-time points leader. Wesko is owned by Christina Knudsen and the Wesko Syndicate.
Last weekend Tim Price and Wesko capped their 2015 successes with third place at the CCI4* at Les Etoiles de Pau - the final four star competition of the season.
It was an exciting finish: Tim Price and Wesko added no faults to their dressage score. But with German star Michael Jung in first and second place, he had to withdraw his leading horse before the show jumping. Jung's second horse had one jump down leaving French contestant Astier Nicolas to win - an understandably popular result with the Pau crowds - with Price in third place.
In 2011 Wesko made a great start to his career winning from pre-novice to CIC** and keeping safely in the top three places through the season. Tim Price forgave Dash for dumping him into the water at Badminton and they won the Luhmuhlen for star in 2014.
The 2015 season started on a high when the pair came second at the prestigious Lexington four star in April. The Prices are Key Riders and use exclusively Keyflow Feeds for their team of horses.
Wesko getting taste of Kentucky grassNext target for Tim Price and Wesko will be the 2016 Rio Olympics. With his Lexington performance Wesko has proved he does not mind air travel.
The highest placed British-bred horse in the British Eventing rankings was Jonelle Price’s eventing partner Classic Moet owned by Trish Rickards. Following many success including recent fifth place at Burghley, the mare ended the season on 318 points - taking fifth place in the overall rankings.
Notable in the riders' rankings was British eventer Oliver Townend's first place both overall and for British riders. Townend won by a huge margin from New Zealanders Andrew Nicholson (who is still recovering from a fall earlier in the season) and Tim Price.
Nineteen-year-old Emily King from Devon was named leading under-21 rider. She finished fourth at Pau on Brookleigh - her first ever four star competition.
FOOTNOTE: The former eventing world number one and British Olympic team member William Fox-Pitt remains in hospital after falling at the World Young Horse Championships in France.
The latest news from the hospital came on Monday (October 26): "William has made progress over the weekend; today he is conscious, breathing on his own and communicating with his family and doctors, however he is still very ill...Further progress is going to take time..."
His horse, Reinstated, was uninjured in the incident but Fox-Pitt (pictured left) was treated for over an hour at the scene before being heavily sedated in hospital.
[Our thanks to Libby Law for use of her photo of Tim Price and Wesko at Pau.]
For the last meeting of its short summer season (June to August), Le Dorat's racecourse - known as the 'Hippodrome de la Sagne' - had a full card of seven flat, trotting and cross country races and a good-sized crowd enjoying a sunny August Saturday.
Racing in the Basse-Marche area of Haute Vienne in this north-west corner of the Limousin region, is an informal affair. It looks much like a village fete - with lunches served, picnics encouraged and a whopping bouncy castle as well as miniature ponies to keep the children happy.
Stylish hat...It is not racing in the style of Deauville or Longchamp, but the competition is in deadly earnest.
However there one or two race-goers out to cut a stylish dash.
The first trotting race - known elsewhere as 'harness racing' with horse, driver and a two-wheeled 'sulky' - ended with a voluble complaint that the first horse over the line had broken into a gallop.
Gallop? Moi?Discussion of the complaint was continued behind closed doors and the horse and driver were disqualified - much to the disappointment of those who had backed them. Later the driver concerned was seen in animated discussion with officials - to no avail.
The course has two buildings for pool betting - that's a similar way of betting to our tote system. Not all the machines - which looked about 1970 vintage - worked all the time, which gave rise to some worried queues as start-times got nearer.
The minimum stake was two euros and only the oldest and most seasoned experts seemed to be taking away rolls of notes. They had got to grips with the complexities of the 'trio' and 'le pari couplé' as well as the beginners' 'le pari simple'.
Puzzling out the formQueueing to lay a betThe Haute-Vienne has had a very hot, very dry summer. There is a hosepipe ban in force. The grain harvest was over by the end of July and the maize crop is well below its normal growth and there are worries abroad about feed for the cattle when winter comes.
However, a recent over-night storm and a day of dawn-to-dusk downpours had freshened the grass and eased the ground. So the cross-country races over steeplechase fences could go ahead.
Entry to the course for adults was six euros with a free race card - and the chance to spend one euro more on a form guide. And there was a free leaflet explaining the card, form and technical terms. It was, of course, in French - and even the 'le langage des courses' feature on technical terms challenged our French.
The starterThe climbThe last race - the Prix Armand de Vasselot at 6.30 pm - was the longest cross country event on the card: all of 4,500 metres with a great variety of obstacles including a tricky bank between two fences that looked more like a 'sleeping gendarme'.
Two miles with the hill up toward the water tower taken twice was quite a task for the field of seven geldings and one mare - all five years-old and above.
The starter carried his step-ladder out to the starting line - which was right in front of the crowds. Having taken their mounts to inspect several of the fences, the jockeys rode up towards the start.
Then three of the field took off without a by-your-leave - luckily the starter was just far enough away from the crowds so we could not hear his language as he called them back. In fact they were stopped quite efficiently by a steward with the appropriate white flag just a hundred metres along the track.
It was a tough race and the relative outsider, eight year-old Tamara du Granit under Marc-Antoine Billard just held on to win. The American-bred gelding looked pretty fresh as he arrived back to the ring to be checked by the vet.
The winner's on the right
Weighing in As at the best racecourses, jockey Marc-Antoine Billard gave a quick post-race interview before weighing-in. As the crowd dispersed calmly to towards the car park, there were not many people staying around to collect their winnings.
The biggest gamble of the day had been in the other cross-country race - the Prix de Bellefon. Facing the 4,000 metre course was the previously un-raced Alloue de Kerser ridden by Céline Picard.
In the parade ring this French-bred mare looked like an easy winner. A fine horse in good trim and seemingly ready for the off. It was not to be.
She came in last by a good few lengths - gently jeered at by a crowd of disappointed punters among them some visitors from Britain!
Tim Price with 7-year-old novice DaisyAll eyes will be on the weather forecast for Wednesday's (May 6) start of Europe's first four star eventing competition of the season: the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.
New Zealander Tim Price, based at Mere Farm, Mildenhall and just back from his second place with Wesko in the Kentucky competition, is one of those hoping for some dry weather. He's riding 12-year-old gelding Ringwood Sky Boy: "He's ready for a good performance. I'm hoping it'll be dry so he won't have to jump out of the mud."
Ringwood Sky Boy hit four star standard two years ago. And at last year's Badminton Tim rode him for the fastest cross country time - putting them in second place. But he had four rails down in the show jumping and they finished in ninth place. Then at Burghley in September they fell.
Tim got back from the United States on Monday and Wesko got back on Tuesday. Tim is really pleased with Wesko's Kentucky performance - but pretty cross not to make first place: "We so nearly made it - one rail down."
But second place was a handsome result. Kentucky is an expensive trip for eventers based in Europe. It costs about £20,000 to get horse and rider to the Kentucky arena: "You have to win or come second to pay for the trip."
Tim wanted to give Wesko "a bit of mileage in the sky" - if a horse shows it can cope with a long flight they will have put down a marker for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Jonelle Price takes a break from teachingTim's wife Jonelle Price is currently ranked second in the International Federation rankings as the world's leading lady rider. She is taking two horses to Badminton: "They're both fully experienced four star horses."
It was with twelve year-old mare Classic Moet - known to all at Mere Farm as Molly - that Jonelle took fourth place at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy last year.
Her other horse at Badminton will be the 13-year-old The Deputy - aka 'Hero'. They have done well at Burghley for the past two years - coming sixth and ninth. Last year at Badminton they retired.
Hero is one of Jonelle's favourite horses. He went to Kentucky in 2013 and then last year gave a fantastic performance at Burghley with a double clear for ninth place. He is certainly an experienced campaigner. As Jonelle puts it: "He's not a classical dressage horse, but excels at show jumping. We should be there or thereabouts."
This year entries for Badminton are a little down. 104 horses have been entered, which is 37 below last year's number of entries. And with some notable withdrawals, all the 'wait list' entries have got places in the draw - for the first time since 2008.
Several pairs have withdrawn as they were entered for both Kentucky and Badminton - in case their horses were not ready or fit for the earlier competition. However, Zara Phillips who had to withdraw High Kingdom in Kentucky after the horse got a knock, has also withdrawn from Badminton.
AP's winning salute (Photo from Channel 4 Racing)It might have been just another Grade One victory for AP McCoy - the nineteen times jump champion jockey who retires at the end of this season. But his victory in the Ryanair Chase on the Alan King trained Uxizandre was all the sweeter as it put McCoy on the winners' board for his last ever Cheltenham Festival.
McCoy gave the 16-1 shot a perfect ride from the front and the pair had plenty left in the tank to fend off of the challenge of runner-up Ma Filleule on Cheltenham's famous home-run hill. The seven year-old gelding won by five lengths.
With another huge crowd for the third day of the Cheltenham Festival, McCoy was cheered into the winner's enclosure and was quick to praise Alan King: "All credit to the trainer - he got him back spot on for the day that mattered. Uxizandre gave me such a thrilling ride. I'll miss days like this."
Uxizandre is owned by JP McManus who McCoy calls 'my boss': "It's great for JP and Noreen MacManus - they are brilliant and it's been marvellous to work for them for ten years. The thrill this horse gave me - I'll miss riding horses like this that run away with you all the way and jump like stags."
AP with his Ryanair Chase trophy - his wife Chanelle is on the right [Photo: Channel 4 Racing]Alan King was full of smiles after this important win: "That was grand...AP has given him a wonderful ride, the visor has probably helped as well. It all felt right. When he's on song, he can go a right gallop...he got into a great rhythm today." And King paid tribute to McCoy: "AP has been just phenomenal - we'll never see his like again. The winners, the dedication, the commitment - he's quite remarkable. I'm just please to be a very, very small part of it."
The prize money for the race was £300,000 of which the winning owner received £178,538.25.
Smad Place gets a pre-race gallop at Newbury (November 2014)Tomorrow (Friday, March 13) is Gold Cup day and Alan King's yard will be represented by the 7 year-old grey gelding Smad Place.
King says of him: "Smad Place has a good record at the Festival and this is his time of the year, besides which the better ground will also help. We gave him time to recover after the Hennessy [at Newbury on 29 November 2014] , and he showed plenty of enthusiasm on [Cheltenham] Trials day."
French-bred Smad Place will be ridden by King's stable jockey Wayne Hutchinson. And AP McCoy will be on Carlingford Lough - and again he will be wearing the McManus colours.
Nicholson and Nereo clear one of the arena obstaclesEvent Rider Masters - the new formula for top-level competitive eventing - came to Barbury with all its technology, multi-camera coverage and passion. But it was rather overshadowed by the man who won this third leg: Andrew Nicholson, the Lockeridge-based New Zealander.
Eleven months ago he injured his neck in a fall so badly that he might well have been paralysed. In December he told Marlborough.News that he was back riding again, but was going to see whether he wanted to compete again.
This season he has been back, busy and in form - winning the CIC3* at Bramham International last month. But with his partner Avebury now retired after winning Barbury four times with Nicholson aboard, could he do it again? Yes he could and he is again being called The King of Barbury Castle.
After the Event Rider Masters (ERM) dressage he was in third place with the sixteen year-old chestnut gelding Nereo. On Sunday morning on a course made a bit slippery by early rain, he went clear but had two time penalties.
The ERM cross country is run in reverse order. When it gets to the top ten - after the dressage and show jumping - each leading rider gets to sit on the podium and be interviewed by ERM's Alice Plunkett. They then lose their podium seat when a following rider betters their time and score.
Nicholson & Nereo take the show jumping stage in their strideNicholson with ERM cap interviewed by ERM's Alice PlunkettCelebrations...Formula One style? [Click on photos to enlarge them]
Andrew Nicholson and one of Nereo’s owners Diane Brunsden receive the winner’s ERM cheque from St James’s Place’s David Bellamy. It was refreshing to see the owners of the winning horses on the podium with their riders. The six-leg series of the Event Rider Masters competition has a prize pot of £350,000 - £50,000 for each of the six legs plus a £50,000 pot for the series’ top riders. The next ERM leg is at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe (August 6-7).
It was an exciting finish. One possible winner, British rider Oliver Townend had a spectacular fall - being somersaulted over a fence. And Canadian star Rebecca Howard, in third place going into the cross country, had a surprising refusal when her Riddle Master decided against the water jump.
The television coverage - live streamed online by ERM TV and viewed around the world - was extremely good. They used slo-mo and replays (including Oliver Townend's spectacular fall - both he and his horse, Cillnabradden Evo appeared to be none the worse for their fall), and included a racecourse-style camera-hour in parallel with riders over one stretch of the course and a drone camera. It also had excellent expert commentary and clear graphics.
And you can watch it again on the Event Rider Masters website. It is a great new formula for the sport - with talk of it going international. But, talking of formula, they must take some lesson from Formula One on how to spray that champagne!
The final order was: 1. Andrew Nicholson & Nereo (NZ) 2. Paul Tapner & Yogi Bear VIII (Aust) 3. Gemma Tattersall & Santiago Bay (GB - Olympic team) 4. Dani Evans & Smart Time (GB) 5. Marcio C Jorge & Lissy Mac Wayer (Brazil) 6. Sam Griffiths & Happy Times (Aust) 7. William Fox-Pitt & Cool Mountain (GB - Olympic team) 8. Jonelle Price & Classic Moet (NZ - Olympic team)
At one point the commentator told the crowd that Nicholson had a point to prove as he had ruled himself out of the Olympics due to a long standing dispute with the equestrian authorities in New Zealand. It may be up there in the realm of extreme coincidence, but it is strange to note that the horse that sent Oliver Townend over a fence was the horse on which Andrew Nicholson had his terrible fall in August last year.
L-to-r: David Bellamy (St James's Place), Chrstopher Burton & Penny Bunter (The Barbury Castle Estate)The St James's Place Barbury International Horse Trials also has its usual CIC3* competition - the one Andrew Nicholson has won for the last four years. There was a bit of light-hearted joshing as to whether riders in that competition were 'the normal ones' or simply 'the usual ones'.
It was won by Australian rider Christopher Burton on Polystar I. British riders Nicola Wilson and Sarah Cohen were second and third. And Paul Tapner took fourth and fifth place. It is worth noting that the Australian Olympic squad as not yet been announced.
The current standings in the inaugural Event Rider Masters series
An alert Kodi Bear - woth Head Lad Martin Berry who rides him outKodi Bear, a four-year-old colt who nearly lost his life last year to a very serious infection, is looking in peak condition once again - and set to take on the top flight entry for Newbury's Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes on Saturday (May 14.)
With £350,000 in prize money, this Group One contest run over Newbury's straight mile will be the highlight of the Al Shaqab Lockinge Day. A total £750,000 in prize money at stake makes this Newbury's most valuable race day.
The Irish-bred Kodi Bear, who won Goodwood's Group Two Celebration Mile in 2015, will be up against what his Lambourn trainer Clive Cox calls 'pretty tasty' opposition: "It will be a very hot race...It'll be a very interesting race."
Among that opposition is the ante-post favourite Limato - trained at Henry Candy's Wantage yard. Other favoured contenders include Marlborough-trained Toormore from Richard Hannon's yard. Toormore was second in the race last year and on Saturday will be one of five possible starters for owners Godolphin.
This will be Kodi Bear's seasonal debut. Last year he won three of his five starts. He was being prepared for the 2,000 Guineas when he was hit by the infection.
Clive Cox, Kodi Bear, Martin BerryHis trainer Clive Cox: "For a couple of days we were very concerned and he was pretty sick for a week." It seems he picked up an MRSA-like bug following a small swelling on a leg, but with antibiotics and his strong constitution he has overcome it.
His last outing was in October at Ascot in the Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He was obviously not on his best form and in a tight finish came home eighth in a field of nine.
Trainer Clive Cox During a visit to Clive Cox's yard, he reaffirmed his faith in the fully recovered Kodi Bear: "We all believe he's a group one horse. He's always been a horse that performed at the highest level. Potentially he's my best horse ever - as a miler."
Cox said he hoped Kodi Bear would do well for his owner Mrs Olive Shaw whose husband had been one of the trainer's 'biggest supporters'.
Cox, a former and successful jump jockey, has been training under licence since 1992. One of his most successful horses to date has been Lethal Force who won the 2013 Royal Ascot's Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the Darley Cup at Newmarket.
At present the ground on Newbury Racecourse is 'good to firm, good in places' - and that is after six millimetres of overnight (Monday-Tuesday) rain. Having lost their first flat meeting of the season due to waterlogged ground, three weeks later they were wondering whether they would have to water the mile.
As it is this weekend will see racing on turf that was last raced in October: "It's virgin grass." Newbury's Andy Clifton says: "It'll be perfect flat racing ground." Since then it has been raining some more...
How will the recent rain affect Kodi Bear? "Undoubtedly," says Clive Cox, "he's versatile when it comes to ground - he'll have no concerns over softer ground."
Newbury's Friday race card will almost certainly include the first of Frankel's offspring to compete on a racecourse. Since he retired to stud at the end of 2012, Frankel has so far sired 111 foals at a covering charge of £125,000 for each mare.
Those foals have aroused great interest at the sales. But it is thought the foals are at present taking more after their mothers than after Frankel. However, it should be remembered that only the top range of mares will be put to such a costly stallion as Frankel.
Following his equal first dressage score at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event on Friday (April 24), Tim Price tweeted a photo of a calm and grazing Wesko: "Super happy with this pony!! Thanking ya'll for your support. Time to cross country up!!!!"
Without much ado and with rain affecting the course, Tim and Wesko, who are based near Marlborough at Mildenhall, rode a faultless cross country round. They remain top of the leaderboard with just the show jumping stage to come on Sunday (April 26.)
The Rolex Kentucky is one of the six highest rated four star eventing competitions held annually around the world. And with two of the three disciplines behind them Tim and Wesko hold a 0.4 of a penalty point lead over the German rider and Olympic Champion Michael Jung who is in second place on LA Biosthetique-Sam FBW and also in third place on Fischerrocana FST.
British entry and former winner of the event, William Fox-Pitt lies in fourth place on Bay My Hero.He was one of the last to compete on the cross country course and came home with 8.4 time faults.
Of the cross country's 71 starters, there were just six combinations clear and inside the optimum time, with 26 going clear but picking up time faults, 15 were eliminated and 10 retired on the course.
Elated by Tim Price's performance with Wesko, the New Zealand team also suffered a disappointment. Emily Cammock and Dambala rode a clear round with 11.2 time faults - moving them from 38th to 18th after the cross country.
However, she has to withdraw him from the showjumping: “After the second to last fence I felt something wasn’t quite right and as we pulled up at the end of the course it was obvious we had a problem,” said Cammock. She thinks an old injury has been revived by the softer ground.
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.
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.
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.) 
Ashley Willis and Stewart Roberts at work on a cross-country jump
![AP with his Ryanair Chase trophy - his wife Chanelle is on the right [Photo: Channel 4 Racing]](/cache/6/06b62e8337f2b09e546b3b2a6a9b92a8.jpg)
![Celebrations...Formula One style? [Click on photos to enlarge them]](/cache/f/7f9c4241338a9b8c3fccb48b54d90c8a.jpg)
