Paget Is Supreme at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
By Kate Green
Jock Paget kept an admirably cool head in the pressurized last few minutes of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, final leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, and became the fifth New Zealander to lift the top prize at this much-respected British CCI4*.
Kiwi riders have won 12 of the last 26 Burghleys, but it was 14 years ago that a rider captured both Badminton and Burghley in the same season on the same horse (Great Britain’s Ginny Leng on Master Craftsman).
Paget’s dual-winning mount, Frances Stead and Russell Hall’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Clifton Promise, an ex-racehorse, seemed to grow in confidence around Richard Jeffery’s Jumping track. He only hit the last fence, by which time the Land Rover Trophy, and third place in the HSBC FEI Classics series, was in the bag. “I was nervous because I wanted to win, but I knew I had two rails in hand and I had a lot of confidence in how Promise was jumping in the warm-up,” explained Paget. “I have altered a few little things with him this year, since my training with Michael Jung, and now give him a little more room in front of fences. It’s really only just sinking in that I’ve won Badminton, let alone Burghley, but I know that it’s a very special achievement.”
Clifton Lush, the horse on which Paget was lying second after Cross Country, was unfortunately withdrawn overnight due to a bruised fetlock, but he should be back in action in time for Paget to contest the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing (winning Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky in succession) next spring.
One of Paget’s chief mentors, Andrew Nicholson, was second, third and eighth - another record - in a Kiwi whitewash. “I brought three horses and I still can’t beat him,” the 52-year-old Nicholson joked about his former protégé. “When Jock first came to me in 2009, he may have looked like a monkey up a pole, but I still thought he had a lot of natural talent. What was most important was that he wanted to learn; he was always running around watching the top riders, like William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell, and that’s how you become successful yourself, by looking and learning.”
No horse has ever won back-to-back Burghleys, but Andrew came very close to achieving that accolade with second place on the 2012 winner, Avebury (he was also first and second with Mr Smiffy in 2000 and 2001).
He also finished third on his 2012 Pau winner Nereo and eighth on Calico Joe and scooped the $150,000 HSBC FEI Classics title for the first time. He has also extended his lead in the $50,000 HSBC Rankings, which he has led all year.
“It does feel like a great achievement to have been so consistent,” he said. “That’s really what staying at the top is all about.”
Ingrid Klimke’s (GER) FRH Butts Abraxxas went clear on his last CIC3* run and Klimke said she had decided not to practice in between. The strategy seemed to work well, as they only hit the third fence, to rise two places to fifth.
On the first day of the Burghley Horse Trials, Ingrid Klimke (GER) and FRH Butts Abraxxas produced a superb test to take the lead after the first day of Dressage. They scored 39 penalties and were three points clear of the two riders then holding joint-second place: Andreas Dibowski (GER) on FRH Butts Leon and Jock Paget (NZL) on Clifton Lush.
But the second day, Jock Paget (NZL) and Clifton Promise took over the lead with a score of 36.7. After an outstanding performance, in which he scored his first 10 at CCI4* level, for the halt, Paget led the first-day Dressage leader Ingrid Klimke (GER) on FRH Butts Abraxxas by just 1.3 penalties. Paget was also in equal fifth place after Dressage with his second mount, Clifton Lush.
Final results
1 Jock Paget/Clifton Promise (NZL) 36.7 + 0.4 + 4 = 41.1
2 Andrew Nicholson/Avebury (NZL) 42.3 + 0 + 4 = 46.3
3 Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (NZL) 41.3 + 2 + 4 = 47.3
4 William Fox-Pitt/Parklane Hawk (GBR) 41.5 + 0.8 + 8 = 50.3
5 Ingrid Klimke/FRH Butts Abraxxas (GER) 39.0 + 9.2 + 4 = 52.2
6 Jonelle Richards/The Deputy (NZL) 46.2 + 1.2 + 12 = 59.4
7 Mark Todd/Oloa (NZL) 48.3 + 7.2 + 4 = 59.5
8 Andrew Nicholson/Calico Joe (GBR) 48.3 + 0 + 12 = 60.3
9 Ludwig Svennerstal/King Bob (SWE) 46.7 + 10 + 4 = 60.7
10 Kristina Cook/De Novo News (GBR) 43.2 + 15.2 + 4 = 62.4
Full results on: www.burghley-horse.co.uk
Photo cutlines:
PagetJ_Bur13kh0259:
Jonathan Paget riding CLIFTON PROMISE in first place after dressage at Burghley 2013
Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI
PagetJ_Bur13kh0470: Jonathan Paget riding CLIFTON PROMISE on the cross country at Burghley 2013(Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI)
Nicholson_Avebury: Andrew Nicholson and Avebury, Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell/FEI
By Kate Green
Jock Paget kept an admirably cool head in the pressurized last few minutes of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, final leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, and became the fifth New Zealander to lift the top prize at this much-respected British CCI4*.
Kiwi riders have won 12 of the last 26 Burghleys, but it was 14 years ago that a rider captured both Badminton and Burghley in the same season on the same horse (Great Britain’s Ginny Leng on Master Craftsman).
Paget’s dual-winning mount, Frances Stead and Russell Hall’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Clifton Promise, an ex-racehorse, seemed to grow in confidence around Richard Jeffery’s Jumping track. He only hit the last fence, by which time the Land Rover Trophy, and third place in the HSBC FEI Classics series, was in the bag. “I was nervous because I wanted to win, but I knew I had two rails in hand and I had a lot of confidence in how Promise was jumping in the warm-up,” explained Paget. “I have altered a few little things with him this year, since my training with Michael Jung, and now give him a little more room in front of fences. It’s really only just sinking in that I’ve won Badminton, let alone Burghley, but I know that it’s a very special achievement.”
Clifton Lush, the horse on which Paget was lying second after Cross Country, was unfortunately withdrawn overnight due to a bruised fetlock, but he should be back in action in time for Paget to contest the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing (winning Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky in succession) next spring.
One of Paget’s chief mentors, Andrew Nicholson, was second, third and eighth - another record - in a Kiwi whitewash. “I brought three horses and I still can’t beat him,” the 52-year-old Nicholson joked about his former protégé. “When Jock first came to me in 2009, he may have looked like a monkey up a pole, but I still thought he had a lot of natural talent. What was most important was that he wanted to learn; he was always running around watching the top riders, like William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell, and that’s how you become successful yourself, by looking and learning.”
No horse has ever won back-to-back Burghleys, but Andrew came very close to achieving that accolade with second place on the 2012 winner, Avebury (he was also first and second with Mr Smiffy in 2000 and 2001).
He also finished third on his 2012 Pau winner Nereo and eighth on Calico Joe and scooped the $150,000 HSBC FEI Classics title for the first time. He has also extended his lead in the $50,000 HSBC Rankings, which he has led all year.
“It does feel like a great achievement to have been so consistent,” he said. “That’s really what staying at the top is all about.”
Ingrid Klimke’s (GER) FRH Butts Abraxxas went clear on his last CIC3* run and Klimke said she had decided not to practice in between. The strategy seemed to work well, as they only hit the third fence, to rise two places to fifth.
On the first day of the Burghley Horse Trials, Ingrid Klimke (GER) and FRH Butts Abraxxas produced a superb test to take the lead after the first day of Dressage. They scored 39 penalties and were three points clear of the two riders then holding joint-second place: Andreas Dibowski (GER) on FRH Butts Leon and Jock Paget (NZL) on Clifton Lush.
But the second day, Jock Paget (NZL) and Clifton Promise took over the lead with a score of 36.7. After an outstanding performance, in which he scored his first 10 at CCI4* level, for the halt, Paget led the first-day Dressage leader Ingrid Klimke (GER) on FRH Butts Abraxxas by just 1.3 penalties. Paget was also in equal fifth place after Dressage with his second mount, Clifton Lush.
Final results
1 Jock Paget/Clifton Promise (NZL) 36.7 + 0.4 + 4 = 41.1
2 Andrew Nicholson/Avebury (NZL) 42.3 + 0 + 4 = 46.3
3 Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (NZL) 41.3 + 2 + 4 = 47.3
4 William Fox-Pitt/Parklane Hawk (GBR) 41.5 + 0.8 + 8 = 50.3
5 Ingrid Klimke/FRH Butts Abraxxas (GER) 39.0 + 9.2 + 4 = 52.2
6 Jonelle Richards/The Deputy (NZL) 46.2 + 1.2 + 12 = 59.4
7 Mark Todd/Oloa (NZL) 48.3 + 7.2 + 4 = 59.5
8 Andrew Nicholson/Calico Joe (GBR) 48.3 + 0 + 12 = 60.3
9 Ludwig Svennerstal/King Bob (SWE) 46.7 + 10 + 4 = 60.7
10 Kristina Cook/De Novo News (GBR) 43.2 + 15.2 + 4 = 62.4
Full results on: www.burghley-horse.co.uk
Photo cutlines:
PagetJ_Bur13kh0259:
Jonathan Paget riding CLIFTON PROMISE in first place after dressage at Burghley 2013
Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI
PagetJ_Bur13kh0470: Jonathan Paget riding CLIFTON PROMISE on the cross country at Burghley 2013(Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI)
Nicholson_Avebury: Andrew Nicholson and Avebury, Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell/FEI
