The dressage phase at the Burghley Horse Trials CCI**** today shaped up to be a battle between the epic English heroes of the sport, William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell. As the second to go this morning, Fox-Pitt rode Ballincoola to a score of 42.2, to take over the lead from yesterday’s best, Andrew Hoy on Moon Fleet. In the press area during the lunch break, Fox-Pitt ended his session with the quip, “I must go watch Pippa demolish my lead.”

And that she did, this afternoon, guiding Cornerman to a beautiful, flowing test to score a 35.4 and a commanding lead. “If I’ve got his brain, all his work is lovely,” Funnell said of Cornerman, a 12-year-old English Thoroughbred (Neltino–Lady Lichen). “He’s just a beautiful looking horse and a classy type.” Cornerman was sixth at the Badminton CCI**** last year, but Funnell had a fall with him at a gate on cross-country at this spring’s Badminton, after placing second in the dressage.

“Three years ago here, he did blow up in the ring, but he’s come a long way since then. If I’ve got his mind in the right place, he’s got all the quality to be the best,” said Funnell, who concentrates on making sure Cornerman isn’t overly concerned about the dressage phase. “Yesterday and today, he did loads of work, but he only had the dressage saddle on once,” she said. “I just put on the jumping saddle and go everywhere with him. I work on the hills, to help get his hind end underneath him, and I do loads of transitions. I work in a large area with him, so he doesn’t think we’re doing dressage, and I don’t do any of the movements of the test.” The deception paid off, as Cornerman was supple, relaxed and lovely, with particularly good canter work in the counter-canter serpentines and the flying changes.

Late in the day, Andrew Nicholson rode Lord Killinghurst to a 40.2 score to take over second from Fox-Pitt, but Funnell remains almost five points ahead of the field. Polly Stockton lies in fifth with Tangle Man and tied for sixth with Tom Quigley.

The majority of the Americans today continued with their unfortunate case of “60s-itis,” as they’re terming it. Cindy Rawson (nee Collier), a U.S. rider who’s been based in England for years, is now the highest-placed U.S representative, with a 47.2 to take 11th place. Jan Thompson is next, after a very confident and flowing ride on Task Force, lying tied for 23rd with 52.6. Linden Wiesman and Primitive Gold’s test started with some mistakes, as “P.G.” cantered in the trot half-passes, but they recovered and turned in light and connected work, scoring a 54.2 to tie for 29th. Heidi White and Northern Spy have dropped to 34th with their 55.0 score.

The rest of the Americans scored in the 60s. Gina Miles and McKinlaigh are tied for 57th with John Williams and Sloopy with 60.6 each. “The biggest thing with him is his strength and balance, and I feel like we’re getting that at home and in the warm-up, but we haven’t been able do it in the arena yet,” said Miles.

Gretchen Butts on Zydeco is right behind them with 61.8 for 62nd, while Nina Fout and 3 Magic Beans’ test from yesterday of 62.0 has them tied for 63rd.

Ashley MacVaugh and All’s Fair had a test yesterday of 64.4, which puts them tied for 74th. “I was a little disappointed with my test just because he’s been going so well at home,” said MacVaugh. “He got a little stuck in the ring in the canter work, and all the little mistakes added up. But he was relaxed and it was fine.” Kim Morani rounds out the American field on the 9-year-old Test Pilot, with a 64.6 score and 77th place for a test with no major mistakes, but just a little conservative.

“All of us that are in the 60s, though, have a little bit of the pressure off for tomorrow,” said Miles. “I think it’s going to make us all kick that much harder and make us more aggressive and motivated.”

They’ll have to be, as general consensus is that this is a big course to jump. “The tough questions are everywhere,” said Funnell. “From the arena fences [at 4 and 5AB] to the Trout Hatcheries [the water jumps at 14AB and 15ABC] is testing fence after testing fence, and then there are some serious fences on the way home.”

Miles and MacVaugh were both initially a little taken aback at the course. “My first impression was that it was quite wide–what struck me most was all the huge spreads,” said MacVaugh. “But the more I walked it, the more jumpable it looked and the less horrifying it seemed.”

“There’s a lot to jump out there,” said Miles. “But when you start to break it up piece by piece, you see that each jump requires smart riding. If you know your horse, and where to take your time and where to push, you’ll be fine.”

An Unrelenting Course

The first three jumps on course are straightforward galloping fences, a welcoming invitation to the course. But the arena fences at 4 and 5AB [see photos in yesterday’s coverage] are the first big test. Right from there, the riders have to jump a vertical gate (the Witch’s Broomstick at 6) downhill, in shadow, and off a sharp left turn. Then, they turn right to a combination of a corner, five bending strides to an enormous table (see photo of 7AB).

A quick gallop brings them to 8ABC, a coffin of brush-ditch-brush, jumped on an angle (see photo). They then jump a narrow brush-topped pimple fence, and on to fence 10, a large house at the top of a steep hill. A U-turn brings them to fence 11, the Mars Log, after which the ground drops dreadfully steeply off on landing. Then, they get a bit of a breather at fence 12, a flower-trimmed table. But after a long uphill gallop, they come to fence 13, a very vertical gate. From there, they run downhill to the first water, fence 14AB, the Lower Trout Hatchery (see photo). A bounce of verticals into the water will require a lot of balancing and pace control down the hill. A U-turn around to Uncle Ben’s Hatchery at 15ABC follows (see photo), with a large log in, a bank out to a short two strides to a narrow brush face.

Another long gallop uphill leads to a narrow table topped with flowers set atop a knoll, and then they attempt the Pig Stys at 17ABC, where three wide spread tables, with narrow faces, are set on an S-curve, four and five stride apart. Fence 18 is a yawning ditch in front of a hedge, and then they turn around to splash through a puddle and jump another hedge. A simple solid fence at fence 20, the GNER, leads to another challenge, Capability’s Cutting. Here, at 21ABC, riders must jump a log cabin table, angled, three strides to a log, with a large drop on landing to a road crossing. Up the hill again from the road is another large log. All these elements must be angled precisely for the straight route.

Riders get a bit of a break at fence 22AB, two wide oxers three strides apart. And then at 23 they have a ditch and wall. At 24AB, a narrow-face bullfinch oxer with a wide spread leads in four bending strides to another narrow bullfinch vertical. There’s a left- and right-hand turning option here. Another long gallop leads to fence 25, another vertical wall. Then they tackle 26ABC, the Lions Bridge water. (see photos). They have to jump a large house, run down the hill on a bending line to the left, jump a solid fence into the water, then turn right and jump a table in the water.

They’re almost done, but not home yet, as the next-to-last fence–27ABC–is a combination of two pimple jumps, set on a U-turn of five strides, leading in three strides to a brush picture frame. The last fence is a picture window frame jump. All their efforts are complicated by a very rolling terrain. The fitness, bravery and scope of all the horses will be tested tomorrow. Check back in for a summary of the action.