With both British four-stars won this year, he could become the next winner of the Rolex Grand Slam.

Britain’s Oliver Townend is just two three-day events away from becoming the sport’s richest winner after his Land Rover Burghley CCI**** victory, Sept. 3-6, set him up for $500,000 in global awards.

Townend and foot-perfect Carousel Quest led throughout the event in Stamfordshire, England, to win with 8.7 penalties in hand.

Following his Badminton CCI**** (England) win in May, he’s on target to claim the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam if he can score again at Rolex Kentucky next spring. Pippa Funnell is the only rider to have managed this feat so far, in 2003.

Townend also has a 13-point lead over William Fox-Pitt for the $150,000 HSBC Classics, with only Pau (France) to go, and could add all this to the $160,000 won in England’s “Express Eventing” contest last November.

The 26-year-old is rarely speechless, but as he cleared the second-last show jump he knew he could not lose and was visibly tearful as he stormed through the finish.

“Carousel Quest is a class horse. He sometimes tries too hard and jumps too big, but he’s 14 now, and I’m not going to change that. I thank Cressida Clague-Reading for producing this horse,” he said of the previous owner-rider, fourth here in 2006. “She applied the buttons; all I had to do was push them.”

An influential show jumping test significantly changed the leaderboard. Polly Stockton’s clear on Westwood Poser moved her ahead of overnight runner-up, the British-based Australian Sam Griffiths, who had one fence down with Happy Times.

It was also costly for Phillip Dutton and Truluck, among Townend’s close group of stalkers throughout. Truluck made a hugely impressive debut here, having led the first day’s dressage and completed cross-country with a relatively fast 5.2 time penalties to sit fourth. But for a lowered rail they would have been second—a prize fund difference of $30,000.

It was a week of mixed fortunes for the remaining U.S. contingent, best of whom were Buck Davidson Jr., who rose from 25th to 11th on Ballynoe Castle RM, despite riding with a hernia, and Amy Tryon, 14th with Leyland.

Jennifer Wooten (The Good Witch), Missy Ransehousen (Critical Decision), Rebecca Holder (Courageous Comet), Allison Springer (Arthur) and Karen O’Connor (Mandiba) were among a staggering 28 who ran past the obliquely set brush fence at Discovery Valley (fence 6).

Of these, only The Good Witch and Critical Decision went on to complete. Courageous Comet and Arthur retired following further refusals, Arthur diverting to Blenheim the following weekend, while O’Connor fell at the double of big corners at the Dairy Mound (fence 16).

Strong Start For Truluck

Last year Burghley was blighted by heavy rain so this year’s fine weather was welcome, even though it came with gusts and clattering grandstands, which spooked many during dressage.

Dutton surprised himself by leading the Thursday batch, Truluck completing the first “sensible” test of his career.

 “I am in shock,” said Dutton, who scored 45.3 penalties and was one of three Americans then in the top 10. “This test is a big ‘ask,’ as he finds the flying changes difficult, and in eight months I don’t think we’ve actually performed a walk. I just tried to keep him contained for the trot work and prayed for the rest.”

Britain’s John-Paul Sheffield was an equally astonished second on 46.5 with Crown Farm Consort, whose preparation was interrupted by the rider’s surgery for a groin injury five weeks before. He was just 0.2 penalties ahead of Germany’s Kai Ruder on Leprince des Bois. Ruder was finally enjoying Burghley 20 years after first entering, though not running, at the age of 18.

Of the favorites, Armada stood on his hindlegs, leaving Andrew Nicholson remote from the leaders on 67.5, and William Fox-Pitt and 2008 Luhmühlen CCI**** (Germany) winner Macchiato failed to get off to their expected flying start, 13th on 55.7.

By Friday, Carousel Quest had stormed into a 5.4-penalty lead. With more gales, most riders opted for damage limitation, so Townend’s superior poise was justifiably rewarded with 39.8.

Nicholson was second with Nereo, significantly calmer than his full-brother Armada, and fellow New Zealander Caroline Powell and Lenamore also squeezed ahead of Truluck. Only a refusal separated the top 50, but dressage scores were likely to be academic because the cross-country time was anticipated to be tough.

An Intense Course

Burghley’s hills and cambers are notorious for slowing horses down. But this time, the one long straight where a deficit can be retrieved—Winners Avenue—was missing due to a course reduction of 570 meters, with only three fewer jumping efforts.

Designer Mark Phillips was aiming to familiarize riders with the 10:30 time expected at the 2012 London Olympic Games, as Greenwich Park has proved too small for a full-length four-star course, even with the significant cap on cross-country spectators already announced.

Both before and after riding, most riders disliked the shorter course. The innovation of a turn-back into the five-effort Trout Hatchery was also accused of confusing horses unnecessarily.

O’Connor, who first rode here in 1986, said: “I started on the big, old-fashioned courses at Burghley with huge fences and ditches that scared the hell out of us but were such fun to ride. This is a different sport, and I’m not sure what I think about it. Now we have to accept that we must train for accuracy.”

Mary King, who finished 12th on Apache Sauce, acknowledged that the shorter format has opened the sport to more horses. “But if you’ve got a really good one, you want to be tested to the full,” she said. “I was held up on Apache Sauce while a fence was being repaired, and even with that the course felt shorter.”

Griffiths said: “I completed Burghley in its last year of ‘long format.’ That felt like a great achievement. This only feels like a good one.”

Missy Ransehousen promised that the riders would be sharing their views of the course with Phillips. “I prefer to train for 11 to 12 minutes,” she said.

Indeed, only five of 80 starters made the time—Armada, Happy Times, Clayton Fredericks/Poilu (rising 25 places), Rosie Thomas/Barry’s Best (who did the same last year) and Francis Whittington/Sir Percival. The latter’s achievement included a refusal at the Water Cascade, where Dirk Schrade (Be My Guest) also fell. This fence had never caused problems before. 

The extra intensity of jumping efforts highlighted the natural speed, adrenaline and stamina of Thoroughbred-types, such Armada, Truluck and Happy Times, which had ironically been disadvantaged in favor of warmblood influences when the steeplechase and roads and tracks were axed.

Dutton said: “If I had my time again I would have started out slower so that I had more left at the end. Truluck started to feel tired by fence 16, but Burghley is probably the toughest course in the world. He’s a classy horse with a good brain.”

Going towards the end, Townend was aware of the notable scalps at Discovery Valley, including his former partner Piggy French (What A Performance), Macchiato, Olympic bronze medalists Daisy Dick (Springalong) and Matt Ryan (Bonza Puzzle).

Townend said: “I spent most of the day asleep in the truck, and every time I woke, someone seemed to be running out at fence 6! Thanks to my friends, I took a wider line, which I hadn’t walked. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.”

Crown Farm Consort’s assault came to an abrupt end with a fall at the Leaf Pit (fence 4), where Macchiato had also looked sticky. Fox-Pitt’s later ride Seacookie lived up to expectations to move up one place into seventh, while Lenamore was another of six to get home with fewer than 6 time penalties and held onto third place.

Many found the Dairy Mound easier than expected, with the terrain effectively holding horses onto their line, but Nereo was another surprise faller here. The traditional complex of skinny fences through the arena on the way home was well taken by all those who got that far, though Kitty Boggis and Boondoogle had a crashing fall when in contention.

An uncharacteristic error of judgement blighted the as-yet gilded career of Harry Meade, son of the 1972 Olympic champion, who received a red card and disqualification for pushing a tired horse. To observers, the strong-pulling Dunauger seemed to have worn himself out by the time he refused at the Dairy Mound, but the pair lumbered on until “beached” over some rails three obstacles later. Machinery was required to extricate him, and in the process a tractor rolled out of control, damaging three cars, though mercifully no spectators were hurt.

By the end of the day, 36 had gone clear and 52 completed.

A New Leaf For Townend

Admirers of Townend’s gifted horsemanship are relieved he has now entered a period of “calm.” The “bad boy” of the U.K. sport knowingly upset officials and fellow riders, and last year he withdrew from Olympic contention to concentrate on individual targets.

Speaking recently, he said he felt “different.” Many other riders have wealthy or at least comfortable backgrounds; Townend’s parents rode, but he was brought up in a “tough” area near the big Yorkshire city of Leeds. His riding and horse dealing focused on paying bills, and he juggled 25 owners at one time.

“I had to become a person I did not want to become,” said Townend. ”I may have upset a few people, which I am not proud of, and that’s partly why my relationship with Piggy [French] broke down. Now I need to get back to the person I started as: someone who just loves riding.”

Last year Townend acquired a property near the Welsh borders, and a new business partnership with Andrew Cawthray brought financial stability. They have sold five horses for more than $160,000 each, including Land Vision to Mark Todd.

Not for the first time, 35-year-old Stockton’s show jumping prowess elevated her in to the limelight. Poser
was a late substitute for Regulus, who suffered a colic. He had not been earmarked for this career path when bought as a 4-year-old out of a field in Ireland by Stockton’s long-time patron, Arthur Comyn.

“He was so crazy we even had to re-break him, and I gave him to a working pupil until he was about 7,” Stockton said. “He is fragile and can be quite a worrier, but I am thrilled he can be competitive at the highest level.”

Griffiths, 38, settled for third place, as at Badminton. Despite his federation’s preference for Australian-based riders, he must surely make their world championship squad, along with British-based Paul Tapner (Inonothing, sixth, and Kilfinnie II, 15th).

Clayton Fredericks was fifth with Poilu, making it a very good Burghley for the antipodeans.

Griffiths honed his skills working for Blyth Tait and Matt Ryan. “I cannot pretend everything went to plan on Saturday,” he said. ”My stopwatch jammed with 3 minutes to go, and I completely ‘missed’ at the Trout Hatchery. But I’m pleased to have proved that Badminton was no fluke.”