Posted: 14th July 2023 | Back to news feed
Five of the best riders in the world have been appointed Burghley Ambassadors to help promote the Defender Burghley Horse Trials, and the excitement of the sport generally to a wider public. Tim and Jonelle Price (NZL), Andrew Hoy (AUS), reigning Burghley champion Piggy March (GBR) and Boyd Martin (USA) have all agreed to support the event as Ambassadors.
Photo: Boyd Martin. Photo credit DBHT/Peter Nixon
“These are all riders we have the deepest respect and admiration for at Burghley, and for whom Burghley holds a special place in their hearts,” says Event Director Martyn Johnson. “We are honoured that this elite group of international talent has agreed to work with us, especially as we progress our bid to host the 2026 World Championships here.”
Each Ambassador has agreed to help with event promotion and share important messages to their own followers. Follow Burghley’s social media channels to see the first of these projects with Piggy March, which will be shared shortly.
Photo: Tim Price. Photo credit DBHT/Peter Nixon
The Irish statistics company EquiRatings have produced some data to illustrate just how successful our Burghley Ambassadors have been:
- Piggy March… has one of the top five finishing scores at Burghley since 1978 (27pen in 2022). She has 18 Burghley starts to her name, putting her in joint 12th on the list of the highest number of Burghley starts of all time.
- Andrew Hoy… has 19 Burghley starts to his credit, putting him 11th on that roll of honour. He also has four Burghley podium (top three) finishes under his belt, giving him 10th place on the all-time podium finishes list.
- Both Tim Price and Piggy… have three Burghley podiums apiece – this puts them into the top 20 on that list and places them equal with former Burghley course-designer and 1973 winner Mark Phillips, dual winner Lucinda Green and Polly Stockton. Tim has 25 podium finishes at CCI5* (including five-star championships) and 62 CCI5* runs since 2008.
- Tim, Piggy and Andrew… have all completed Burghley 11 times to date.
- Boyd Martin… has 49 runs at CCI5* (including five-star championships) since 2008, putting him equal second in the highest number of a runs from a US rider. Burghley 2023 will be his 50th run at CCI5*. Boyd has been to seven major championships since 2008 – no other rider has been to more than that.
- Jonelle Price… since 2008 Jonelle has a cross-country jumping clear rate of 89% at CCI5* (including five-star championships). She has been to six major championships – one more than her husband Tim.
Our five Ambassadors have a mighty 16 CCI5* victories between them, including 50% of the CCI5* events in the world in 2022. Andrew has more major championship (Olympics and World Championships) appearances than any other rider (since 1964) with an extraordinary total of 19.
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