CCI5* Burghley: Gemma Stevens Wins with Chilli Knight, Ahead of Katie Magee and Treworra

They’ve known each other for 16 years: Gemma Stevens and Chilli Night have used this partnership to earn a spot on the all-time eventing leaderboard—the pair won the CCI5*-L at Burghley, and they did so with their dressage score (29.6). Briton Katie Magee and Treworra by Jaguar Mail took second place (43.0). Behind the British duo, American Caroline Pamukcu and the Irish horse HSH Blake finished in third place (44.0).

The two riders on the podium behind Stevens had benefited from the many faults recorded on the course. With three or more knockdowns, quite a few top-ten finishers had slipped further down the standings on Sunday.

Celebrities struggled on the cross-country course and in the

show jumping

round

, 28 of the original 48 dressage competitors had advanced to the final show jumping round. Even some experienced pairs had struggled on the cross-country course, which was designed by Derek di Grazia, the designer of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic course.

24 Horses with No Faults in the Cross-

Over a distance of 6,455 meters, the 46 pairs faced 28 obstacles. The target time was 11 minutes and 20 seconds. 24 horses crossed the finish line without any faults. Only two combinations managed to beat the target time: eventual winner Gemma Stevens on Chilli Knight (29.6), who were in second place after the dressage, and Holly Richardson on Ballyneety Silver Service (38.3, 28th after the dressage). However, Richardson had some bad luck on the course: her gray horse knocked down five poles, so they ultimately finished 15th.

Tim Price Didn’t Have the Best Ending

Among the prominent riders who did not finish the cross-country course were three from the top ten: Britain’s Sarah Bullimore, who finished fifth in the 2025 CCI5*-L in Pau, France, with Corimiro, fell at the very last obstacle. Her compatriot Tim Jackson fell at 19f riding the Hanoverian United by Ucello. This water complex, Trout Hatchery, featuring several water elements and a deep jump, was among the obstacles that caused the most problems. This is also where the run came to an end for Tim Price (NZL) and the internationally experienced Falco, who had recently placed 21st at the World Championships in Aachen. Falco had already Second Place in Badminton had been.

New Zealander Price, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, was in the “runner-up position” after the cross-country course with the Irish horse Global Quest by Metropole—meaning he entered the jumping round in second-to-last place with the second-lowest total score. 78.28 seconds and three knockdowns later, he found himself in eleventh place.

Gemma Stevens has known Burghley winner Chilli Knight for 16 years

“What a little legend,” said Gemma Stevens about her horse, whose sire, the Brandenburg half-blood Chilli Morning, was one of the world’s most successful eventing horses under William Foxpitt. The dam line of Chilli Knight, who won the CCI5*-L in Bicton during the pandemic, is peppered with top-class cross-country horses.

“What a ride he gave me,” praised the British rider, who had suffered some bad luck in the cross-country event at the World Championships in Aachen but had come home with the team gold medal thanks to the performance of her teammates. “We had a wonderful round until we got to the Leaf Pit [obstacle 24] and I saw a nice distance. He had other plans, though, and took a galloping jump over it. But then he turned into Pegasus, and I told him I loved him.”

Low participation by riders from outside the British Isles

Most of the participants at Burghley were from the British Isles or have lived and ridden here for a long time. From the “continent,” two Swiss riders had traveled to the heart of England. Nadja Minder and Toblerone were in the lead after the dressage (29.1) and were in sixth place after the cross-country (42.7). After a knockdown in the show jumping (46.7), they finished the Classic in fifth place. Their teammate Robin Godel placed 21st. Riding Dealer de la Bride, he was 37th after dressage (39.7), worked his way up to 23rd place (69.1) in the cross-country, and finished with 75.5 penalty points after a jumping fault and time penalties.

Results of the 2026 Burghley CCI5*-L