(upbeat music) - Here we go listeners, dressage is done. Welcome to the latest tour diary from Fender Burley. It has been a brilliant couple of days of dressage. In fact, now all eyes turn to the cross country. Dee has landed in England. Dee, you came to Burley for the first time last year. Do you still get the same goosebumps? - Yeah, it's a really special place. Great atmosphere, great fun, great hospitality, and great competition. Today was, you know, you often see it Nicole at the top end of a five star when you're looking at, you know, the press conference and the people in the top 10. I actually don't think I'm gonna be folks in there tonight and tomorrow. I think there's a few there that are interested in like Rose Cantor yesterday delivering her best ever five star test with Izalot. Today delivering her best ever test with Lordship's Grafalo in there on 22. First ever time that a writer at Burley has been first and second after the dressage phase. It's Emily King has gone and done a big PB with Valmi Beatz. The last time we saw Emily in this range was Brooklyn and Badminton back in 2016. Tim Price and Oliver Town and they're in there. Tim Price obviously set the record here with Vitali last year, not quite as low as the 18.7. I think it was quite as low as that, but you know, still good enough to be. I think what is it? Third maybe, third or fourth, third. There's always records and there's always stories around the top of a big five star because that's what it takes to get to the top of a big five star. People have the do their absolute best. It's really special about here guys. I know today is going to be a bit more, I know this show will probably include a little bit of review but like it's impossible, isn't it? Like on a Friday night not just to get drawn into what it all means and where it's going to go. What I'm really looking forward to is the bit where we get to say there's horses in, I don't know, 36, 37, like I'm thinking Colorado, Blue, Grandstown, Jackson, Sofia Hill with Humboldt Glory. These type of horses are all, they're not getting any headlines tonight. There's no one talking about them in press conferences, there's no one sees them yet and yet like the one phase of the sport that makes our sport unique is about to come into force tomorrow when you get to see these horses jump and go faster round the course. I think people are going to write Friday night headlines which is fine, tomorrow night's headlines are the ones I'm really interested in talking about. Well, let's talk about tomorrow. We'll do a quick overview of where the results are at, I think first of all and then let's talk about tomorrow because that's where we're going to see some real movement. Ross retained her lead, 19.9. Feels quite reminiscent of badminton a couple of years ago, Rosie, can you remember when Kilner Badnivo went in very early on Thursday morning and all of a sudden he leads and kind of took a lot of people by surprise. Ross has done something similar, she's held on and actually she didn't really look in any danger. No, she looked very comfortable up there today and second there with Lordship's Graffalo as well. And I think if I'm right that she's the first person to be one too at Burley after the first day. So really exciting for her after that first phase. Both horses who produce personal best, I mean, that was the person best with Lordship's Graffalo at the five-star level as well. So she's clearly on to something and I'm really excited to see her around that cross country tomorrow. John, pub quiz, go on then. Two other events have had one rider in the one two since 2008, it's never been done at Burley ever. But two other events have any guesses? I actually know one of your quizzes. So I feel like the child in the class feels like that's a handoff in the air. I really think we have a handoff in the air. And that one, thanks to Georgia for putting the data. I was prepping some of the social media pieces earlier when I saw that one. It is Michael Young at Paul in 2016, 20, 2017? (mumbles) (mumbles) You're like, I know the answer, no, 2015. 2015, Paul, and then Oliver, as you mentioned, in 2019, or Pabbleton? Yeah, yeah, correct. (laughs) But, yeah, okay. I feel like I better put my hand down slowly. (laughs) (mumbles) Let them have a go. Rosie, so Rosie leads one, two, and actually before we go any further, let's go and hear what Ross had to say after her test with Lordship Grafflow. - Absolutely delighted, yes. Yeah, you know, I was delighted with Paris and everything else, but I knew we could do better. To be honest, so the last sort of week, so after we've had a bit of a break, we've been kind of trying to work out what it was I was struggling with and things like that, and really, you know, just had a light build moment about seven years ago, I'm straight. I've got straight. So much easier. It's amazing. - I just love Grafflow. When we had Sarah Gianni on the show yesterday, and she said he'll be like donkey from track, I was actually watching him in the warmup before Ross had sort of done, you know, her final preparation. So she was off the horse, and I think they'd come up to warmup. It was about a half an hour before his test. And he's literally stood there, and all I could see was donkey from track, and he was like nudging Sarah, and like ears were kind of flapping about a bit. And he's just, oh, I just love him. Anyway. - You know, when I was in school, one of my best pals used to call me donkey from track. Because of my teeth. - Because it'll be what? - I'm quite an equine face. - Your teeth? - Like my teeth. Like my teeth in my mouth. - Like Rosie's like the, you probably didn't get that, she hasn't got the mic, listen. Rosie's like the Irish translator. I was like your teeth, your teeth. You what? Your teeth. Okay. - My teeth. - I would never have called you donkey from track. - It's a very equine. He'd be established out on tomorrow. - Are you friends? - I'm cooking waffles. She's still a show-chair, don't we? (laughing) - I don't even watch track that way we laugh. - Okay, right? - Yeah, bad memories from me there. - Okay, I feel like we've got a bit of therapy coming in. - In my opinion, I blossom from a weed to a flower. - A weed to a flower. Absolutely. Right, I feel like this is taking an awkward turn, listeners, right. Tim Price for Tari, 22.3, that was actually ours. I think we found it on the show last night, Rosie. You know, his best tests come up early. He did a lovely test, nothing wrong with it whatsoever. I mean, 22.3 is brilliant. Sees him just ahead of Emily King, Valmi Beatz, who's 24.1. Oliver Cooley Rosalind, 24.4, equal with, I think possibly one of my favorite combinations of the whole day. Monica Spencer, an artist, Rosie. His test, Max, as he's known, was just lovely. - It was really lovely, and I know she's kicking herself a bit because she went wrong, I should say. - She was having a lovely time, to be honest. - Yeah, yeah, she was, and I think that, yeah, so that was really unfortunate, but the test was super, and was on track to be a PB, if it wasn't for that little blip, of which she's only 0.4 behind the personal best. So, an absolutely stunning test from the pair, and a full thoroughbred that I think could go very well tomorrow. - Question for me, never been to be early before. Big test, obviously a stamina test, you know, so there is that sort of speed element that comes in there. You know, it's different terrain here, so riding around it before definitely helps. - I got really into them. - It's just lovely. - I mean, less sort of test. I got really into the preview piece, as to what this kind of unrest, thoroughbred was gonna be able to deliver, given that start. My good feeling, talking about Monica, an artist, was gonna be, I expected them to do, you know, a high 20s, low 30s dressage, what they were gonna cruise around here pretty easily. And actually, the data doesn't really suggest that it's gonna be that fast. Like, there were two seconds over in Kentucky, there were a few more seconds than that over that at Marland. Like, I think that from Marland in particular, like, you're probably taking the form lines of Cooley Rosalind, Mia Farley and Phelps made the time there under a five star debut. It might be a horse to keep an eye on. I think actually the record that they had in terms of five star debut back in Marland was that, you know, it was somewhere that, I think, again, I think it was Chinead Halpin, who was one of the last writers to do that, to make the time under five star debut, US writers. And lo and behold, it's Chinead Halpin, who's the last US writer to make the time here up early. Again, landlord of Carneville back in 2013. Phelps is a right shot at that tomorrow. But to go back to Monica, I was a little bit surprised, I guess, by the day that I was probably flagging them as a really, really fast horse. They are a fast horse, but not necessarily that Colorado blue style, where I was probably pegging them. - Yeah, I would agree with that, to be fair. I mean, they had 4.4 time penalties in Protoni. That was a day that plenty of people did make the time. He's a very, very blood horse. He's thoroughbred, as you say, but he's not being particularly quick in some of his past runs. I think it was 2020, the last time he made the time internationally. You know, Burley is a big step. When we talk about making the time, and then we talk about Burley, that they're kind of two separate conversations we've been, because you can make the time with a five star, but actually that's the meaning you're going to make the time at Burley. Okay, other highlights, I'm going to say the French team have been in very good form, Girig de La Lége. I was frantically searching. I was on commentary. I had the spreadsheets going in the background on the equating database, because I was thinking, I can't remember the last really big French test here at Burley. Admittedly, they haven't always targeted some of their big names here, but it was Cedric Leard-Cado Duard back in early 2000s, 2013 or something, I think, 2015, maybe 26.3. Aseby De La Lége did a beautiful test, 25.3. Then you've got Nicholas Toussaint, an absolute gold, actually equaled his entire career, international PB, 26.1. Gaspel Maxsudes Zaragoza, who we all know is going to be very speedy. He's going to go out to be very speedy, and he's either going to happen or it's not. He's also in the top 10, 26.8. I feel like the French have never won here at Burley. If they're going to do it, this is the year, Rosie, that they could, he's shaking his head, Rosie. Rosie can have her argument first of all. I think French got a good a chance they've ever had. I agree, they've got as good a chance as they've ever had. I don't think they're going to quite do it personally. I think that it is going to be a British winner, but they definitely are going to have three in that top 10, I say. By the end of the day. I mean, I'm interested to see what they do cross-country. I think they've got some Brits to overhaul. I think Oliver and Rosie in particular are the targets. But actually, I don't think you should be so hasty to beat the French. I mean, it worked me. I was big on the French podium in Paris, and it came off me, Dean. And you called me out on that one, "What have you got against the French?" Come on. Yeah, I know. I know it's silly, they can make it look silly. Just talk to something there. Go on. On the birdie preview show, I know that sometimes when we do preview shows, you get lost into a world west of predictions and games. Didn't you and Sam do a bet that you said Rosie first and second after this session? Do you remember that? Oh, I think we might have done, actually. You said it, and he said, "Oh, I'll give you whatever I do on Facebook." And you, you know... I might have to listen back, or listen back. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you called it. I know that Rosie, we spoke about it on the show last night, and I said, "Rosie would be one, two, and Tim three." And you said, "Tim one, Rosie two, three." Yeah. So, right? Yeah. So, you got that right. We didn't bet money because we're too refined. I think the most we'd bet is probably a biscuit or something. Yeah, it makes the next cup of tea. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, you did get that right. Okay. All righty then, let's talk about tomorrow, because I feel like there is so much more to do out there. Before we go any further, let's actually go to the man who has designed this year's cross-country course. He is a brilliant student of the sport. He's a great thinker. He's a really, really, really interesting character as well. He's very cool, calm, and collectible. I'm glad to be, if he actually does get a bit nervous, even though he's very, very good at covering it up. And that is Derek Tabbratzia. Okay. So, everybody knows, probably don't make high contact with me. As to the planet in me, you don't want to make college. Derek Tabbratzia, the man in charge of this year's cross-country course, just made eye contact, and I have collated in to find out his thought on to work back there. First of all, how are you? The course looks magnificent. I'm fine, and just out, sort of, today, we're going around, and I had a walk around this morning, and just to make sure everything looks good, and that if there are any sort of small things that we still need to do, but generally everything was really in good condition. Are you pleased with how it's come together? Because your vision for this Burley track basically was formed after last year's Burley, and I'm sure you've had ideas in the pipeline for even longer than that. It all comes together, is it what you wanted? No, it is, and it's a process, and it starts in December, and you start to have sort of ideas and visions about how you want to look, and then as the year goes on, and when you come each time where I visit, it sort of takes shape and sort of evolves into the course that I wanted to be, and right, even three weeks ago when I was here, and all the jumps were out, we were still sort of moving things a little bit, and then even when this time when I came, you know, they're just small adjustments, and it really makes a difference, but you know, you really can't make those small adjustments until the jumps are out in place, and actually all the decorations out in place, and until everything else having to do with the event is out of place. So because it makes a difference. You don't see those things when it's sort of basically a black canvas, and that's what this place is when you go away and you come back, and there's really nothing here. - It's your third defender, Bertie? - Yeah. - I always think it takes a little while for kind of you to get an understanding of how horses are jumping your horse here, understand the terrain, et cetera, et cetera. Do you feel like actually you've got that totally? - Well, I think, you know, each year, you understand a little bit more, you understand sort of what type of jumps you go in, what place, and then sort of the flow of the course, and you start to see how horses are feeling, because this year will be the third time that I've run this track the way this track, even without the jumps, the way the track of the course goes. So you understand sort of where they're going, where they're going to be that sort of, I'd say five minutes on, and it makes a difference, especially here, with all the terrain, there's a lot that these horses do, the riders as well. - Albert, you've made lots of changes this year. I think all of the combinations have got a slightly different take on them. What stands out for you as an event that everybody should watch? - Well, I think it starts offense for in the arena, and I think that as has been in the past two or three years that the prime end of the course up to the trout archery, there's a lot to do. And I think riders really have to get out of the box, get their horses here, and try to have some good jumps early on, but then it's really sort of getting through those combinations early on, and then hopefully once you get through the trout archery, you have a chance to let the horses sort of settle in, have a few nice jumps, and then you sort of go again. But I think that the combinations, obviously the leaf that's always something that everybody watches, because it is. It's challenging, it's challenging this year, but then you have the other ones you have, have the trout hatcherines as well, you have new combinations that under valley. So I think there's a lot to the riders. - 11 minutes 16, the octave in time. - Conditions are very good. The ground looks phenomenal. Nice bright guys, you know, should be perfect going. How many are going to make it, get many? - I would never say that, because then they'll hold me to it, so. - It's achievable. - Yeah, well, I think it probably is. I think it probably is, and I don't know that you're going to see many of it. - What's this, Faith? Derek, best of luck tomorrow. We're all rooting for it. It looks magnificent, actually your best. - Great, thank you very much. - I felt quite bad because he walked past my commentary box, and I jumped up so quick. That's Derek, Derek, if you've got five minutes. Anyway, he is always insightful. He plays it cool, but I think it is a tough enough track out there. I've been talking to a lot of riders over the last couple of days, and there's been plenty of people saying, "I don't know, I think I've shrunk, and Burley's got bigger." The leaf pit is causing a lot of discussion, and I think it's as big of Burley as, like, everybody gets a bit windy, but will it just jump really well? - I had lunch with a five-star rider. - Oh, who did you have lunch with? Name drop or extraordinary? I had lunch with a five-star rider. Go on then. - Remarkably insightful, calm, measured lady. I said, "Cut out all the fluff now. "What's it like out there? "People are telling me very intense to begin with. "If you get really open a bit, you'll be doing well. "Rides hard all the way to the end. "Leaf fit, yada yada." You know what she said? Very much the normal Burley challenge. Now, that's a very tough challenge. - No different normal. - No, no. - Who did you have lunch with? - I know. I think I know I'm making an educated guess, but I don't think we can name drop, but just in case it's going to go to plan for them now, cross-country tomorrow. - No, no, no. It's going to be totally fine for them, cross-country, because they're only going to be watching. - Oh, okay. Fair enough to think of a different person then. - Yeah. - But I do think it's different if you're not riding it. It's very easy to say. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not easy to say. - It wasn't normal. - She wasn't being dismissive of it in the site. She walked me around it. She talked me around it. She was, it was magnificent lunch. She absolutely... - It wasn't then, come on. - Okay. I managed to bring her immediately in like the first two minutes of meeting her. Bring her to the lowest point of her career. (laughing) Not meeting her, I mean, I just kissed her with her. And she was like, okay, what a buzzkill. (laughing) - Thank you at the moment, right? - It was Kirsty Shabair. - And we could do an Argrish out out 'cause Rosie's a 1-2. And in fact, big old plug for Kirsty did a horse for Lifetime Show that was out earlier this week. You would have listened. - It was classic that I ended up asking her about. I'd reckon. - Oh. - We were calling them in one. - Oh, dang, don't go there. You can still make her cry over that, I think. - Yeah, she was kind of... - Crying for lunch, basically. - She was going to check, she was like, I was like, so what actually happened to that, I think? She's like, what's that mean? I was like, well, like, what actually happened? She's like, I ran out in the arena, second last. And I was like, oh, yeah, no, I know what happened, but like... - Why? - What happened? - Oh, dang. - And she was like, what are you watching? - And she was like, excuse me, who made the same plan? - What? - I mean, I've got it. - I was like, what? - Yeah, she was looking at me, like, but she's like, I ran out. I don't need her on it. (laughing) And then she said, do you know what makes it? And the disc is the bit where like, 'cause she wasn't tearing up, but inside, she was tearing up. - Well, she sure told me. Do you know what the act in the war at actin'? Where'd you get their names written now? Your man had already done this stencil for her name on the actin' wall, and he gave it to her husband to take home. (laughing) - I don't know if you want that or not. Well, you can't put it up because you didn't win, like, that is crucial. - Yeah. - I mean, it's a lovely idea, but it's not like roof golf. - She just said, oh, I've got this done, do you want her? (laughing) Anyway, she told me that story. You sat inside and stand for 10 or 15 minutes. (laughing) - Oh, okay, you were like, well, these peas are good. (laughing) Can you pass the water? - No, she's, she's great. - She's so large. - She's great. - And back to Bode, she really, you would have had it from the show this week, but like, God, she's smart, like, and she's, she knows her stuff. But she was quite kind about it. - I think it's different when you're not writing it. - Yeah, but I do think possibly it's more analytical when you're not writing it. - Maybe. - You know what I mean? Like, I do think there's a natural tendency to nerves and not wanting to, you know what I mean? Like, Austin O'Connor is surely gonna be like, I've got one of the best jumpers in the sport. And one of the fastest horses in the field and in the sport. Like, Austin O'Connor should be, should be excelling here tomorrow. He's not gonna say that out loud because he fell off here last year, didn't he? - No, he had a run out of the leaf bit. - Well. - A bit into it. - You know what I mean? Like, as in, he, it wasn't good. - No. - It was a bad fact. - I, I still, yeah. Let's, let's go on to talk about the cross country because one in two generally seeking jump clear at Verle, it's very much on a par with the global average at five, so I think it's 52%. 3% of people make the time. In the last three runnings of Verle, only four people have made the time. It is tough to do. No more than four people, I think, have made it in any one year going back to 2012. So it is tricky. Last year we had two people inside the time, actually from the first dozen horses in David Dogh on a low new mode and Will Zokedin. And they really came out and delivered over a track that, you know, the likes of a town in Baltimore class, they didn't make the time. It was a tough date at the office. So the jumping wise, very much on a par, time wise, it is tougher than some of the others that we see. Rosie, tomorrow, who makes the time? - Ooh, I thought you were going to be nice. You just asked me how many, but who makes the time? Okay. Grant's time, Jackson. - Definitely. - I've put them up. - Sarah and us? - Yeah, Sarah and us. - That's the best international draft I've ever tested, for three and a half years. - Really? Really smart. Really smart. I definitely think they're going to make the time. Colorado Blue, I'd say. I think it's me three. So I'm going to put those two and I'm going to jump on board the train with D with me or Fali and Phelps. - Grappler doesn't make it for you. - How do you look, Grappler? - Okay, he's making the time up. We're going to have four inside the time, do you think? - Rosie, look. - Five. - Five. - I don't think Rosie was making the time. - Okay, I don't know if listeners can hear D. D's chirping up in the background. - I just think I'm having an argument with myself. I'm a piece of chirping up. What is he going to wear a baby home? How many? Hey, okay, five. Rosie, why do you do it? - I've always looked at, absolutely lost my mind. But, okay, I will add Lordship Grappler in. Okay, four. I said four on, what day was that? Wednesday, I've lost track of what day we were even on now. No, yeah, Wednesday. I said four would make the time. So, stick with that, add Grappler in. But, I don't think Rosalind is going to make the time. Tim Price has never made the time here, and I don't think he's going to, I'm afraid. - 6.4 for Vitaly here 12 months ago. Conditional is the same. The track's pretty much similar. I don't think he's going to change it. - Yeah, the most reliable jump is in the field, but I just don't think they would be speeding up. - Cross country jump. - Cross country jumpers, yes, I should say. Okay, D, who are you saying, man? - I think you've done a good job there. What's interesting about, what's interesting about the very first ones is Isolash is a real unknown. I don't know that we'll learn a lot. Like, Isolash has the potential to retire half around this course, because you can hear the way Rosal's talking about the unknowns. - For me, I think the unknown is the crowds and how he's going to take on the track. Interesting, you've all said something, I think I'm open to Tara Charney. I'm not sure now. Of the crowds here, either side of you, they kind of funnel you, whereas at Badminton, you kind of come out and you just see them. The only place I thought of here that would really be like that is Defender Valley, but when you run into it for the first time, you actually run into the crowds off to your side. And when you come back, the crowds are off to your side as well, whereas Badminton, you're very much running into the crowds. So I don't know, I think for me, the question is that. I think if he's, I don't necessarily, I'm not putting him up to make the time, but I think he'll have, he'll, she's not bringing him here, if she doesn't think he can go around burly, if I want to. - I don't know. I mean, Dave, the Thursday interview and the press conference just there, she was kind of quick to say, I'm particularly around Isilat, that there's a lot of unknowns. And, you know what, she's such a, you know, she's such a horseman that she's very open to that. Like Sam talked about it on the preview, like how cool and calm and together she is as a person and as a writer. I wouldn't be surprised if, I wouldn't be surprised if she re-routes Isilat. She talked about that openly. She said, I'm going to see how this goes. I learned a lot in the first couple of minutes as to what's happening and if it's not going, I'll re-rout and if it is, I'll go for it. I don't, I think that's a, that's a real pressure off way to talk about the badminton leader. I mean, look, we'll know pretty quick and like, you'll see it, but I, what I'm going with this is that's at five past 11. I don't think we have the situation of 20, 23, where we had those really early tests and people are really early speed horses and then people are thinking this is a gettable of time. Like, we don't see Colorado Blue until an hour into the competition at the quarter past 12 or 13 minutes past 12 Colorado Blue. I agree with you Rosie Mae that I think, I think that's one of the first big, one of the first big ones. After that, we wait another hour and we'll have Emily King and Valmi Bietz. Huge start due to make the time, probably not, but like, limiting the damage, I think would be really important for them. Like, anything below 10 time penalties, I think keeps them in really good position. I think if you're sure jumping on Sunday somewhere around the 32 mark, I think you're going to be in with a right chance. - You have to think there, you know, Rosie's already 10 seconds ahead of, you know, most of the top 10, you know, there's only a few that are in touch with her. - Probably not between, yeah. - She's got some in hand, you know, she, even with time penalties, because it's a tough early track and stamina, et cetera. She's still going to be in the mix if he goes well. - Isolat, you mean? - Yes. - Either of them really, but Isolat in particular. - Isolat in particular, yeah, isolat in particular. I mean, Grafalo, I think for me, I'm so excited to see him around early, I think I'm just going to enjoy it. I always think there must be a good bit of pressure, but actually, he'll have one of the last go. - Who make the time doing hand sounds, I think. - Just on that, in terms of the early ones to watch, you've got Tom Jackson, Capil's Hollow Drift, and I sort of, you know, early-ish. I don't think they'll make the time, but I would say that that horse has looked bitter than I've ever seen him look. He looks lean, he looks mean, he looks unbelievably ready to go. And I think Tom will have realized that actually, he's to get closer to the top of the podium or on a podium at another five star. He's going to have to take a few time penalties off, so I think his fitness will have been increased. - But at least he's in the green, it's sprinting across. - Yes, that is loose, I don't know, but yeah. - She's got the gate of a very young woman, doesn't she? (laughing) - Right, yeah. She gate crashed our podcast, recording the other day, and she came in for a kiss. - That is impressive. - Look, look, I know it's hard, what this undergoing is running around early. - Okay, that was taken. Right, the listeners are literally probably thinking what is going on. Okay, I'm going to put it out there as well. At near Farley Feltz goes quite, you know, midway through the fields. - Hey, go on a bit. Hey, can I go back there? First horse out, superstition, Harry Meade. - I didn't think he makes the time. - Oh, there was a fast horse. - That was a fast horse. - The Maryland, a couple of years ago, when everybody made the time, and Harry did like a massive 20 meter circle in the final water and cruise time, 30 seconds inside. - Yeah, but if we're talking about Maryland a couple of years ago. - I know. - We've seen the green put a job around it at mid-time. (laughing) We didn't know that was a, there was no, that wasn't a time challenge. No, compared at the Maryland 2023, different, different kettle fish. I think superstition, and I see that on course, you know, first and second, I think that, yeah, I don't think it's the full, it's the full, the full Monty in terms of making the time so far, I think they'll give you a reasonable lead as to what we're going with. And then you're right to raise some Jackson compels all the drift, that's just a 10 to 12. And that's probably, that's probably another really good one. - In all honesty though, let's go to a few of those, because there's the likes of Mia Farley and Phelps, the likes of Sophia Hill humble glory, you know, to make the time at five star is they've both done it. Sophia did it in Adelaide, Mia's done it twice. Marilyn, nobody made the time. And actually it was a tough old, you know, Colorado blue didn't make the time when she did. - Yeah. - To come to Burley and do it, I feel like there is a degree of naivety because obviously you don't know what the terrain is like to ride. But what do you, hey, we've got a-- - Oh, it should just bring them in. - This is like expro to opinion. - Here we go. Helen, hello, what do you make of the cross country terrain? - You know you're at a five star, don't you? You do, it's proper. I think it's very fair. I think it's all there. It's very clear, it's very obvious to the horses, which I really like. I think it's very horse friendly. I think it's big, the triple brushes. I haven't seen them that high at the front of the nose. So like at the leaf pit. - Yeah, it's almost like they could have taken it like a few inches off and just softened it slightly. - Like I've never seen them quite so, the vertical front face quite so high. Which makes them look enormous. - Yep. - I think, I mean, it's just, he's so clever. He's just so clever. We'll think up. Just very clever with his use of obviously hairy spoils, 'cause there's so much terrain, bits of ground, bits where the fences are cited, where actually the ground has started to go back down. - Yep. - And I think riders mustn't underestimate the effects that we'll have and how much they might need to just have a little bit more support and actually have a little bit more in their hand than potentially they would do normally if it was just on flat ground. Because you can see a really nice shot to something, get to the take off point, soften. Whereas here, like, especially for example, at the dairy mound, with that log down to the angle, I think you really, really got to sit up and hold their hand and support them. And even to be fair, at the triple brushes at the leaf pit, actually on the direct route, the ground just starts to very slightly go down again. Actually, you've just got to keep hold and not think I'm there, they're gone and soften. I think you've got to really just - Keep your eye on it. - Stay there to keep your eye. And I think it's a great test, I think potentially we'll see mistakes where riders are getting a bit weary and actually perhaps going forward with their upper body or being a little bit soft when they really need to be riding every inch of the way. That's the kind of insight we were looking for. Helen, thanks, now they have a hug. And Joe, I'm not even going to come to you. Thank you. (all laughing) Thanks, team. Okay, that's what you get when you ask one of the best course designers coming up in this country about the cross country course at Burley. Okay, back to it. I think there is a degree of naivety, they've not tackled the Burley terrain, so the likes of me are Farley, Sophia Hill. But that almost can play into their favor because they don't know how the horse is going to react. So if they go out and just give it a good crack, it's kind of going to go one more or the other. I was at Maryland last year and it was a really, really tough cross country that it required all the skills that you need on a day like this and it's rare enough now that you hear people like David O'Connor really moved, really emotional, like people that have done it all, like the way Oliver spoke about the track last year, the way Austin spoke about it. I remember David O'Connor speaking about that Maryland track. And he said to me, you're fine now. You've gone and done a five star. It's not, you're not going to get asked that many more questions. No. - And Maryland last year was really tough. - It was a really tough track. It was a really, it was totally different from the first two Marylands. Now, I totally agree with you, though, that like you can say all those things and then you find yourself in the star box at Burley. The other thing I'd add into that for me, if I were in Phelps, is I was in the press conference in Kentucky and Yaz and Tom were there and Mia, and they were sitting, they were kind of standing beside me down the back while we were waiting for them to go on the podium. And they both turned around to Mia and there's Yaz and Tom, and they turned around to her and they're like, "Jesus, you have got to bring that horse to Burley." And she was like kind of laughing and being like, "Oh, well, it's not amazing final phase." And you know, dress eyes is only okay and they were laughing. And you're like, "Nah, it's a Burley horse. "Bring it to Burley." And then David was like, "Shut up, "like we play this horse all around the world." And anyway, they kept saying like, "It's a Burley horse, it's a Burley horse." You can tell all those things, you can talk about what they've done at Marla. You're right, like you still have to go and tackle this track tomorrow, but none obvious names. So like tomorrow, tomorrow we're doing this six to follow. - Yeah. - With Nick Lough and Tina Cook. And what did they say to me? They said like, "Oh, bonus points for the none obvious ones." You can't really preview the speed horses without talking about Colorado, Blue, or sorry, without talking about Graflow and Rosalind. Because they're such a big part of the picture, Oliver obviously in a time five-star winner, a hundred five-star, so his name, this is 101. You have to talk about Rosalind. You have to talk about Graflow, who is the obvious one, but I think probably, honestly, I think could win this by 10 marks if tomorrow turns out to be a tough track, I think. - Was that Graflow? - Yeah, I think if tomorrow turns into-- - Did you put Graflow up to win on your podium on the podcast of previous? Didn't you put Rosalind? (laughing) - Maybe, I don't know. Sometimes I just do those podiums, so I know you too. But those two are the obvious ones, but the ones you picked out during the call are exactly the non-obvious ones that I think we started at the top of the show talking about who's not getting the Friday headlines, but Mike at the Saturday headlines. Mia Farley is one. Sophia Hill with Humber Glory is the horse that you pulled out on the preview part, and I think it's an amazing show. - Can I just put it, Sophia Hill has a little baby who is like eight months old, and I'm sure she is still breastfeeding, and she is about to tackle Burley. Like, but just seriously, she is smashing life. - I am all for the breastfeeding. (laughing) I don't know what it has to do with-- - No, but do you know what? You have a baby, right? Think of the physical changes that does to your body. Then you go to an elite level competition, right? What are the sports with somebody be back at that level and still feeding all of these? It is an extraordinary achievement, and I just think, like, I think-- - No, I totally agree. I mean, I'm low. It's another big, it's another big challenge and, like, confidence to take it on, the mentality, the psychology. I think you're totally right. I really hope it goes well for them, because I don't think Humber Glory is a horse that will get headlines at any other competition, because if you start on 36, which is pretty much where we expected them to be, you kind of can't win. Very rare, can you win, like, from that position? - I think, well, his improvement in his first phase, he took four and a half marks off his Adelaide test. Don't mind the banging background business that's changing the fins, just the authenticity. He could win Adelaide if he took four and a half marks off. - Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. Yeah, but I agree, anyway, a great shout from the preview. I really like Humber Glory. I'm gonna go out there and say Humber Glory makes the time. - Yeah. - Phillips makes the time and will be one of the stars of the show by tomorrow night. Loads of people will be talking about me if I have any tips. Boston makes the time and climbs up into the top 10. Grant's 10, Jackson makes the time, climbs up into the top 10. - How many are you on now, four or five? - That's four, so far. Raz Kanter and Grafalo make the time. - Yeah, Rosalind made the time. - Rosalind makes the next time a one or two seconds on it. - Okay, all right. Who leads at the end of tomorrow night team? D? - Oh, keep it simple. I'm so positive Grafalo leads. - Rosie? - I agree, I think it's Grafalo as well. I'm gonna be, yeah. - I agree, I think it's Grafalo. I'll be really sad if it's not Grafalo needing tomorrow night. Not that I don't love, it's a lot of DHI, but I feel like Grafalo is a lot of DHI. If he goes and he goes well, I think he'll have a few time penalties. Opens the door for Grafalo. If Grafalo doesn't lead, then something's gone a bit wrong. I know that would make me really sad. - Right, on to tomorrow listeners, watch this space. If you haven't already made any changes, tweaks, last minute. Finessing to your eventing manager team now is your chance. We will be back. We might even do something first in the morning, but there's nothing quite like the feeling on cross-country morning. If you're coming to Burley, don't forget, get here early. If you're not coming, set your Burley TV up. There is gonna be loads of content, loads of behind the scenes as well. If you haven't watched today at Burley, go and do so. And we will be with you every step of the way. Looking forward to tomorrow team.
