EQUESTRIAN - EVENTING: London 2012 Olympian Chris Burton has produced a come from behind victory at the Australian International Three Day Event on a horse he first rode only four days ago. 

Remarkably, UK based Burton only had his first ride on Jamaimo on Wednesday after the horse’s regular rider Will Enzinger broke his leg and couldn’t contest the event. 

Burton was sixth leading into this afternoon’s final stanza but produced one of only two clear rounds of the day to catapult into the top position.

It is Burton’s second victory at Australia’s only CCI4* three day event and to say the 31 year old was surprised by the win is an understatement.

“It’s unsuspected that’s for sure. I sat on him for the first time on Wednesday and I thought he’s a lovely horse, what a little ripper.

“He’s been brilliantly prepared and a treat for me to ride. It’s something I won’t forget in a long time.

“We knew he was a good jumper but I was just the jockey this weekend, the credit really belongs to Will (Enzinger) and his team,” he said.

With six riders within four penalties (1 show jumping rail) of each other, Sunday’s finale was always going to be a tight tussle. 

Burton’s victory caps off a sensational year for the UK based Australian event rider who also won the prestigious Aachen (GER) three day event.

The leaders following the cross country, Olympic gold medallist Stuart Tinney and Olympic silver medallist Shane Rose, couldn’t produce the clear rounds required to maintain their top positions which saw them move down the order.

The reigning Australian International 3DE champion Craig Barrett was on track to repeat his win from last year but his mount Sandhills Brillaire was unlucky to knock the final rail which relegated them to third place.

The only other clear round of the day belonged to Olympic silver medallist Sonja Johnson and her mount Belfast Mojito which propelled them from seventh to second. 

The Adelaide International Three Day Event is the second leg of the 2013/2014 FEI ClassicsTM – a six series competition made up of the world’s four star event competitions. The AI3DE is the only four star event in the southern hemisphere.

Equestrian Australia