Burghley to offer ‘most valuable prize in the sport’ with five-figure boost to winner’s purse

The 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials winner will take home the “most valuable prize in the sport” as the Lincolnshire CCI5* reveals a five-figure boost to the prize money for first place.

The event, which now bears Land Rover’s Defender brand as title sponsor, has upped the winner’s prize to £110,000. This is a £10,000 increase on the £100,000 won by Piggy March and Vanir Kamira in 2022.

“We always aspire to raise the bar at Defender Burghley,” said event director Martyn Johnson.

“As a top-class sporting occasion and to reward our athletes and owners for winning the most prestigious and challenging three-day event in the world, we feel it appropriate to offer the most valuable prize in the sport.”

The 2023 five-star (31 August to 3 September) will be Derek di Grazia’s second year designing the cross-country course. The US-based rider and designer has visited Burghley twice over the winter and is finalising his designs for this year.

The announcement from the event said his designs “will give a subtle twist to the course”.

Badminton, Kentucky, Adelaide and Luhmühlen are among the other five-stars to have revealed their 2023 cash pots.

Adelaide Equestrian Festival (20 to 23 April), which hosts the first CCI5* in this year’s calendar, has a $49,500 (£26,780) first prize for its five-star winner. The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (27 to 30 April) has a $123,000 (£100,182) first-place CCI5* prize. Luhmühlen (15 to 18 June) recently announced it was increasing its overall prize pot – the total fund from which all prize money is split – from €100,000 (£87,865) to €125,000 (£109,831). Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, will award £105,000 to the winner at its 2023 fixture (4 to 8 May).

Burghley Horse Trials tickets go on sale to members on 27 April, and on general release on 28 April.