Equestrian Australia (EA) has announced its Eventing team for CHIO Aachen 2018. The combinations are;
Chris Burton - Quality Purdey (owner Claire Poole)
Sammi Birch - Hunter Valley (owners S Birch & L McLeod)
Robert Palm - Koko Story (owner Cassie Palm)
Christine Bates - Adelaide Hill (owners C & M Bates, W & V McLeod)
Andrew Hoy - Vassily de Lassos (owners P & D Evans)
Rio Olympics bronze medallist Chris Burton is currently riding in white-hot form and won leg 3 of the Event Rider Masters Series at Arville last weekend.
Burton and his Aachen mount Quality Purdey have proven to be a lethal combination during the past year winning the CCI3* class at Saumur in May and the CICO3*-NC at Le Pin au Haras last August.
Burton was part of Australia’s winning FEI Nation’s Cup Eventing team at Aachen in 2016 and said he’s looking forward to representing his country again this year;
"I am very happy to be selected for the team at Aachen this year. It is the best event in the world and Rüdiger Schwarz always provides a challenging course. I am really looking forward to it," said Burton.
Like Burton, Sammi Birch and Hunter Valley II were part of the FEI Nation’s Cup Team at Aachen in 2016. The pair competed recently at the gruelling Luhmuhlen and finished a credible 6th in the CIC3*.
Australian Eventing legend Andrew Hoy is also coming off good recent form in the saddle. With Vassily de Lassos he finished fourth in the Tattersalls CCI3* in May.
Hoy, a three-time Olympic Gold Medallist and member of the Sport Australia and Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame, last competed individually at Aachen in 2016.
Australian based riders Robert Palm and Christine Bates have been rewarded for their strong domestic performances this season receiving the Aachen call-up for Australia.
Robert Palm and his ex-racehorse Koko Story put in a stellar performance at the 2018 Sydney International Horse Trials and finished in second position in the CCI3* behind Aachen team mate Christine Bates and her seasoned campaigner Adelaide Hill.
Bates and Adelaide Hill have won their past four consecutive outings including Adelaide CIC3*and Berrima CIC3*.
Bates arrived in the UK last week with Adelaide Hill and they are settling in well to their Northern Hemisphere base.
Equestrian Australia High Performance Director Chris Webb said Aachen presented each of the selected representative riders with a major opportunity in a World Equestrian Games year.
“Aachen 2018 is an important milestone event for some of our squad riders ahead of the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in September. It will be a prime opportunity for them to impress for possible selection to represent Australia at WEG in a few months and it is also a fantastic opportunity for them to compete at what is one of the world’s premier Equestrian events.”
Australia’s WEG Eventing Team Chef d’Equipe Stuart Tinney will be in attendance at Aachen and will be joined by Jumping Coach Nelson Pessoa. The highly experienced and respected pair will coach the riders and build key insights into each of the combinations as they prepare for selection for the World Equestrian Games.
