Ingham tips 10-year-old Goliath du Loir for future Burghley success

Former world eventing champion Yasmin Ingham believes she has a future winner on her hands after a strong debut outing at Defender Burghley Horse Trials with her 10-year-old gelding Goliath du Loir. The 29-year-old from Sandbach took the global title in 2022 on Banzai du Loir, having made her 5* debut in the spring of that year and finishing second. Despite her success on the world stage, which saw her act as the travelling reserve for Team GB's eventing squad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Ingham had yet to make the journey to Burghley before this season. Young horse shows promise She finally made the trip with Goliath du Loir, who she believes already shows tell-tale signs of future success. "It is his first 5*, he's only 10, so I believe he's maybe one of three 10-year-olds in the field, so he's inexperienced at this level completely," she said. "But he's just an out-and-out cross-country and jumping horse, and obviously so much more to come on the dressage. So, I believe in a few years' time he'll be a real top contender." The pair sit in fifth place after the first day of competition, with a dressage score of 32.7. With still more to learn in that phase, Ingham was thrilled with her horse's first taste of a 5* arena. Handled the atmosphere like a pro "I was delighted with him," she added. "He's only a young horse, and to come into this huge atmosphere in the main arena is definitely quite daunting for a lot of horses, and he handled it like a pro. There's still so much more to come in the dressage phase for him, but for now, where he is in his career, I was just delighted with that. He really stayed with me. Most of it was pretty on the button. There were just a few things, maybe I could have rode him better, but overall, he was just fantastic." Ingham and Goliath du Loir will now face the famed Derek di Grazia cross-country course. With a hard uphill section early on sure to tire out the horses and riders from the start, Ingham is hoping that her horse's strength can put them in good stead to climb the leaderboard. Iconic venue "Burghley is renowned for its tricky, bold, huge cross-country course so it was definitely an interesting first cross-country walk," she said. "It was daunting to say the least, but I'm hoping that it's going to get smaller and smaller the more I walk it. But it looks amazing. I love the way that Derek builds. I've ridden a few of his tracks now, and he does a fantastic job. Just to be here at Burghley as well, it's such an iconic venue and event. I've grown up watching it for so many years and to actually now be here competing is pretty surreal." Defender Burghley Horse Trials (3-6 September 2026) has been a major international sporting and social event for over 50 years. It attracts the world's top equestrians and is attended by vast and enthusiastic crowds.