Chris Burton bolstered his chances of making the Australian equestrian team for the Rio Olympics with a victory in the Saumur three-day event in France.
Riding the horse Santano II, Burton produced a final score of 45.60 to clinch the title, after finishing second in the event in 2012 leading up to the London Olympics.
The 32-year-old was delighted with his horse who was competing at CCI3 level for the first time and he had concerns going into Saturday's (Sunday AEST) cross country.
"It is always nerve-racking when we ride a horse that is doing his first three-star cross country course," Burton said.
"You never know if he will hold the distance and if he will continue to jump.
"We are very excited by this horse. He has an interesting background. Because of his bloodlines people say it is a dressage horse but that is not the case. He has a lot of energy and good jumping skills."
Burton established a strong lead from the outset, scoring 40.20 penalties in the dressage before a solid cross country effort where he added just 1.20 penalties and held onto top position on the final day, despite adding four penalties (one rail) in the show jumping.
The Queensland-born rider finished sixth in the teams event at the London Olympics and 16th in the individual.
Share
