The 2026 Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Finals for four- and five-year-olds, the most prestigious young horse championships in the UK, will be judged by a top-class panel with a real eye for a future 5* horse.
The Final, to take place on Friday 4th September as part of the 2026 Defender Burghley Horse Trials will be judged by Christina Klingspor, Angela Tucker, Andrew Heffernan, Nicky Roncoroni and Clayton Fredericks.
Dressage at the finals will be judged by regular championship and CCI5* ground jury members Christina Klingspor (SWE) and Angela Tucker (GBR) while the jumping will be judged by Dutch Olympic rider and national team coach Andrew Heffernan (NED) and CCI5* rider and young horse producer Nicky Roncoroni (IRL). Highly respected vet John Killingbeck will judge “suitability and type”.
Clayton Fredericks, an eventing medallist at Olympic and World Championship level for Australia and now a very successful cross-country course-designer, will assess “potential to gallop” for the top 10 finalists in both the four- and five-year-old sections of the championships.
Clayton, Angela, Andrew and Nicky have all competed in the CCI5* at Burghley and at other CCI5* events worldwide, and all have produced horses to the highest level themselves. Christina has officiated at Burghley as a ground jury member three times, most recently in 2025, and she was president of the ground jury at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is the 18th year of Dubarry’s sponsorship of these championships, which always attract a huge crowd and a great deal of interest. The two classes will be worth a total of £8,000 for 2026, with a first prize of £1,500 for the Dubarry five-year-old champion and £1,250 for the Dubarry four-year-old champion.
The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final is the culmination of a season-long series of qualifiers in Britain and Ireland, of which there will be 19 in 2026. These will commence at Badminton Horse Trials on 6 May. Qualifiers will take place throughout the summer all over the UK, and at Tattersalls in Co Meath and Millstreet in Co Cork, Ireland. A full list of qualifiers can be found on the Burghley website.
Burghley’s Event Director Martyn Johnson said: “We are delighted that such a knowledgeable and experienced panel of international judges are able to join us at Burghley this autumn. The Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse classes have enjoyed a real renaissance in recent years; we modernised the format, have greatly increased prize-money and the recognition that that the winners receive and have looked further afield for judges for the finals. There is no doubt that these finals are showcases and training grounds for the future superstars of the sport of eventing and are very important for breeders, owners and riders.”
