Alex Bragg heaped praise on mare Quindiva after she kept her focus to make a fine start at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

Bragg, 44, returned to the famed 5* event with 14-year-old Quindiva a year on from an auspicious 15th place finish.

The pair are on course for an even better finish this time round after improving their dressage score by 4.6 marks.

“Coming here, I would have been pleased with an early 30s score so we’ve got what our aim was,” said Chilton Trinity’s Bragg, who is competing at his fourth Burghley.

“There’s nothing like going in there though, it’s a bit windy today and she’s a very sensitive horse and she lit up. I tried to ride forward, she’s not a big mover, I’ve got to get the most out of her. She did try to stay with me.

“The cameramen swivelling gets very tricky for her, she had a look but didn’t break in the walk even though she was looking around. Stuff like that in the past would have tipped her over the edge and she’s not, she’s staying in the arena and you just hope you can get what you get in the warm up in the arena one day.

“The improvement she’s made in the last 18 months, with Dickie Waygood helping with her system, she’s understanding and coming on board with it.

“I want to stay the course with it and hope for the best in the future. Same with Badminton, it’s a tough cross-country course.”

This year’s Defender Burghley sees a record-breaking field of entrants - the strongest on record - with eight 5* winners in the mix.

Saturday’s cross-country phase is often seen as the decisive leg of the Burghley challenge and Bragg hopes to still be among the frontrunners come Sunday’s show-jumping finale.

“There’s some good horses there who are only just ahead of her. She’s a great mare and I love her to bits,” said Bragg.

“This sport is so competitive and fractions of points are splitting everyone up, she was great here last year so we just hope the rain stays away and we can have a real good crack at it.

“It’s an amazing course and Burghley is stunning, so I’m going to try and concentrate and not just enjoy the scenery on the way round.”

Defender Burghley Horse Trials (5-8 September 2024) 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. For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk