US rider Caroline Pamukcu finished third at Defender Burghley Horse Trials on HSH Blake, describing the result as “bittersweet” after falling at the recent World Championships in Aachen.
Pamukcu fell at fence 17 on cross-country for the US at the Aachen World Championships but re-routed Blake to compete at Burghley.
HSH Blake is 11 years old and has now recorded three top-four five-star finishes in under a year: fourth at Maryland, second at Kentucky, and third at Burghley.
Pamukcu fell at fence 17 on the cross-country at the recent World Championships in Aachen, a fall caused by a short distance that tipped her off in an awkward jump. That fall led to her elimination at Aachen, but she rerouted Blake to compete at Burghley. She said she was disappointed about falling for her team at Worlds but hoped she had redeemed herself with her Burghley performance.
In Burghley's showjumping, Pamukcu and Blake had four faults after putting down the first fence. Pamukcu took responsibility, saying the first rail was her mistake. She praised Blake's performance through the rest of the round, calling him "an amazing jumper" who was "jumping out of skin." Despite the four faults, their score was enough to move up to third overall.
Blake is 11 years old. He was a Pan American Games champion at eight and was a highly talked-about young horse after early international success. The pair's form since 2024 has been mixed: they were a little disappointing at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but have staged a notable comeback. This Burghley result is Blake's third top-four finish at five-star level in less than a year: fourth at Maryland 5 Star last year, second at the Kentucky Three-Day Event in April, and now third at Burghley.
Blake's ownership is shared: Mollie Hoff, Pamukcu herself, Pamukcu's mother Sherrie Martin, and Pamukcu's husband Deniz.
This was Pamukcu's first Burghley. She is 31 years old and recently had a daughter, whom she has also named Blake. Pamukcu said it was her job to stay calm after an early mistake in the showjumping and that she hopes her experience will help her manage those moments in future events.
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