Max Warburton

There's never a dull moment for this busy young eventer, fresh from his Burghley debut. Bethany Stone catches a rare free hour to talk British five-stars, naughty ponies and the 26-year-old's biggest influences

- Dame Jilly Cooper,

OR many Burghley debutants, tearing across the hallowed ground of cross-country course the and negotiating its titan obstacles constitutes the best bit. For Max Warburton, dressage day provided the standout phase with a score of 28.9.

"I was probably more over the moon with that part than any of the other bits!" says the eventer. "I've always struggled a bit with the dressage, but I thought as I was going round, "This is actually pretty good.' "It was a clear round, as they say. I went in thinking a 32 and we would all be delighted, let alone sub-30," he adds.

"Deerpaire Revelry's shown he can do a beautiful test and the hard work's paid off." The Hermes De Reve gelding, known as Rev at home, showed promise from the moment his hooves touched the tarmac at Max's aged eight - but the rider had to get him on side first.

"He was quite naughty," Max says. "He actually came to be sold - he was ridden by the owner's daughter. He's big, and I think he was taking the mick a little bit." The unruly Rev began to show his quality after a few runs and his owners, the Paske Syndicate, kept hold of him.

"His owners Tim, Georgie and Leilia Paske have been great with him," says Max.

"They've stuck by him even when he's been a bit of a devil. I said: 'I promise one day he'll come right.' And I'm delighted he did." After finishing 11th in the 2023 Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S, Max began eyeing a five-star.

This year's stunning Bramham run, where the pair finished second on their 31.5 dressage score, made going to Burghley a no-brainer.

"He finds it easy," says Max of Rev's cross-country prowess.

"I'd always come back and say, 'He made that feel like a 90." Though they accumulated some expensive time-faults, the duo completed with a clean sheet for their jumping to earn a top-20 placing - and a double milestone for 10-year-old Rev on the international stage.