David Doel’s second ever trot up at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cannot come soon enough.

Laycock-based Doel made his first appearance at the event in 2019 and he says the three-year wait for a return to the 16th-century Burghley House will make this year’s ride all the more special.

The 29-year-old will be accompanied by 17.2 Galileo Nieuwmoed, who after an impressive sixth-place finish in his first Badminton in May, is hoping to deliver another strong performance with hopes of a European Championships bow next year.

Doel’s focus remains firmly on September’s trials though, and a long-awaited second trot up in front of an expectant and knowledgeable crowd.

“It's always a little bit novel, but I love doing the trot up,” said Doel, speaking ahead of the event that is back for the first time in two years - due to the Covid-19 pandemic - better than ever, with renewed impetus, a top class field and additional activities on offer.

“The amount of people that come and sit in that main arena and just watch us, that's when you suddenly realise the amount of people that are there to cover it and watch the horses.

“Burghley always has some fantastic eventing fans that turn up to come and watch the horses, so it's always a privilege to be somewhere like that.

“To trot up in front of a couple of hundred people is a fairly novel experience for us. That, to me, is when you really know you're in there and it’s the start of a big, important competition.”

Much of Doel’s eventing prowess stems from his mother Maggie, who competed to an advanced level before Doel stepped into the saddle in what he described as a “natural progression.”

He rode in his first British Eventing competition in March 2007, when he was just 14 and was the British Under 18 national champion just four years later, but it is riding at Burghley that ranks as one of Doel’s career highlights.

“I think people can be tearful when you get there,” he explained.

“Burghley has a real sort of classy feel to it, it's such an impressive estate. For me, it’s one of the toughest but most prestigious events that we can jump around. It's a privilege to be there and it's great to be able to jump around that sort of course.

“I loved it in 2019, it was fantastic. It is one of my favourite events. I had a very slow trip round but we had a great time.”

Doel, whose father Tony has a 350 head of dairy herd, producing milk for Cadbury’s chocolate, is wary that beyond Burghley’s glitz and glamour lies a tough challenge for Galileo, who replaces Shandondale Quest as Doel’s partner in Lincolnshire this time round.

“His dressage is still a work in progress but the Burghley terrain always takes it out to the horses.

“So it's quite a quite an ask for him and he's still sort of a fairly young horse, with a lack of 5* experience, so he might be lacking that little bit of mileage.”

But Doel does have big aspirations for a horse he was initially unsure of due to his slightly gawky appearance, and hopes a strong Burghley display can set the foundations for greater heights in 2023.

“Galileo was long listed for the World Championship British team this year, and there's a European Championships next year, which is his long-term aim.

“He did well at Badminton in the spring, so I'd love to be able to back that up with another top 10 finish in Burghley.”

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (1-4 September 2022) returns after a two-year hiatus, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A major international sporting and social event for over 50 years it attracts 80 of the world’s top equestrians and over 170,000 visitors. For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk