BILL Levett insisted missing out on the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials title would not dampen his spirits after a strong finish.

Australian Levett, of Chipping Campden, and 10-year-old gelding Improvise went into the final show jumping event sitting in ninth place.

A solid cross-country performance had pulled them six places up the leaderboard following the opening dressage rounds.

The cross-country course, designed by Captain Mark Phillips, proved to be a challenging one for all riders with no one going inside the time.

But, with a clear round under their belts, Levett and Improvise repeated the trick in the show jumping, to move up to sixth.

Their double clear run still left them someway off eventual winner Andrew Nicholson, who won the competition for a record third-straight time, but Levett admitted there were still plenty of reasons to celebrate in his camp.

“I was really thrilled. I was hoping for a clear round and it all came out and worked as planned,” he said. “I didn’t know how the horse would cope but he’s been brilliant.

“It’s always nice to finish on a good note because you can have such a high on Saturday and it can be bit disheartening on Sunday.

“But for us all to go home with a clear round, it’s the icing on the cake.

“It was a bit messy with the early part of the cross-country but Improvise’s genuine enough and picked up again.

“He is phenomenally brave and the further he went he got stronger. He’s proved he earned his chance at it and that he can jump the biggest fences.

“Improvise is full of running, he’s got stamina to burn.

“He’s only little and you think, ‘where did you get that engine from?’ but he just keeps going.”

The prestigious four-star event followed hot on the heels of the previous week’s World Equestrian Games, attended by Levett, who has been based in the United Kingdom since 1994.

But, with the season now winding down, he is looking forward to quiet time before coming back even stronger next year.

The multi-award-winning Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, from September 4 to 7, have been established as a major international equestrian and social event in the autumn sporting calendar for more than 50 years. For more, visit burghley-horse.co.uk.