Burghley does not do soft landings. It is a prestigious 5* event in Lincolnshire, a proper test, and David Doel is heading back to it with something to prove. After finishing runner-up there in 2023 and being eliminated in 2024, the 33-year-old returns for the Defender Burghley Horse Trials in September with two rides and a clear ambition: get back in the mix for the podium.
That is the sensible headline. The more interesting one is that he is doing it with both continuity and a fresh layer of possibility. Galileo Nieuwmoed is the established name, the horse with whom Doel has already built a serious record at the top level, while Midnight Rollercoaster brings a different kind of intrigue. One is the proven Burghley horse; the other is the late bloomer still learning how far he can go.
Galileo Nieuwmoed brings the obvious threat
Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed have now produced eight top 10 finishes at 5* events, which is not the sort of record you stumble into by accident. There is genuine substance there, and Burghley in 2025 gives them another chance to turn that consistency into something bigger. Doel has been direct about the target too. He says the aim is to win it, and that Galileo Nieuwmoed will be aiming for that sub-30 dressage that should put them “there or there abouts”.
That is the right sort of confidence. Not bluster, not wishful thinking, just a rider who knows that at this level, fine margins are everything. Burghley is not the place for vague optimism. If Galileo Nieuwmoed delivers the dressage score Doel believes he can, then suddenly the whole week looks very different.
Midnight Rollercoaster adds a different kind of value
The second ride is less about title talk and more about progress. Midnight Rollercoaster made his 5* debut at Badminton in May and finished 25th, which is hardly glamorous but absolutely useful. Doel has been clear that with him, the goal is another 5* completion, which would be “absolutely fantastic” for the horse. That matters because not every useful horse is being aimed straight at the sharp end. Some are being built, carefully, one step at a time.
Doel also pointed out that Midnight Rollercoaster is a little older and reached the top level later in life, much like Galileo Nieuwmoed. He can be a bit cheeky, but he tries really hard. That is not a throwaway line; it is the kind of description riders use when they trust a horse’s engine even if the polish is still catching up.
Burghley has already given him both highs and setbacks
Burghley has already shown both sides of the sport to Doel. In 2023 he finished runner-up there, which is the sort of result that puts a rider firmly on the map. Last year, though, he was eliminated after Galileo Nieuwmoed fell during the cross-country. That is the brutal arithmetic of top-level eventing: one year you are almost on the podium, the next you are walking away empty-handed.
That history is exactly why this return matters. Doel has described Burghley as one of his favourite places to go, praising the atmosphere and the way the event is run. Fine. But affection alone does not get you a result there. The course will still ask the hard questions, and this time Doel has to answer them better than he did last year.
There is, though, a neat sense of symmetry to the ride on Midnight Rollercoaster. Doel said the horse was effectively a catch ride last year because Alison Lidstone had a knee replacement, and that after getting him qualified for 5*, she was happy for him to jump round with them again. It is a small but telling detail: this is not just a one-off entry list appearance, but a proper piece of horse management and trust.
So yes, the story is simple enough on the surface. David Doel is back at Burghley on September 3-6 with Galileo Nieuwmoed and Midnight Rollercoaster. But the stakes are higher than a routine return. One horse gives him a legitimate shot at the podium. The other gives him a chance to build momentum. After last year’s elimination, that is exactly the sort of balance he needs.
