FORMER world and European eventing champion Zara Tindall and leading jump jockey Bridget Andrews will captain their respective teams in the JCB Champions Challenge at this weekend’s St. James’s Place Barbury International Horse Trials.

The unique horse race between the country’s top riders will be held on Saturday in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF), featuring two teams competing against each other over a specially-designed course in Barbury’s main arena.

Tindall, an Olympic silver medallist with Great Britain in 2012, captained the Eventers in the inaugural running of the challenge in 2014 and will be joined by Ireland’s Jonty Evans, New Zealand Olympic rider Dan Jocelyn and British eventer Holly Woodhead.

Andrews, one of the country’s most successful female jump jockeys since joining the stable of trainer Dan Skelton, is joined by three multiple Cheltenham Festival-winning riders Nico De Boinville, who won the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup and 2016 Champion Chase, Wayne Hutchinson, stable jockey to Barbury-based Alan King and Harry Skelton, son of 2016 Olympic showjumping hero, Nick Skelton and stable jockey to his brother Dan.

Badminton Horse Trials winner Andrew Nicholson, the Marlborough-based five-time consecutive winner of the CIC*** competition at Barbury, heads the field at this year’s trials, which get under way tomorrow.

The four-day event includes leg three of the 2017 Event Rider Masters series, in which Nicholson will compete on his Badminton winner Nereo, as well as an international CIC*** competition and three international CIC** competitions and British Eventing, Arena Eventing, Burghley Young Event Horse classes and the Retraining of Racehorses Championship.

Nicholson said: “Nereo is ready for Barbury. We have been cantering him and other Barbury-bound horses on the estate’s all-weather gallop.

“This will be his first run since his Badminton win. He is in good form and our aim is to secure a sixth Barbury title and the ERM leg.’’ Advanced discounted tickets and hospitality are available to book until 6pm before each event day, with tickets then be available to purchase on the gate. See Barburyhorsetrials.co.uk for more information.