Burton came into the final day with a comfortable advantage and knew he could lower four of the fences and still finish at the top of the standings.

As it turned out, he needed every one of them as horse Nobilis 18 showed signs of fatigue towards the end, meaning he amassed 16 penalties to for an overall 49.4.

The result saw him become the first Australian winner of the Burghley Horse Trials since Lucinda Fredericks rode Headley Britannia to victory back in 2006.

Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand, a five-time winner of the four-day event in Stamford in England, recorded six penalties on board Nereo on his way to a score of 53.2, 3.8 adrift of Burton's winning total.

The performance from Nicholson was greeted with rapturous applause on the course as this time last year, the New Zealander was recovering from a serious accident that left him with a broken neck.

His compatriot Jonelle Price, an Olympic bronze medallist at London 2012, took third place with 54.1, losing just four penalties in the showjumping finale.

She was only able to end the competition on the podium after husband Tim lowered three fences on Ringwood Sky Boy, which saw him drop a spot in the rankings to fourth.

"I thought I’d keep it interesting for everyone by making it as close as possible,” Burton, a member of the Australian side which won team evening bronze at Rio 2016, said.

“He’s basically a careful showjumper and he warmed up well, but in the end he got a bit tired and had a few down.”

"On Wednesday morning I walked along Winners’ Avenue looking at all the plaques with the names of all the old boys on them. 

"I thought then how good it would be to add my name to the line."

Nicholson, whose performance marked a remarkable return to form, was pleased to complete the event, part of the International Equestrian Federation Classics series, on a high.

“I’m very proud of him," he said of his horse. 

"He’s getting on a bit and this is one of the few cross-country courses he doesn’t really enjoy going around because of the hills.

“But he does what he’s got to do whether he enjoys it or not – that’s the sort of horse he is.”