Olympic medallists and world champions head a star-studded entry for the MARS Badminton Horse Trials on May 7-11.
The three members of Britain’s victorious Olympic team in Paris last year are entered and the 2022 world champion Yasmin Ingham will make her Badminton debut, riding Rehy DJ.
The reigning European champions, Ros Canter and her charismatic horse Lordships Graffalo, winners of Badminton in 2023, will be aiming to crown an extraordinary 12 months in which they won Olympic team gold and Burghley. Ros’s teammate Tom McEwen, the world number one, brings his brilliant Paris ride JL Dublin, plus the former Piggy March mount, Brookfield Quality, and Laura Collett, the individual bronze medallist and a Badminton winner in 2022, has entered the two mares Bling and Hester.
The triumphant top three from MARS Badminton 2024 return: defending champion Caroline Powell from New Zealand with Greenacres Special Cavalier, runner-up Lucy Latta from Ireland, who made a splash with her astonishing debut on RCA Patron Saint, and third-placed British rider Alexander Bragg this time riding Ardeo Premier.
Seven of the top 10 riders in the FEI World Rankings are represented. World number two Tim Price has yet to add Badminton to his glittering CV, but he looks to have a great chance with a choice of 2022 world bronze medallist Falco, Burghley runner-up Vitali and Viscount Viktor.
With a home European Championships this year, at Blenheim Palace in September, British riders will be vying for selection to defend gold. A strong home representation at MARS Badminton includes the always competitive Oliver Townend with the exciting mare Cooley Rosalent, already a winner at this level, at Kentucky last year, plus the 18-year-old Ballaghmor Class, one of the all-time equine greats with an extraordinary record at five-star level.
Others to watch include Emily King (Valmy Biats), Gemma Stevens (Jalapeno and Chilli Knight) and Ben Hobday, reunited with Shadow Man, an Olympic silver medallist under Australia’s Chris Burton in Paris. Harry Meade, whose five-horse entry includes Cavalier Crystal and Annaghmore Valoner, third and fourth at Burghley last year, has also taken over the ride on the lovely mare Grafennacht from William Fox-Pitt, the other two being Superstition and Et Hop Du Matz.
“We have competitors from 15 nations wanting to compete at Badminton, from some of the sport’s biggest names to first-timers hoping to pull off an impressive result like Lucy Latta did last year,” said Badminton Director Jane Tuckwell. “It’s going to be a thrilling competition and there is no doubt that the British team’s wonderful performance in Paris last year has been an inspiration and a shot in the arm for five-star eventing. It is exciting the entry contains eight horses who have won a five star”
With more than 100 entries received, 17 combinations are currently waitlisted. The 15 nations represented, many by Olympic riders, are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and USA.
For a full list of entries, visit the website here.
