Badminton always feels like some sort of crazy whiplash right after Kentucky to me, but in a good way. I mean, it’s basically madness that tons of riders compete in the most difficult competition in North America and then hop off their horses on Sunday and fly across the ocean only to do it all over again. Do these people not need sleep? Do they not need to recover? Clearly we are not worthy.
National Holiday: National Day of Reason
Major Events:
Badminton: Website, Dressage Start Lists, Results, Schedule, How to Watch Live, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Form Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
U.S. Weekend Preview:
MCTA H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]
Heart of the Carolinas 3DE & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Poplar Place Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
The Event at Skyline H.T. [Website]
News From Around the Globe:
US Eventer Madeline Backus is one of the youngest riders at Badminton this year. At only 22 years old, she competes her little mare P.S. Arianna, who was a 10th birthday present, and bred by her farrier. Thanks to the Rebecca Broussard National Developing Rider Grant and the Wilton Fair Grant, Madeline was able to bring herself and her horses abroad to the UK for the season to get ready for Badders. [Meet Badminton First Timers Madeline Backus & P.S. Arianna]
Let’s not forget that the Kentucky Derby runs this weekend too! Basically this is the two most exciting weeks in the equestrian world all year. With the draw order out on the table, the favorite as of this time is the undefeated colt Justified, trained by Bob Baffert. However, the catch is that Justified has only run in 2018, and no horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Derby without running as a two-year-old. Can Justified break the curse? [Draw Order, Odds, and Contenders for Derby 2018]
Thanks to his win last week in Kentucky, Oliver Townend has taken over FEI World Number One. He tops longtime leader Michael Jung, who has led since 2015, by just one ranking point. With the stage set for perhaps another Grand Slam winner, Oliver is happy to hear of his spot on the world rankings. However, Miche is hot on his heels this weekend…[Oliver Townend Takes Number One]
