Classic Eventing Nation

63 Horses Pass Final Inspection at Badminton

By on May 6, 2013 5:34 am -

Michael Jung and Sam are the pair to beat today at Badminton.

Sixty-three horses move on after the final horse inspection — including all the U.S. and Canadian pairs — at Badminton and will show jump today starting at 11 a.m. local time. Seventy horses completed the cross country, and four withdrew before the inspection: Mark Todd and Ravenstar, Ludwig Svennerstal and Alexander, Mattia Luciani and Parko 4, and Lauren Shannon and Zero Flight. Andreas Dibowski and Butts Leon were the only pair to be spun. Five pairs were held and passed upon reinspection: Jock Paget and Clifton Promise, Caroline Powell and Boston Two Tip, Sebastian Mateu and Born Again, Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz, and Jim Newsam and Magennis.

Jock Paget and Clifton Promise.

It’s another beautiful day here at Badminton, with sunny skies and temperatures expected to rise to seasonal highs today. While we definitely saw some tired horses at the jog, I’m happy to report that the vast majority of horses looked to have recovered beautifully after tackling the cross country yesterday. Jock Paget and Clifton Promise — who are currently in second place — gave everyone a bit of a scare when they were held as the third pair to jog. Thankfully, the horse passed on reinspection. The large crowd that turned out to watch the jog was also surprised when favorites Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz — who are sitting in 16th place overnight — were held, but they also passed upon reinspection to loud applause.

William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk

All of the North American pairs looked fantastic in the trot up, with Ringwood Magister feeling particularly good. Just like at the initial horse inspection on Thursday, Finn played the whole way up the jog lane as Tiana tried to stop him from cantering. He also pranced the whole way back down, with the crowd giving him an appreciative cheer. Clark Montgomery and Universe (41st), Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz (51st), and Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (22nd) will all show jump in the morning group, while Tiana and Finn — who are sitting in 10th place overnight — will show jump in the final group to go at 1:30 p.m. local time. Check back for more jog photos, and stay tuned for much more from Badminton!

[Final Inspection] [Cross-Country Results] [Show Jumping Times]

 

Badminton Final Horse Inspection Live: Twitter and Radio Badminton

By on May 6, 2013 2:21 am -

In addition to Horse & Hound’s live blogs and FEI TV, Radio Badminton has been a third and excellent source of live coverage at Badminton.  According to Radio Badminton, they will be live and on the air at 8:15am local, 3:15am ET, presumably with coverage of the Badminton final horse inspection, which starts at 8:30am local (that’s 3:30am ET, because I know Kyle Carter reads EN).  We love you Kyle.  If you want coverage of the final horse inspection, you have three main options:

1) Watch the live Twitter feed on the EN homepage

2) Click here and find the Radio Badminton player on the right side of the Badminton homepage

3) Wait for Jenni to post her update from the jog right here on EN.  At the speed Jenni types, it will show up around a minute and a half after the jog.

The show jumping starts at 11am local, 6:00am ET.  The top 20 pairs will ride at 1:30pm local, 8:30pm ET.  Check back right here on EN for Horse and Hound’s live blog and our complete show jumping coverage.  Go eventing.

Badminton Show Jumping Monday News and Notes from Success Equestrian

By on May 6, 2013 1:10 am -

Michael Jung and Sam will show jump for the win today at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Good morning, EN readers! Today is the final day of Badminton, weirdly on a Monday, and today will determine whether Michael Jung crushes the $350 k dreams of WFP and Andrew Nicholson, or whether everyone drops rails and an American takes the prize  (highly unlikely, but we can always hope!). Over in the U.S., the eventing community is gearing up for the Jersey Fresh CCI 3* this weekend, with many top riders being involved in both the CIC 3* and CCI 3* divisions. Good luck to our North American contingent on Badminton SJ day and good luck to competitors at one of our top North American events, Jersey Fresh, this weekend!

Weekend Results:

Badminton Final Inspection, SJ Live Scores

Heart of the Carolinas 3-day Event

Weatherford and Greenwood Farm CIC2*, CIC1*, HT

MCTA HT

Poplar Place May HT

Events Opening this Week:

Shepherd Ranch SYVPC H.T. I (California, A-6) Fox River Valley Pony Club H.T. CIC1* and CCI1* (Illinois, A-4) Great Vista Horse Trials (New York, A-1) Encore H.T. (Michigan, A-8) Surefire H.T. (Virginia, A-2) Abbe Ranch H.T. (Colorado, A-9)Midsouth Pony Club H.T. (Kentucky, A-8)

Monday News:

Michael Jung holds onto his dressage lead after cross-country at Badminton with his WEG and Olympic partner La Biosthetique Sam FBW. Jock Paget moved up from fourth to second, as Stefano Breccairoli (2nd after dressage) had time penalties, and Dirk Schrade (3rd after dressage) retired on course. Michael and Sam have less than a rail over Jock, and exactly a rail over third placed William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk. If Michael and Sam drop a rail, and Jonathan Paget has one as well, William will win as his XC time was closest to the optimum. [Badminton Results]

The battle between WFP and Andrew Nicholson continues; after cross-country William retained his .2 lead over Andrew and Nereo. While the rivalry may be null and void if Michael keeps his lead, or Jonathan Paget takes it over, it’s still exciting seeing who might walk away with a fat check this weekend. I know who I’m rooting for; I won’t give it away but I will say he is riding a horse that rhymes with ‘Smarklane Mawk.’ If WFP and Parklane Hawk win, he will be the first horse to win all three Grand Slam events. [Badminton XC from H&H]

Every single North American rider that started Badminton on Friday is still in contention on show jumping day. Tiana Coudray leads the pack with Ringwood Magister; they put in a stellar dressage test and an even better cross-country round to start their Monday in tenth. Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master added just .8 time penalties to their cross-country score to move up 10 spots to 22nd. Clark Montgomery might have hoped to have had a better dressage score, but there’s no way he can be unhappy about his cross-country round on Universe; the pair jumped beautifully around the course to add just six time penalties. Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz continue their record-breaking quest to become the first horse and rider pair to complete all five 4* with a clean jumping round as well. [EN XC Report]

Check back with Eventing Nation early tomorrow for the Final Horse Inspection from Badminton. The inspection starts at 8:30 a.m. (3:30 ET), with Show Jumping beginning at 11:00 (6:00 ET), and the top 20 to jump at 1:30 (8:30 ET). Having been to Badminton twice, my favorite part of the SJ (besides the jumping itself) was the parade of the Duke of Beaufort’s hounds. Picture a full hunting party with hounds in the main arena at Badminton and you’ll see why it’s so great. [Badminton Timetable]

Orb won the Kentucky Derby yesterday on a sloppy track, on a miserable rainy day. The colt, trained by Lexington native, and veteran trainer Sug McGaughey, came from behind to win by a convincing three lengths. Orb was the co-favorite coming into race day, and didn’t disappoint. While he wasn’t my pick to win (I never pick the right ones), the win gives me hope of finally seeing a Triple Crown winner. This is a great colt, that’s been brought along by the right people, and with a little luck, he could go all the way. [NY Times]
Whoever this lady is, she’s amazing.

 

Video:  Michael Jung and Sam’s XC round from Sunday

 

Badminton Press Conference: As Transcribed by a Sunburned Reporter

By on May 5, 2013 6:56 pm -

When I asked friends for advice on venturing to England — something I’ve never done before until this weekend — they essentially told me to pack every warm and waterproof piece of clothing I own. Well, considering how sunburned I am right now, I’d say I packed the wrong wardrobe entirely. No matter — I’ll be bathing in sunscreen tomorrow before the trot up at 8:30 a.m. local time to bring you a full report on the pairs we’ll see in show jumping tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’ve finally managed to get the video of the press conference following cross country to upload. Unfortunately, the audio is a bit hard to hear — as people were boozing on the other side of the press tent — so feel free to follow along with the following very accurately transcribed subtitles:

Peter (the wonderful press conference facilitator): “Michael — you’re essentially here this weekend to dash the Grand Slam dreams of Andrew Nicholson and William Fox-Pitt, yes?”

Michael: “Most people don’t know this, but Sam is a unicorn, and we actually fly slightly above the ground on the cross-country course, which really saves him from tiring around tough tracks like Badminton.”

Peter: “So you’re saying the horse can become completely airborne?”

Michael: “Yes, it’s a new type of sport horse we’re breeding in Germany specifically for eventing. It’s really come in handy on four-star tracks like this one.”

Reporter: “Michael, were there any surprises for you on course or places where you thought Sam’s magical unicorn dust would prevent him from getting around?”

Michael: “No, Sam actually has an endless supply of unicorn dust.”

Reporter: “Were you surprised that you didn’t take a swim at The Lake?”

Michael: “Could you please repeat the question?”

Reporter: “How did Sam manage to scramble through the brushes at The Lake?”

Miichael: “Like I said before, Sam’s unicorn dust gives him the ability to leap tall brushes in a single bound. I just sprinkle on extra when needed.”

Peter: “Now to Jock Paget. How did Clifton Promise cope with the heat wave that seemed to hit South Gloucestershire at approximately 3 p.m. local time?”

Jock: “The Kiwi horses are too focused on the job at hand to worry about things like ‘heat’ and ‘sunshine’ in England, so he went quite well.”

Peter: “What parts of the course rode trickier than you expected?”

Jock: “I thought The Lake was quite tricky, as we saw with Michael Jung’s horse. It’s a good thing they had that unicorn dust to get them around safely.”

Reporter: “Mark Todd more or less described the course as a glorified three-star. Can you comment on that in a way that won’t insult the designer, organizers and everyone involved with the event?”

Jock: “I’d prefer not to answer that question?”

William and Michael: “You REALLY shouldn’t answer this.”

Peter: “To repeat the question, Mark Todd said he thought it was more of a three-star course. Please don’t answer this question.”

Jock: “The footing was really good, and Michael dropped a bit of unicorn dust in the morning with Leopin FST, so that really helped the rest of us.”

Peter: “Now to William Fox-Pitt. Remember how you had a runout with Oslo? How did that change your ride with Parklane Hawk in the afternoon?”

William: “Well, I’m trying to win $350,000 this weekend, so I figured I should try not to have a runout with Parklane Hawk. We kicked on and I made it home double clear despite the fact that I smashed my finger into smithereens at Rolex last weekend.”

Peter: “It’s a good thing you had that first trip with Oslo so you didn’t make the same mistakes with the second horse.”

William: “Yes, I do believe you’re right.”

Reporter: “Did you mean to take the longer route when you screwed up on course with Parklane Hawk?”

William: “Yes, that was 100-percent intentional on my part.”

Peter: “The obvious question for William is how he feels about the two men sitting to his right trying to ruin his chances to take home $350,000.”

William: “I feel great about it. Who needs $350,000 anyways? May the best man win, and I hope Michael’s unicorn dust carries him to the victory tomorrow.”

Go Eventing.

Badminton XC Videos: MJ and Sam, Tiana, Rebecca, & More

By on May 5, 2013 5:43 pm -

Youtube user Pegasus444444 uploaded cross-country videos from a few riders today.  Here’s overnight leader Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam, as well as Tiana, and Rebecca on cross-country.  Scroll down for an interview with Colleen and a great save.

[Michael Jung and Sam XC]

[Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister]

[Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master]

Here’s an interview with Colleen and coach Jimmy Wofford

A great job sitting it out from Emily Galbraith and Timing

Jacky Green: Cross-Country Day at Badminton

By on May 5, 2013 5:33 pm -

Jacky Green works for her own Jacky Green Equestrian Media company and operates out of Maizey Manor Farm in the UK, and she is a regular Eventing Nation contributor. Today Jacky has kindly sent us her thoughts from cross-country day.  As always, thanks for writing this Jacky and thank you for reading.
—-

Photo by Jenni Autry

From Jacky:

Jenni has been doing such a fantastic job I hardly need to update on anything from Badminton as you have it all already!  But a few things you might like to know…

Moving the XC start time to 12pm from the normal 11am makes it a very long morning for spectators; if you drive in you need to be on the grounds by 8.30am at the latest if you don’t want to spend 2 or 3 hours sitting in traffic.  The traffic control is excellent but the problem lies in the fact that Badminton is a little country village with narrow country lanes that approach it from the major roads in all directions. And do not ever leave and try and return. The traffic control swaps to the outbound traffic around at about 3pm and one year Wiggy Channer (partner of Andrew Nicholson) had to leave and return before the end of XC day and found it literally impossible to get back in as all the incoming lanes were cordoned off!

As for activities on XC day, if you are a fan of shopping in a crushing crowd you could do that but as I am sure you have gathered by now that is not my idea of fun.  The other option is to hit The Outside Chance which is the on-site-by-the-lake bar and restaurant at Badminton.  Run by Howard Spooner who owns clubs in London along with Guy Pelly such as Public, this brings a touch of class with sofas and screens inside and an outside seating area with a view to die for.  This does not come cheap however, a glass of Pimms will set you back £5 and a small ( and I mean tiny) glass of wine £4.50.  This seemed not to deter many who appeared to spend the entire day there not least a bunch of Kiwis who are going to have to rely on Eventing Nation tomorrow to catch up on the action they missed today!

Course chat….. Sir Mark Todd made his thoughts quite clear when he said in public that he thought “it was a 3 star course with a few 4 star fences thrown in.”  The word in the lorry park after the first walk was that the track was “boring”, “plain”, “unimaginative” and “soft.”  The stats today seemed to rather bear that out as the leaderboard did not see any dramatic changes and, although there was the odd drama, it seemed that Toddy was right.  No one wants to see horses falling or overfaced but as Sir Mark said, we used to walk Badminton and be actually scared!  So much history has been lost, no Tom Smiths Walls, no real Vicarage V, no Luckington Lane, no massive ditches like the Cottesmore Leap at Burghley, and yet Badminton has no budget problems and really could and should lift its game if it wants to be considered one of the best in the World.  The legendary course builder Tommy Brennan mapped out the 1991 European Champs in Punchestown on beer mats so legend says, and we walked a track that used all of Ireland’s history as feature fences.  One of the most popular choices is for Ian Stark, aka the Flying Scot, to course build there although those that propose him say they will retire before he does!  It just seems a slightly sad day for Badminton when the most exciting phase is the showjumping. Tomorrow will be really close but today should have made more of a difference than it did. And that is not to take away anything from those who jumped fabulous rounds today, it just means that they should have moved up more than they did by such an exemplary display of riding than they have.

Michael Jung and Sam Maintain Badminton Lead; North America Rocks

By on May 5, 2013 2:45 pm -

This is what sitting in 10th place after Badminton XC feels like.

Michael Jung and Sam survived a scary moment at The Lake to come home 13 seconds inside the time on cross-country day to maintain their lead going into show jumping tomorrow at Badminton. When you watch the video from the press conference — which I’ll have uploaded later today — you’ll notice that I start laughing quite uncontrollably when someone asked Michael Jung if he expected to make it through at The Lake. Michael paused with a smirk as if trying to think of a way to tactfully say, “Of course I expected to make it; that’s what I DO.” After seeing Michael ride in person this weekend and chatting with him a bit this morning, I think it’s very clear that he and Sam are nowhere near done taking international eventing by storm. And barring an anomaly in show jumping tomorrow, Michael will add a Badminton victory to his long list of accolades.

Nico Morgan Photography.">Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

We saw an incredible 23 double-clear cross country trips today, as the footing was perfect and the course quite flat in comparison to other four-star tracks, making for easy going. Just eight pairs were eliminated — with five of those being falls — and five retired on course, giving this year’s Badminton cross country an 85 percent completion rate. Mary King, who was sitting in 15th place after cross country with Kings Temptress, was eliminated at the Farmyard when she missed the flag and unfortunately did not check with the fence judge and carried on with her ride. Bettina Hoy and Lanfranco TSF, who were sitting in 18th after dressage, had a very scary fall at the Huntsman’s Close and were also eliminated. There were no major injuries to horses or riders, making this a very safe day of cross country.

Nico Morgan Photography.">Clark Montgomery and Universe. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

The real story of the day as far as I’m concerned is how brilliantly our North American riders performed here on a very tough track. All four of our pairs — Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz, Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister, Clark Montgomery and Universe, and Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master — jumped clear around Badminton. This is a huge achievement, and I’ll take it as a good omen that U.S. eventing is heading in the right direction. Tiana and Finn go into the show jumping tomorrow in 10th place after coming home with just two time penalties, and she looked absolutely elated when I chatted with her in the mix zone after her trip home. As she said in the interview — which you can watch below — Finn has truly matured and is coming into his own, making him a very exciting horse for the future.

Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

I keep asking Colleen Rutledge what it means to her to be making history this weekend, and she keeps telling me that it’s not official yet. But after she jumped clean around Badminton with Luke — coming home with just four time penalties to move up 26 places — I’d say we might as well start celebrating already. When Colleen and Luke complete the show jumping tomorrow — and they will! — they will be the first pair in history to complete five of the world’s six CCI4* events as a team. Jimmy Wofford is here supporting and coaching Colleen this weekend, and I got a bit choked up when he gave her a giant hug in the mix zone after her ride. I know how much this weekend and this horse mean to Colleen, and I am so so SO happy for her. Be sure to watch the great interview she gave me after her ride below.

William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

Clark Montgomery and Universe also had a fantastic trip, coming home with 6.4 time penalties to complete the horse’s first four-star cross-country course. Aside from a rocky moment at Savills’ Staircase — where Clark quickly and smartly rerouted to the option — this was a lovely ride. I saw Clark and Buzzy at the Keeper’s Brush coming toward home, and the horse absolutely launched himself over it. Clark said in my interview with him after his ride — which you can see below — that he was very pleased with the horse’s performance, and he jumped very well around the course. Canadian Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master also had a good day, coming home with just .8 time penalties to be the fastest of our North American pairs. As John said in his open thread, Rebecca and Rupert might have secured a spot on the Canadian WEG team after their performance today.

Michael Jung and Sam. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

I kept hearing different crowd estimates all day, with some saying as many as 200,000 people attended Badminton today to watch the horses and riders go on a truly beautiful day in England. We go into tomorrow’s show jumping with Grand Slam contenders William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk sitting in third place and Andrew Nicholson and Nereo sitting in fourth place. Michael Jung did admit during the press conference that he was a bit worried about how Sam would jump in the Badminton stadium tomorrow, as the horses started and came home in the same ring on cross country today. It’s likely we will see a lot of riders struggle with horses that are very up and energized by the atmosphere, and it will take very skilled riding to leave all the rails in the cups tomorrow. Stay tuned for a full press conference report and much more from Badminton.

Nico Morgan Photography.">Jock Paget and Clifton Promise. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

Last but not least, I have to send a very special shout out to photographer extraordinaire Nico Morgan, who graciously came over to me as I was typing up this report for you and asked if I wanted photos of our North American riders. Considering I was running around all day trying to get rider interviews and videos, I wasn’t able to take great photos, so I’m so very grateful to Nico for his very kind offer. Be sure to like Nico’s Facebook page as thanks for providing EN with these beautiful photos with the stunning backdrop of the Badminton house. Go Nico.

[Ride Times] [Fence Analysis] [Live Scores]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WJ6V4SdJ98
Tiana Coudray post-XC interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BboMukEOZdY
Colleen Rutledge post-XC interview 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOJIxMa5yW0
Clark Montgomery post-XC interview 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HFbbGZbWKs
Rebecca Howard post-XC interview 

More: [Olivia Wilmot and Cool Dancer at Saville’s Staircase]
[Clark Montgomery and Universe out of the start box]
[Clare Lewis and Sidnificant at the PHEV Village]

Open Thread: North American Badminton XC Rides

By on May 5, 2013 12:37 pm -

Check back here throughout Sunday morning for quick, provisional, and typo-riddled recaps after each ride of the four North American riders competing at Badminton.  Click here for Horse and Hound’s Badminton live blog and click here to watch the action on FEI TV for a subscription.  Good luck to everyone and keep refreshing this page for updates!

[XC Live Scores, XC Ride Times, Badminton Audio Interviews, Fence Analysis, Live Tweets, Course Info, Jenni’s XC Preview]

10:17am ET Clark Montgomery and Universe (USA) — Clark and the fireplug Universe were getting lots of love from Oli Townend on the FEI TV as well as the commentators on Radio Badminton and H&H’s live blog in this horse’s first time around a four-star.  Clark saved the round at fence #22, Savills’ Staircase. According to Radio Badminton, they jumped up the first step really big, got under the second step, stumbled up the second step, and then they turned hard to the optional route before presenting to the fast route. Fortunately the jump judges scored them clear. They finished 16 seconds over the optimum and provisionally clear in what appears to be a fabulous first four-star performance.  Go Clark!

Note: If you don’t have FEI TV, Radio Badminton is a good option to follow live in addition to Horse and Hound’s live blog.  Go to the Badminton website and then find the Radio Badminton link in the right sidebar.

10:30am Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz (USA) — The incredible team of Colleen and Luke successfully finished their fifth different four-star cross-country at Badminton, crossing the finish line clear and just 10 seconds over the optimum.  They will go into the cross-country on their score of 67.2.  What more can you say about this pair, absolutely brilliant — go Colleen and Luke!!

10:55am Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (CAN) — The only Canadian pair in the Badminton field skipped around the Badminton cross-country course, making it look easy and finishing just two seconds over the optimum.  Rupert never looked hurried and he looked better and better throughout the course.  This pair was already a front-runner for Canada at the WEGs in Normandy, but this round puts them right at the top of the list.  Go Rupert!

11:45am Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister (USA) — Tiana and “Finian” were looking for a comeback weekend after a prematurely short XC ride stop on cross-country in London last year.  They got that and more today with a brilliant ride around their first Badminton.  Finian jumped neatly around the course, making much of it look like a show jumping round.  In a scary moment, Finian’s right front wrap came unraveled in the Badminton Lake, possibly after he scraped it on the brush jump into the water.  It was hard to see on the video, but it looked like it was a porter boot.  Tiana made it obvious that she elected to take the optional route at the Staircase that nearly gave Clark and Universe a problem.   Tiana and Finian finished with 5 seconds over the optimum.  Whatever happens with the rest of the rides today, they will be in great position going into the show jumping.  In her post-ride interview, Tiana was beaming and said her ride got “better and better” as they got going on course.  Go Tiana and Finian!

A Great Day for North America: In a nice change of pace from past years, North America rocked Badminton today.  All four North American pairs who started Badminton finished the course clear, finishing a collective total of 33 seconds over the optimum.

12:15pm Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam – Michael survived a hairy moment at the Lake, wiggling his way out over the brushes, and made it through another awkward moment at the Mirage Pond, which has seemed to ride that way most of the day.  Michael and Sam quickly put those bobbles behind them and finished the rest of the course strong and easily within the time.  “He’s such a machine,” according to Badminton radio.  Machine, indeed.  Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam will go into show jumping with the overnight lead, still on their dressage score of 36.0.

12:27pm William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk – The hope of Great Britain finished clear and just inside the optimum time, leaving him 4 penalty points – exactly one rail- behind Michael Jung and Sam.  If that rail were to fall, WFP would win the tiebreak by being closer to optimum on cross-country.  However, Jock Padgett and Clifton Promise sit between them in second, with 39.7.  The drama continues!

** William reports in the Badminton Radio interview that the course is riding “more interesting than it walked.”  He also said that his broken finger, sustained in the show jumping at Rolex, likely caused the problems with Oslo.  He was unable to gather his reins properly, and thus had a runby the corner.  William said he went out and bought really thin reins to use for Parklane Hawk… clearly a good decision!

12:40pm  Andrew Nicholson and Nereo – Nereo used his big stride to bounce through the one-stride in the Lake, and continued around the course in bold fashion, finishing double-clear.  Andrew Nicholson and Nereo sit just behind William Fox-Pitt in fourth, 40.2.

It was a lovely, successful day today at Badminton.  There was trouble here and there throughout the course:  Pippa Funnel had a runout at the brush at the top of the Staircase, Bettina Hoy suffered a scary fall at the Huntsman’s Close, Mary King missed a flag with Kings Temptress and was eliminated, Dirk Schrade and Zara Phillips both retired.  However, there were 58 clear rounds, and most inside the time or close to it.  The show jumping will definitely be interesting tomorrow!

[Live Scores]

North American Results:

  • Tiana Coudray & Ringwood Magister  – 45.3    10th place
  • Rebecca Howard & Riddle Master – 52.1   22nd place
  • Clark Montgomery & Universe – 60.7   40th place
  • Colleen Rutledge & Shiraz – 67.2  tied for 49th place (but will lose OT tiebreak)

Go eventing.

Badminton XC Live Blog from Horse & Hound

By on May 5, 2013 9:38 am -

Click below for a live blog of the Badminton competition from our friends at the Horse and Hound, and click here for the Horse and Hound’s complete Badminton coverage.  Eastern time is Badminton time -5 hours, meaning that the first Sunday ride is 12:00pm local and 7:00am ET.  The last XC ride is scheduled for 12:32pm ET.

[Badminton Radio (Sidebar), Watch Online on FEI TV (Subscription Required), XC Live Scores, XC Ride Times, TV Listings, Badminton Audio Interviews, Course Info, Jenni’s XC Preview]

XC Live Blog Coverage: H&H website editor Carol Phillips will be joined by fellow eventing fan Sarah Jenkins on cross-country day.

Video: Our understanding is that FEI TV will carry the XC and show jumping world-wide for a fee, and the BBC will have online coverage for UK viewers.  [More Info]

Radio Badminton: If you can’t access the FEI TV video, Radio Badminton provides live audio from the event.  Click here and look for the Radio Badminton link in the sidebar.

If the live blog doesn’t work in your browser, click here.

Go eventing.

Quick Badminton XC Update + Michael Jung Interview

By on May 5, 2013 9:11 am -

Michael Jung and Leopin FST had one stop on course at Savills' Staircase.

We’re approaching the halfway mark here on cross-country day at Badminton, and I’m popping in to bring you a quick update and some videos of the course. So far, the course has ridden very well, with 10 riders coming home double clear thus far. I imagine we’ll see that number grow much higher throughout the day, as the going is very good and the footing is fantastic. Much to everyone’s surprise, Michael Jung has not been one of those double clear rides thus far, as he was caught out at Savills’ Staircase with Leopin FST as one of the first rides of the morning. I caught him for an interview after the ride, which you can see below. We now know that Ze Terminator isn’t invincible, but you can bet he won’t make the same mistake twice with his ride on La Biosthetique Sam FBW this afternoon.

Mary King and Imperial Cavalier gallop away from The Lake.

Savill’s Staircase, which is fence 22 of 30 on course, also caught out Michael Ryan and Ballylynch Skyport. The other tricky fence on course thus far is right before Savill’s Staircase at fence 21, the HSBC Market Square, which has caught out both Kristina Cook and De Novo News and William Fox-Pitt and Oslo. Ben Hobday has taken the only tumble of the day thus far when he parted ways with Gun A Be Good at the Farmyard. There have been three retirements on course, with Izzy Taylor and KBIS Briarlands Matilda retiring at the Footbridge, Kai Ruder and Leprince Des Bois retiring at fence nine, and Emily Galbraith and Timing retiring at the Huntsman’s Close. Lucy Jackson and Willy Do withdrew before cross country. It’s about to get very exciting with Clark Montgomery set to kick things off for the Americans at 2:48 local time. I’ll be bringing you post-ride interviews with Clark, Colleen Rutledge, Tiana Coudray and Rebecca Howard. Stay tuned!

[Ride Times] [Fence Analysis] [Live Scores]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvCEQgXHGjg
Chatting with Ze Terminator himself 

Videos of XC:

[Kristina Cook and De Novo News through The Lake]

[Sarah Stratton and Skip On at the Keeper’s Brush and Logs]