Here it is — the Big, Bad, Bold Badminton Form Guide to your horses and riders for our 2026 edition. Hold on tight and follow along below as the riders take to the field (and the sandbox and the stadium)!
Below, you’ll find a quick write-up on each pair in the 5* field’s recent form leading up to this weekend. If you click here, you can also view much more on each and every horse in the field if you really want to dig in. This way, you can still view the Form Guide somewhat in it’s traditional form, but if you’re a real rabbit hole diver, the opportunity is there.
The entries are listed in Draw Order (you can view ALL entries and their ride times here). Click on each horse and rider’s trading card below to open their full profile. The entries are current as of publication, but should we have any more withdrawals ahead of the start of dressage, we’ll be sure to notate next to that entry here. Many kudos to EN team members Cheg Darlington and Allie Heninger for their work on this Form Guide!
As always, we really appreciate your feedback on our Form Guides as we continue to work to improve them! You can always send us your thoughts [email protected].
[Click here to view EN’s Horse & Rider Wiki]
Want to see more stats on the field? Be sure to check out the EquiRatings Prediction Center here, and you can also play Eventing Manager this week here. Use code PCTD to join the EN league — it’s free!
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🇬🇧 Harry Meade & Et Hop Du Matz
It’s a first Badminton for “Hoppy” who hopped the Pond from the UK to the US last year to gallop on the Bluegrass and bagged himself a podium place at Kentucky after adding not a single penalty to his dressage score across the competition, the only horse to keep a completely clean sheet that year; in fact, only 5% of those who’ve competed at Kentucky ever have. It wasn’t his first time on US soil; he went to Maryland in 2024 to make his debut at the level, but a very uncharacteristic tumble from Harry Meade meant he didn’t get a completion score for his record. Success in the spring at Kentucky though was followed by a spin round Burghley in the fall and a 9th place finish, which could have been closer to the podium but for a couple of unusual poles on the final day dropping him down some.
He won’t be threatening the lead after the dressage phase, think low- mid-30s, but he’s bold and fast across the country and is reliable for a clear, quick round — his was the third fastest round of the day at Burghley last year — so we can expect a leaderboard climb on Saturday. He’s a bit of a 50:50 kind of guy in the show jumping, but generally keeps it to just the one rail if he has any; that second one at Burghley was a bit of a blip, really.
Harry’s obviously got high hopes for another podium for this exciting gelding, and so he should. If he can stay in touch in the first phase, do what he does best on cross country day, and then keep the poles in the cups on Sunday, there’s every chance he’ll be up there once again.
🇺🇸 Cosby Green & Jos Ufo de Quidam
At 18, Jos Ufo de Quidam is the joint-second oldest horse in the field at Badminton, but he’s low mileage for his age having made his CCI5* debut just last year, when he proved that good things come to those who wait with an 8th place finish at Luhmühlen, and Cosby Green becoming the youngest US rider to complete at the German event (twice — she also came 4th with her other Badminton ride Highly Suspicious). The gelding added another 5* finish to his card at Pau in the fall, where he was 22nd.
We’re looking at mid- to high-30s in the first phase, so don’t expect to see him in the mix after the dressage, however come cross country day he’s sure to be climbing the leaderboard. With just one jumping penalty on his entire international record from 26 runs, which came way, way back at his first ever event over a decade ago, this gelding is as reliable as they come. He can be quick on his day, particularly over a track with some space for a good gallop — he was just one second over the time at Luhmühlen — so Badminton should suit him; he was slower on the twisty track at Pau. He will add in the final phase, he’s only jumped one show jumping clear at a long-format event, back in 2019 at 3* with former rider Heather Morris, but he kept it to one rail at Luhmühlen; it was two at Pau though. So it really all comes down to how high he can get himself after all’s said and done on Saturday, and how much a rail or two affects his placing overall. We shall wait and see whilst cheering on a great cross country horse.
🇬🇧 Tom Jackson & United 36
Fresh from a win in the CCI4*-S at Britain’s Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby Park, where they finished on their dressage score, this pair come into the horse’s first 5* full of confidence. This exciting young gelding is one of only three 10-year-olds in the field, but he picked up plenty of international experience at 4* last season with Tom Jackson as well as some very good results as he was produced through the levels by fellow Badminton competitor Max Warburton, and his form suggests that this guy is well and truly ready for the big time.
With dressage scores consistently in the low-30s, which we can assume will drop into the 20s as the horse comes into his full strength over the next couple of years, he won’t be a million miles away from the business end of the competition when he sets out on cross country, and his record there is impeccable. With 15 clear rounds from 15 international runs, there’s no doubting his aptitude for the sport. He’s also fast. He was inside the time in the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo last year and round the meaty 4*-L Bramham track. He tends to not be quite as quick at short-format events but Badminton certainly doesn’t come under that category, so safe to say, as long as Tom feels the horse is ready for it — we have to remember he’s stepping up to the level — we could see a speedy enough round on Saturday. He had a rail at both of his long-format runs last season, but there’s no denying that this horse is a class jumper and there are many, many more clears on his card than penalties. He sometimes takes a second or two to produce that quality though.
This is a serious contender for some very big stuff to come so it’ll be interesting to see how he tackles his first time at the top of the sport.
🇳🇿 Caroline Powell & High Time
This KWPN gelding has had three appearances at CCI5* and has bettered his result each time. He made his debut at Pau in 2024 and finished 31st, then went to Badminton last season and came 21st, before heading to Burghley in the fall and bagging a top-10 result in 8th place. Clearly this is a horse on the up and up and it’ll be interesting to see him return to Badminton with that great result from Burghley under his cinch.
His first phase scores are low- mid-30s at the 5* level, his best coming at Burghley in the form of a 31.1, so he’s likely to be in a big bunch coming into cross country day. This horse really is a talented cross country jumper, with just a frangible penalty on his record (which came at Pau on his debut) in recent times. There were a couple of jumping penalties early on in his relationship with Caroline Powell, who took over the ride from Daniel Scott in 2023, but we can put them down to it being a new partnership, based on the fact that it’s been clear jumping for the past two and a half seasons. Caroline’s a naturally quick rider and has beat the clock at Badminton three times on three different horses, although this guy wouldn’t be the quickest of the bunch; he picked up 11.2 time penalties at Burghley which put him about halfway down the field of finishers in terms of speed, but he’s been to Badminton before and Caroline knows exactly what she’s got under her now, so she may go out and try and shave a little off this time around. The gelding does tend to have a pole in the final phase at long-format events, but he jumped clear at Burghley, at the cost of a second, and has plenty of clears on his record at short-format.
As a former Badminton winner, Caroline knows exactly what it feels like to lift that trophy and there’s no doubt she’d like to do it again. She’s got two chances this week, with her champ Greenacres Special Cavalier also in the field, and although this guy may not be right up there going into the final phase, we all know that anything can happen in eventing. She climbed after a clear show jumping round when she won, so never say never. Regardless, it’ll be really cool to see this talented horse back at Badminton with some great experience behind him. If everything comes together he’s likely to add another great placing to his record.
🇬🇧 Holly Richardson & Ballyneety Silver Service
This lovely Irish Sport Horse comes to Badminton off the back of a great 14th place at Burghley on his CCI5* debut. He came straight out of the blocks with the best first-phase score he’s had since 3* and then went on to jump clear across the country — not bad for his first time at the level. Generally dressage scores are mid-30s, but it was a bit lower at Burghley, 32.4, so he’s likely to be in the middle of the pack going into cross country. He’s reliable for a clear round on Saturday, albeit not the quickest of the day; he added 9.2 at Burghley, which put him just a bit better than mid-way in the field in terms of speed. His show jumping record is not so clean, with poles down at all of his long-format runs across the levels. It was four at Burghley, plus three seconds of time. But this is a young horse at the start of his top-level career and it’ll be interesting to see his progression this week after that great placing the first time around.
🇬🇧 Gemma Stevens & Chilli Knight
Gemma Stevens brings Chilli Knight back to Badminton for redemption after heartbreak in the show jumping last year. Still on his sub-30 dressage score after cross country day, when he delivered a superb clear inside the time, one of only six from a field of 81, he was in third place going into the final phase. Then the rails fell, five of them, and with them a tumble twelve places down the leaderboard. What made the whole scenario worst was that this horse is a relatively careful jumper usually; yes, he’s prone to a pole down at CCI5*, but no more. Eventing sure is a rollercoaster. However, we put those disappointments aside and continue on.
After a false start to his 5* career, when he was withdrawn before the final phase at Pau in 2019, he came back out at the pop-up event at Bicton and marked his card as a top-level winner, and doing so in style with a finish on his dressage score of 27.9. We didn’t see him at the level again until Badminton in 2024, where he finished 14th after picking up frangible penalties out on cross country. He went to Burghley that fall, where a sub-30 dressage and quick clear saw him finish up in 9th place.
It’s not surprising this guy is one of the top-10 highest-rated horses in the Badminton field, according to EquiRatings. He’s been in the high-20s in the first phase on his last two 5* runs and is generally a really reliable cross country horse, with his only jumping penalties coming at Pau on his debut at the level, and then the 15 at Badminton a couple of years ago. Well, that was until the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby this season, where he picked up 40 penalties. However, that certainly seems to have been some sort of a blip and Gemma’s a technician, she’ll have gone home and worked out what was going on with this lovely gelding that day. Gemma’s a quick rider and this is a quick horse; they beat the clock at Badminton twelve months ago, were inside at Bicton on their way to the win, and were the sixth quickest of the day at Burghley last season. We’ve talked about the colored poles, he does tend to have a rail at 5*, although he jumped clear at Bicton, and then there’s the anomaly of Badminton last year. For sure, Gemma will be holding her breath a little bit as she goes into the ring on Sunday, but it would be pretty cruel if history repeated itself, particularly if they’re in a good position going into the finale, which, if form is anything to go by, is pretty likely.
🇬🇧 David Doel & Ferro Point
This tricky mare is amongst the fastest in the field, with two clears inside the time and one very nearly on her card. She made her CCI5* debut back in 2020 at Pau and finished just outside the top 20, where she totally proved her mettle on cross country day with a quick clear. A couple of DNF results came next, one at the pop-up event at Bicton in 2021 and the other coming courtesy of a major tack malfunction at Luhmühlen in 2022, when the saddle slipped right under the mare’s belly during the show jumping phase, resulting in a rider fall result. She scored a top-20 result at Pau later that year with a fast, clear cross country round, but lost a few placings thanks to a broken frangible device. In 2023 she returned for redemption at Luhmühlen and got it, jumping clear inside the time (and keeping all her tack in place) and finishing in 13th. The last time we saw her at the level was Burghley that fall, but an incredibly uncharacteristic 20 on cross country day put her out of the running, realistically, and she was withdrawn before the final horse inspection. She comes to Badminton off a two season break from the top level, so it’ll be interesting to see how she goes.
Dressage scores at 5* for this mare are typically high-30s, sometimes with a toe in the 40s. She’s not easy between the white boards, for sure. But she’s an absolute beast on the cross country, with just two 20s in her entire international career spanning 30 competitions, and as we’ve said, she’s speedy. Show jumping is less certain; she’s jumped clear, and had one, two and three poles in her various 5* finishes — not form that helps with predictions.
One thing we do know is that whatever happens, this is a decade-long partnership and David is a really stylish rider, so however things play out, it’ll be fun to watch this combination in action.
🇮🇪 Austin O’Connor & Sixmilewater
This lovely Irish Sport Horse gelding is Austin O’Connor’s sixth horse to compete at Badminton, and although he might not be quite at the caliber of the ever-popular Colorado Blue just yet, he sure is an exciting prospect in Austin’s string. He made his CCI5* debut at Burghley last year with a sweet, educational round, picking up a green 20 on cross country at a fence which caught even seasoned campaigners out, but looking every inch a Burghley horse.
Dressage scores for this guy tend to vary at 4*, with everything from 28.8 to 39.7, the latter of which came at his most recent international run at the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby; at Burghley he scored 33. There are jumping errors dotted through his record but Austin’s a master in the saddle on cross country day and there’s no one better to do the work and support a horse round the toughest tracks in the world. Everything certainly suggests that those reliable clears will come as this horse continues his education. He’s unlikely to be the fastest in the field, given that this is only his second time at the level, but Austin will be positive and we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out to know more, really. The final phase also shows promise, with clears coming more often than not at long-format events, although he did have a rail at Burghley.
It’ll be interesting to see how this lovely gelding gets on at Badminton last week for some insight into how he’s progressing as he really gets stuck into the top level. Austin’s only got this ride in the absence of Colorado Blue (we miss you “Salty”!) so will be able to focus solely on giving this guy the best experience possible and building on the experience gained at Burghley.
🇬🇧 Simon Grieve & Autograf
One of the most popular riders on the circuit, Simon Grieve won himself even more fans at Burghley last fall for his enthusiastic interviews waxing lyrical about his game partner Autograf. The gelding’s debut at the CCI5* level really did prove his mettle, when guts and stamina and pure heart were the order of the day on a really demanding cross country track, and this guy’s got all that in bucketloads. He is super fun to watch across the country, a real eventer’s eventer, and it’s no wonder Simon was so thrilled when he crossed the finish line because their round looked like a whole lotta fun.
We’re looking at mid- to high-30s in the dressage, but this gelding’s not in the game for that. He’s most certainly in it for the cross country, where he barrels round bravely with a grin as big as Simon’s on his face. Bar one hiccup, his jumping record is flawless across 17 international competitions, and although he’s not the quickest horse on the block, he is a great watch as he takes on whatever Simon points him at with gusto and then some. He jumped clear at Burghley on the final day, albeit with a couple of time faults, and finished up in 18th place, a very cool result for a very cool horse.
Whatever happens at Badminton, this pair are ones to watch, for their happy-go-lucky outlook and just plain love for the sport.
🇬🇧 Bubby Upton & Cola
This experienced CCI5* campaigner has been such a pal to Bubby Upton over the years, taking her from Young Riders through to the top of their sport. It’s always such a joy to watch them together and they’ve picked up some great results at the toughest events in the world. That’s not to say there haven’t been lows, that 20 at the final fence at Badminton in 2022, for example, but Bubby’s a worker and when things don’t go to plan, she makes pretty darned sure not to make the same mistake twice. Cola’s amongst the top-10 highest-rated horses in the field, according to EquiRatings, and with a four-for-four completion rate at Badminton, the highest of all those lining up this week, Bubby’s in with a great shot at finding herself right up at the business end of things come Sunday.
This sweet gelding made his 5* debut at Pau back in 2021 and came 12th, jumping clear inside the time on cross country day. He followed that up with the heartbreaking 20 at Badminton, but went on to complete in 36th place. At Burghley later that year he was 14th, and then he scored his Badminton redemption at the wet and wild edition of the event in 2023 with a clear round and 8th place. Bubby made a huge comeback from a serious injury the following spring, going into Badminton cross country day in the lead and having us all dreaming of a huge victory. However, a broken frangible device took the pair out of the running, but didn’t diminish the huge achievement and emotion when they crossed the finish line and ultimately finished in 10th. Another frangible penalty at Maryland in 2024 kept them from being even closer to the podium than they were, where despite adding 11 they finished in 5th spot. They inched closer into the top 10 at Badminton last season with an 8th place finish, but then a late tumble from Bubby at Pau last fall, where she was ejected out the side door from a very keen Cola late on course, meant their eventing season ended a little earlier than predicted.
Bar that final result, we’re getting a picture of the kind of quality and consistency this gelding has shown across his 5* career. He’s amongst the best dressage horses in the field, with his top scores coming in the mid-20s. He can go higher, up to a toe into the 30s, but when it’s good, it’s really, really good. Aside from that really unlucky 20 at the final fence at Badminton in 2022, which can totally be put down to excitement, on Bubby and Cola’s part, this extraordinary horse has had jumping penalties on just one other occasion, the Young Rider European Championships way back in 2018. That’s 32 completely clear rounds, one flag penalty and two frangible device penalties in 36 rounds. This guy is an absolute blast on cross country, and he doesn’t hang about. We’re perhaps not expecting him to make the time, although he did at Pau in 2021, but Bubby’s not backward in coming forward and she’ll be giving this gelding a positive ride from start to finish. His show jumping record at 5* is a little varied, with two rails at Badminton last year and one at Maryland in 2024, but he was clear at Badminton earlier that season, so, on his day, he can certainly keep the poles in the cups.
Regardless of what happens as this week plays out, Bubby and Cola are always ones to watch for a display of partnership and friendship and two pals having an absolute ball together.
🇬🇧 Sarah Bullimore & Corimiro
This stunning homebred gelding is currently the second highest-rated 10-year-old in the world, according to EquiRatings. He made his CCI5* aged just 9 at Pau last season and delivered a clear inside the time, ending up in 5th place. Sarah Bullimore didn’t even have her clock on, she’d knocked it off accidentally but just went with the horse’s rhythm and not worrying about the time anyway, given he was a young horse doing his first 5*. But this chap’s got an enormous stride and really covers the ground, and he finds his job so easy that there’s not much setting up to do at fences, and therefore no time wasted. Their clear inside the time, one of only six that day, had them in the lead going into the final phase, but a pole dropped them down into fifth — still, not a bad showing from this young lad and an incredibly exciting start to his 5* career.
Corimiro is really flashy on the flat, a super mover, and as such has been posting sub-30 scores at 4* for some time, as low as 24.4, so it’s no surprise that EquiRatings have him down as one of the top 10 highest-ranked dressage horses in the field. The mark crept up to a straight 30 at Pau, but he’s maturing all the time and hasn’t yet reached his full strength so it’s absolutely fair to say he’ll be tough to beat one day. And the quality continues into cross country day. There’s just one jumping penalty on his international record since he was a 7-year-old and we’ve already seen that he can be quick. The only chink in his armor is the final phase, but having the odd rail can’t really be considered that much of a chink, a small scratch perhaps.
It’s super exciting to see this horse at Badminton, where he’ll face the biggest test of his career. He’s certainly a star of the future, if you can call a horse who’s already had a 5th place at 5* that. How bright will he shine at Badminton? We’ll soon see.
🇱🇹 Aistis Vitkauskas & Commander VG
Long-time CCI5* campaigner, Commander VG, is the most experienced horse at the CCI5* level in the field, with 14 prior top-level starts on his record. He made his debut as a 9-year-old at Pau in 2020, where he jumped clear for 31st place, with his best result from all his runs at the level coming the following season at Luhmühlen where he was 11th. He proved his mettle in tough conditions with a slow clear in the deep mud at Badminton in 2023, though the rest of his season that year was a bit trickier: the following month he was at Luhmühlen and retired on course, then he tackled Burghley a couple of months later and had a horse fall at the Dairy Mound, and then rerouted to Pau and completed carrying 20 penalties. 2024 did not go Aistis Vitkauskas’ way, with a technical elimination at Luhmühlen having been pulled up by the ground jury dashing his Olympic hopes. The pair went to Burghley, but early troubles out on course and 60 penalties prompted Aistis to put up his hand and reroute to Pau, where the conditions were incredibly wet, and their round ended early when the ground jury stopped them. Last season saw better times, with completions at Badminton, where they jumped clear, and Pau, where they picked up penalties for a broken frangible device.
This horse will be at the lower end of proceedings after the first phase. He tends to get quite hot between the white boards and a score in the high-30s would be good for him. At Pau last year he scored 46.5, and in the big atmosphere at Badminton he scored 51.3; at Pau in 2024 he managed 38.3. But this game gelding is absolutely in the sport for the cross country and Aistis will be focusing on adding another 5* cross country completion to this stalwart campaigner’s record. Should they still be in the running on Sunday, we can expect them to add to their score in the final phase; they had five down at Pau last season and three at Badminton.
While they may not be fighting for the top of the leaderboard, they’ve consistently shown determination and resilience, qualities that earned them a spot in the history books as Lithuania’s first Badminton finishers in 2023. Let’s hope to see this cool gelding have a happy time of it this week.
🇮🇪 Georgie Goss & Feloupe
It’s a third CCI5* and third Badminton start for Feloupe, who’s on track for a hattrick of completions to add to Georgie Goss’ impeccable ten for ten record. This fun mare made her 5* debut at Badminton in 2024 and finished 27th in a field of 68. She returned the following year and came 28th in a bumper year of 81 competitors. She’s quite feisty but is full of heart and is definitely one to watch on Saturday for a joyful round.
A lovely mover on the flat, she scored 30.6 in the dressage on her debut and then went sub-30 with a 29.6 last year. She’s also reliable for a clear jumping round on Saturday; from 22 international runs with Georgie she’s had penalties just twice, back in 2022, with two for two clear rounds at Badminton. She’s unlikely to beat the clock, more because she’s so keen rather than because she’s slow — the seconds clock up in setting her up and navigating lines and turns, so we can expect time penalties in the 20s, probably, but she doesn’t half look like a lotta fun out there, not matter how long it takes her. She had three rails at her first Badminton, but kept it to one last time, and we can expect some points to be added in the final phase given that she hasn’t jumped clear at any long-format runs. But a completion is a completion and Georgie’s sure to have the best time at Badminton with, hopefully, another solid result headed her way.
🇬🇧 Katie Magee & Treworra
This exciting gelding burst onto the CCI5* scene and instantly proved his mettle, navigating a very wet Pau with Katie Magee in 2024 magnificently, adding just cross country time to his score across the competition and ending up in 13th place from a field of 73. They started out last season by finishing just outside the top 10 at Badminton, but for a couple of expensive poles they would have been close to the podium, and ended up with a top-20 placing at Burghley. So far so great for this guy’s 5* career.
He’s improved his dressage score with each 5* run, starting out at Pau on a 35.3, shrinking that to 31.8 at Badminton and then going sub-20 at Burghley with 29.3. Unfortunately that’s not so much the case in the cross country phase, with clears at Pau and Badminton but then a late 20 at Burghley, where the horse had a good look at the ditch in the middle of Defender Valley resulting the C element of the combination being just a step too far. That slight mistake took nothing away from what was otherwise a really great round though. We shouldn’t necessarily expect them to make the time, but they may not be far off; they had 5.2 penalties at Badminton last time round putting them in the top 10 fastest rounds, but with a dressage score in the mix and clear jumping, they’ll be in with a chance of a good placing come Sunday. This lovely gelding can keep the poles in the cups at the level, he did at Burghley and Pau, with the two down at Badminton quite out of character — it should be noted that clear rounds weren’t easy to come by across the field that day.
This really is an up-and-coming combination and it’ll be really exciting to see just how close they can get to the top placings when all’s said and done this week.
🇺🇸 Cassie Sanger & Redfield Fyre
At 21, Cassie Sanger will be the youngest US competitor to ride at Badminton since records began when she takes her spot in the line up this year with her own Redfield Fyre. The pair made their CCI5* debut at Kentucky last season and finished up just inside the top 20; but for a flag penalty out on course they’d have been closer to the top 10. They bagged another top-20 result at Burghley in the fall, with a clear round across the country really proving that this gelding has got what it takes to party with the best of them.
He’s not going to be in the hunt following the first phase, with dressage scores trending in the high-ish 30s, but, bar that 15 at Kentucky, his cross country jumping card is impeccable with nary a penalty from 25 international competitions. He’s not the fastest in the field, but he’s no slouch either, so at the end of Saturday we should see this pair a fair bit further up the order than they were at the start of the day. He will add rails in the final phase, it was three at Kentucky and four at Burghley, but a Badminton completion as close to the top 20 as possible will be what Cassie’s going for this week, and would get her sophomore 5* season off to a great start.
🇮🇪 Lucy Latta & RCA Patron Saint
What a start this pair had to their CCI5* career, recording the fastest round of the day at Badminton in 2024, resulting in a mammoth 43 place climb after cross country, and ultimately taking the runner-up spot, firmly making their names known at the top of the sport as they did so. Lucy Latta rides as an amateur but comes from celebrated horsey stock, with Grand National winners and 5* eventers amongst her family. Her 93-year-old grandad was cheering on from home when she made her epic Badminton debut, reliving the days when he too rode round the British big Bs in the 1970s.
The rest of their debut season didn’t go at all to plan, with a bout of colic after traveling over from Ireland meaning they missed out on Burghley that fall. There was further disappointment when Badminton last year also didn’t happen due to “Paddy” cutting himself at home a few days before the to the event. We had wait until Burghley last season to see them again at the level, but unfortunately it wasn’t the sophomore run Lucy was hoping for. She was having an absolute peach of a ride until the gelding came to a sliding stop in front of the C element at the Trout Hatchery, despite having jumped the first two fences in the combination brilliantly. It can’t always be your day and there was experience gained nonetheless. They still finished a perfectly respectable 22nd.
This gelding has got leaderboard climber written all over him. He’s mid-30s in the first phase but let him loose on cross country day and he eats up the fences and ground like nobody’s business. A real gritty, get on and do the job kind of horse, he is amazing to watch as he hunts his way round the track. And we know he’s quick, very quick. There will be penalties to add on Sunday, he’s had two down at each of his 5* runs, but he should be close to his dressage score before that and in a good place, so it may not be too damaging. He came 2nd at Badminton with those two rails.
Will history repeat itself as he finally gets his second run at Badminton? Watch this space, it’s going to be edge of your seat kinda stuff.
🇬🇧 Tom Bird & Cowling Hot Gossip
This game gelding’s got two Burghley completions under his cinch and one Badminton, so he’s looking to make it a double-double this week.
There’s no two ways about it, Cowling Hot Gossip goes to three-days for Saturdays. The best day. He’s a sweet guy who’s workmanlike for Tom Bird in the first phase, getting the job done so he’s allowed to progress to the fun bit. His scores trend in the mid-40s. But don’t be fooled. This horse is almost unrecognizable from the dressage ring to the cross country start box. Out he goes and grins the whole way round, digging deep and hunting along, having the time of his life.
He jumped clear round Burghley in 2024 on his CCI5* debut, and then again around Badminton last year. He was super keen at Burghley on his second time of asking in the fall last season, clearly he knew where he was. His boldness was his undoing though and he had a drive by and 20 penalties at a fence that caught a fair few out that day, but that’s one of only three cross country jumping penalties on his entire international record from 29 competitions. We’re not expecting him to make the time, with faults at the level generally in the 20s, but that doesn’t take away from what a fun ride this guy must be. Much like the dressage, he’s not really that into show jumping — he’s a cross country horse through and through. He had five rails at Burghley last year but kept it to three at Badminton, both an improvement on the seven he had down on his debut at the level. There’ll be a couple of seconds to add too.
But enough of that, eyes on this one for a joyous watch on Saturday. Blah blah dressage. And a Badminton completion is a great thing, no matter how many poles are sacrificed to get there.
🇫🇷 Arthur Marx & Church’Ile
Homebred Church’Ile made his CCI5* debut with Arthur Marx at Pau back in 2022 and has since started at the level six further times, but clear cross country jumping has thus far eluded this sweet gelding. He’s back at Badminton for another go with a completion last year coming up third time lucky after two prior attempts at the event. It’s safe to say his record at the level is a bit patchy, but that’s not for want of trying, and sometimes his DNF results have come down to pure bad luck. At Badminton in 2024 he ended up crossing his tracks after Arthur came back around and muddled his way through an alternate route at a combination fence. They continued on and the horse was jumping brilliantly but they were pulled up as they neared home due to the earlier faults meaning they’d accrued the maximum three refusals. At Pau in 2023 they were having a fabulous spin, until a broken stirrup put an end to their competition, no matter how determined Arthur was to continue on. The crowd had a field day as the pair joyfully jumped some fences, missing out others and went for a gallop round the main arena, all the while pedalless, but the ground jury eventually put a stop to their antics and they had to walk home.
“Pumba” isn’t the flashiest in the first phase and scores tend to be mid- high-30s. He achieved his best at the level at Pau in 2024, a 33.4; at Badminton earlier that season he scored 43. He also got his best cross country result that year at Pau and the pals had a fabulous round together that looked to be a lot of fun for both horse and rider. Sadly an unlucky flag meant they picked up 15 penalties but the jumping was bold and the horse showed some clever footwork as he hunted his way round; he’s quite cat-like in his action and impressively quick with his feet. And that’s kind of the story of his cross country results — the horse is great, the mistakes and mishaps have been a bit unlucky, really. He completed at both Badminton and Burghley last season, each time picking up at 20. At Badminton it was at the cursed sunken road — where he’d had the bother the year before — they didn’t quite get the striding right and the horse ground to a halt. No drama, it just didn’t happen for them. Then at Burghley the early bounce combination caught them out, as it did for a fair few competitors, including some pretty high-profile hopefuls.
All this is to say that this horse absolutely deserves that clear on his record and we’ll be rooting for it to happen this week. We won’t be expecting a clear round in the final phase, he’s had one to four rails come down in the show jumping ring, but it really is all about the cross country for this pair, and adding a fifth 5* completion to the horse’s record.
🇬🇧 Kylie Roddy & SRS Kan Do
Seasoned campaigner SRS Kan Do has the most international starts behind him of all the British horses at Badminton this year. He’s been on the CCI5* circuit for a while now, clocking up eight runs since making his debut at Pau in 2021 and finishing just outside the top 10. A 6th place result at Luhmühlen the following year made us really sit up and take notice, and then 5th place at Pau in 2023 really proved what an exciting contender this guy is.
However, since then there’s been some trickier times and some bad luck and the gelding is looking for his first Badminton completion this week on his fourth time of asking. They first lined up in 2022 but Kylie was forced to put her hand up when her air vest went off after she was dislodged slightly from the saddle. She righted herself but have you tried to breathe in one of those things? No chance of continuing on. They returned in 2024 but had a hairy moment at the Vicarage Vee and some uncertainty over whether they’d quite made it through the flags. There was considerable hesitation over whether to come back round for a second attempt but she opted to continue on, until her competition was ended early by the ground jury who judged her to have jumped outside the flags and therefore missed a jump when she chose not to represent. They were back on track at Pau later in the year, where a steady clear in very wet conditions saw them finish inside the top 20, but their second trip to Badminton came to an abrupt end very early on course when the horse put down on a wide hay wagon fence catapulting Kylie right over the his head. The gelding wasn’t happy about giving up on his cross country day and galloped off down the track with Kylie left on the turf. They came back for another trip around Pau in the fall and had a great round with a very unlucky 20. So all in all, rollercoaster ride sums up this pair’s 5* career thus far.
This clearly talented gelding put in two sub-30 dressage results in the early stages of his 5* journey, but he’s been in the low-30s since then. He’s a lovely moving horse and it would be cool to see him really show that off and be in the mix after the first phase this week. Cross country, as we’ve seen, is a little mixed, but really, those mistakes don’t detract from the fact that he’s a fabulous jumper who really tries his heart out for his rider. He made the time at Luhmühlen in 2022, one of nine combinations to do so, but generally he does pick up time penalties, although he’s certainly no slouch. He really does shine in the final phase, enviably clean and careful over his fences, with clears at Pau in 2023 and 2024, although he did have one rail there last season.
Will it be fifth time lucky at Badminton for this pair? Let’s hope so, because the horse is a talent and Kylie has a great partnership with him. It would be very cool to see this guy return to his early 5* form this week.
🇳🇿 Jesse Campbell & Cooley Lafitte
This Irish Sport Horse has seven starts under his cinch, but things haven’t been easy for this partnership. The gelding isn’t the most straightforward horse but Jesse Campbell’s a master horseman and leaves no stone unturned in his work with Cooley Lafitte, in a constant effort to help him produce the quality work he’s so capable of.
He stepped up to 5* at Pau in 2023 but a fall out on cross country had them looking for a first completion at Badminton the following spring, which they secured in fine style with 15th place. A trip to Burghley later that season added another solid completion to their record, where they finished just outside the top 20. Last year they made three starts at the level but things were tricky, to say the least. The sensitive gelding got very upset in the dressage phase at Badminton and Jesse opted to withdraw before cross country, taking him home to try and work out what was going on with him. They rerouted to Luhmühlen where they picked up an early 20 at a combination where the horse looked to be quite difficult. They continued on but ran into more troubles late on course and Jesse put his hand up. Back to the planning board then, before a trip to Burghley in the fall where, sadly, things didn’t go right either. The round started out a little sticky and then came to a halt early on at fence 7, when the horse didn’t pick up after jumping up a step out of water; to be fair though, it was a fence that caught a fair few combinations out that day. Another walk home for this pair, then, although an opportunity to try one more time with a reroute to Pau, where they ended the season on a high note with a quick clear across the country and 20th place.
As we’ve seen, things are a little unpredictable with this horse so it’s hard to look at his form. He’s scored between 32.6 and 44.7 in the first phase, and just about everything in between. When he’s good, he’s great on cross country day, putting in the seventh quickest round of the day at Pau in the fall and joint-ninth quickest in a field of 68 at Badminton in 2024. He had four rails in the final phase at Pau, which is a lot for this horse, but there were few clears that day. He had three down at Badminton in 2024, but again, it was a difficult day in the show jumping ring and clears were a rare and valuable commodity. He has jumped clear at 4*-L though and finished on his dressage in the 4*-S at Kronenberg this season, so he’s definitely got the jump for it.
No matter where they end up, we’ll be behind this pairing all the way, willing them on to add another completion to their card, and hopefully the great placing we know this horse is capable of.
🇬🇧 Emma Hyslop-Webb & Jeweetwel
This KWPN gelding is a bit of a tricky customer but Emma Hyslop-Web knows him well, having brought him up through the international levels, and continues to plug away and get experience under his cinch as they navigate his CCI5* career together. His has two Burghley completions to his name and comes to Badminton for the first time this week.
In the first phase we can expect a score in the high-30s, with the 36.6 he achieved at Burghley last season a particularly good showing. He had a 20 out on cross country at both of his Burghley runs, caused in the most part by him being incredibly strong. Emma opted to continue on both times, banking experience and being delighted to cross the finish line despite the penalties, in a reminder that everyone’s having their own competition with their own goals in this sport. Time doesn’t wholly come into it with this horse; he takes a lot of setting up due to his strength and so seconds are lost in trying to regain control — it’s all about getting round for him at this stage in his career. The final phase is somewhat mixed, with three rails at Burghley last season and one the year before, but for now with him it’s all about finishing and banking a good experience, which we hope is exactly what happens for them this week at Badminton.
🇬🇧 Sam Ecroyd & Boleybawn LeCrae
This game gelding will go in any going, proved by his 100% completion rate in international competition. He stepped up to CCI5* as a 10-year-old at Pau last season and went clear inside the time, with Sam Ecroyd’s thrilled reaction to the fantastic round one of the moments of the competition. Three rails in the final phase dropped them down the order some, but 17th place in a field of 53 on a horse’s first time at the level ain’t half bad and there sure is a lot to look forward to as this pair continue their career together at the top of the sport.
His dressage tends to be mid-30s but if he can replicate the kind of cross country round we saw at Pau, he’ll certainly be climbing the leaderboard come Saturday. Reliable for a clear, and quick, is exactly the kind of horse you want to be sat on when you leave the start box at Badminton. Show jumping is still a work in progress for this young horse, but he generally keeps it to one pole, sometimes two, so the three at Pau can be forgiven for a first time at the level and not a whole bunch of experience at long-format events.
Wherever they end up, a Badminton finish is surely on the cards for this horse to add to his excellent completion rate and we’ll be hearing lots more about him as his career progresses, no doubt about that.
🇳🇿 Jonelle Price & Chilli’s Midnight Star
Chilli’s Midnight Star is an interesting addition to Jonelle Price’s string and one we look forward to watching as he settles into his CCI5* career. He stepped up at Maryland last season and banked some very good experience, supported by Jonelle who really gave him a superb ride, particularly during some green moments. He was particularly impressive in the first phase, flashy and secure enough for a score in the very low 30s; 30.8 in fact — not a bad start at all. He got a little keen on cross country, resulting in a broken frangible device and a 20, but it was a course that saw off a lot of established competitors and despite those penalties and the resulting time, a clear round on the final day saw them finish up in 9th place. He also has some good 4*-L experience and has been in the top placings, so it’s exciting to see what he can do at Badminton this week. And let’s face it, there’s no one better than Jonelle when it comes to the big events to really show up and get the job done.
🇬🇧 Helen Bates & Carpe Diem
This 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding made his CCI5* debut at Pau in 2023 and has gone four-for-four in terms of top-level completions, clocking up two finishing results at the French event and two at Badminton. Although he’s a good mover, this sharp horse struggles to keep his head in the ring, with Helen Bates describing him as having “stage fright”. That’s led to dressage scores in the high-30s, with a toe in the 40s at Badminton last season. But set him free from the start box and we soon see just what a brave and talented this horse can be. He’s jumped clear at three of his four 5* starts, with just a technical 20 at Badminton in 2024 marring his card in a round that was super confident — a little too gutsy at the big drop though, with “Diego” leaping off and Helen picking up the save of the day when she managed to hang on and right herself; there was no way of not crossing their tracks to get back to the second element though and a 20 it was. He’s not the fastest horse in the field and we can expect time penalties — he uses up quite a few seconds in being so strong. This guy is a great show jumper with many clear rounds on his record, however when the poles have come, they’ve been at 5*, with one each at Badminton and Pau last season.
This is a combination with a great partnership and Helen just adores jumping this horse. He put her on the ground more than once when she went to try him, but she brought him home anyway because she knew just how talented he is over a fence. Their best 5* finish is 26th place at Pau last fall and it would be cool to see them aim to better that at Badminton this week.
🇮🇪 Sarah Ennis & Grantstown Jackson
It’s a third trip to Badminton for Irish Sport Horse Grantstown Jackson and fifth CCI5* start. He made his debut at Pau in 2023 and finished just outside the top 20, before coming out the following season at Badminton and impressing everyone with a quick clear round, the third fastest of the day, which put him well inside the top 10 going into the final day. An expensive time in the show jumping ring dropped him down to 17th, but certainly didn’t diminish his efforts on the Saturday. That fall he went to Burghley, every inch looking like the perfect Burghley horse, however he was so incredibly keen he ran himself into some mistakes and Sarah Ennis opted to put her hand up. They returned to Badminton last season and the gelding sure was excited to be back. Again, he was incredibly strong out on cross country, leading to some tricky steering and resulting in a couple of drive-bys. Sarah continued on to finish nicely though, albeit with 40 jumping and a hefty amount of time penalties.
This horse is certainly made for cross country, although he’s got a lot of potential on the flat too. We can expect him to be mid-30s at 5* but he’s been as low as 31.3 at the level below. He tends to have a pole in the final phase, but those five poles at Badminton a couple of years ago is definitely an anomaly, and he has jumped clear at long-format events, as he did at the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo last year where he finished on his dressage score.
It’ll be really interesting to see this pairing back at Badminton. If this game gelding can keep a lid on things they’ve got a chance of a really good placing, and the day when it all comes together for them will certainly come. Whether that’s at Badminton this week, only time will tell.
🇺🇸 Tiana Coudray & Cancaras Girl
Tiana and Cancaras Girl have a little ground to make up after a frustrating fall on the flat early on course at their last CCI5* outing at Pau saw their top-level season last year end early. That kind of sums up their 5* form, really: annoying mishaps disrupting the fun. The mare proved she can jump clear at the level at Badminton in 2024 but the feat has eluded her since, with an early exit from the competition at Maryland later that year, when things didn’t go at all to plan at the tricky combination at fence 5, with a run out at the A element and then a stop at the C element adding up to 60 jumping penalties and Tiana opting to put up her hand, and then an unlucky 20 about two-thirds of the way round at Badminton last season after having a peach of a ride up ‘til that point.
The talent is so very clear; she’s been sub-30 at 5* in the first phase and her jumping is bold and attacking, perhaps a little too bold at times, which can run her into trouble. She’s careful enough in the final phase, with a clear round at Badminton last year, although she did tip three poles the previous year, but that was a day when many combinations found the cups to be super shallow and the rails fell and fell throughout the field. This pair deserve some luck though, so everything crossed that they get to really show what they’re made of as they make their third Badminton start together this week.
🇳🇿 Tayla Mason & Centennial
This New Zealand Warmblood made his CCI5* debut in 2021 at Pau and scored a solid completion, but didn’t appear back at the level until three years later, also in France, when he showed an improvement across all three phases and came 26th. After squeaking onto the Badminton line up at the very final second last year, some expensive mistakes in the changes during the dressage phase meant he started a little off the pace, but he more than made up for it with a clear and quick cross country round, his first jumping clear at the level, having had a 20 on his first attempt and picking up a frangible penalty on his second. His was the ninth fastest round of the day from a field of 81 and the two poles he had in the final phase was an improvement on the three and four he’d had previously, and kept him inside the top 20 when all was said and done. He made the trip to Maryland in the fall and came 8th, with a missed flag on cross country day keeping him out of the top placings.
The 40.2 he scored in the first phase at Badminton last time around was really out of character for this guy, with previous results at the level being a fraction over 30. Aside from at a 4*-L back in 2021, the only cross country jumping penalties he’s had have been at 5*, but he’s bold and brave and really covers the ground, and although we shouldn’t really expect him to be the quickest in the field on cross country day, time penalties are likely to stay very much in single figures. He jumped clear in the show jumping at Maryland, but he does tend to have rails at long-format events — one, two, maybe three — so he’ll keep us on the edge of our seats right to the end, particularly if he’s right up there in the top placings going into the final phase, which he could well be.
🇩🇪 Arne Bergendahl & Luthien NRW
This bold mare made her CCI5* debut at Luhmühlen in 2023 and really showed her speed and class across the country, coming home just 2 seconds over the time and getting her top-level career off to a great start with 14th place. Unfortunately things didn’t go quite so well at her next two events, with a fall at Pau the following season and then another at Badminton last year, where she was a little too bold going into a water combination and lost her footing, giving Arne Bergendahl a bit of a ducking. It was relatively early on course, so Arne rerouted to Luhmühlen where everything got back on track and they picked up another 14th place finish for the mare’s card. They went one better at Pau last fall, adding just 2.8 cross country time to their score across the competition and coming 13th.
This horse is not about to win the dressage, with scores in the mid- to high-30s, but boy oh boy does she love to run and jump. She hasn’t had a cross country jumping penalty since 2020 and is amongst the quickest horses in the field — leaderboard climb on Saturday incoming. She’s careful in the final phase too, keeping the poles in the cups far more often than not, and if everything comes together it wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see her gain another great 5* placing as she aims for Badminton redemption this week.
🇬🇧 Michael Owen & Monbeg Darwin
Monbeg Darwin makes his CCI5* debut at Badminton with experienced top-level rider Michael Owen. He’s banked some solid 4*-L experience in his progression to the top of the sport, with runs around meaty tracks such as Scone Palace, Bramham and Blenheim, which will stand him in good stead as he heads into the biggest test of his career to date this week.
We’re looking at mid- to high-30s in the first phase for this young Irish Sport Horse gelding as he’s still developing his strength between the white boards, but Michael will be looking to make up a little ground on cross country day with this very good jumper. He hasn’t had a jumping penalty as such since he stepped up to the 4* level, with just one flag penalty on his card. We can’t expect him to be at top speed on his 5* debut, but he’s capable of being relatively swift, which he showed in the 4*-L at Scone Palace last season where he put in the eighth quickest round from a field of 42. Up until that point it feels like Michael hadn’t really pushed for the clock, but it’s cool to see the horse has the the turn of foot when he’s asked. His show jumping record is a bit mixed, and we can expect at least one rail on Sunday based on his long-format form. It might be more though, he’s had up to four. Regardless, if he’s there at the end and bagging a 5* completion on his debut at the level at Badminton, it will be a very exciting prospect for this horse’s future at the top of his sport.
🇬🇧 Will Rawlin & Ballycoog Breaker Boy
Back at Badminton for the third consecutive year, Will Rawlin and Ballycoog Breaker Boy have two good runs at the event under their belt and will be looking to make it a hattrick this week. They’ve improved their dressage score at each 5* start they’ve made, beginning with a 36.1 at Badminton in 2024 and ending up going sub-30 at Burghley last fall with a 28.8. Sadly they didn’t get to capitalize on it, with a tumble for Will out on cross country ending their day early. Burghley certainly hasn’t been the happy hunting ground for this pair that Badminton has, with two starts and no completion yet. Perhaps we’ll see a change in that record later this year, but for now, we’ll focus on the two clear rounds they have had at the level.
We’ve seen that this pair can be competitive in the first phase so it’s all about keeping time penalties to a minimum on Saturday for them. They wouldn’t be the quickest in the field but they’ve got two 5* seasons in the rearview now and so have the experience to perhaps push a little in the time department, and those two clears at Badminton should have them feeling confident enough to see what’s there. The show jumping isn’t this horse’s best phase, with three poles at each of his 5* completions thus far, although it should be noted that clear rounds were hard to come by on both of those days. He has kept it to one rail at 4*-L but realistically we can expect penalties to be added on Sunday. Nevertheless, a third Badminton completion is on the cards for this combination. They’ve been 23rd and 24th, will they break into the top 20 this time around? They’ve sure got the quality in both horse and rider to give it a very good go.
🇨🇳 Alex Hua Tian & Chicko
After a stellar CCI5* debut at Pau in 2024, where they battled through brutal conditions to finish 4th with just time on cross country added to their score and one of the fastest rounds of the day, Alex Hua Tian and Chicko hit a blip in their momentum at Badminton last season. Alex was put in the running for the save of the day when Chicko banked a big table, shooting Alex right out of the tack; somehow he managed to stay on board but the focus had been lost and Alex sensibly put up his hand after picking up 20 penalties at the next fence. They were back to form at Pau later that year though, with a 6th place finish and again, clear jumping in both phases.
This is a really smart horse and rider combination. Chicko is rideable and soft on the flat, and Alex is always impeccable, a true master of his craft. The talented gelding scored sub-30 in the dressage phase on both his appearances at Pau and although he wasn’t quite in the same realm at Badminton last year, he should be within touching distance of the leading pack heading into cross country. Until that mistake last year, there was nary a penalty on his cross country jumping record and he’s quick enough to capitalize on that reliability and squeak up the leaderboard some on the Saturday, although there are faster horses in the field. He’s careful over the colored poles too, with just the odd rail here and there, but they are few and far between.
It’s really just a matter of time before this pair make it onto a 5* podium. Will Alex make more history for the People’s Republic of China and not only be the only Chinese rider to compete at Badminton, but also the first to podium at the great event? Perhaps. It’ll be a push in present company but this pair sure have the quality to give it a darned good go.
🇬🇧 Harry Meade & Annaghmore Valoner
Two CCI5* runs and two 4th place finishes tell us everything we need to know about the kind of quality this talented mare brings to the table. Those results came from Burghley in 2024 and 2025 and both times Annaghmore Valoner was ever so slightly outclassed by her older and more experienced stablemate Cavalier Crystal, who finished 3rd each time and who’s also in the field at Badminton this year with Harry Meade, a man with three rides and three great shots at the podium.
This mare is amongst the highest-rated horses in the field, according to EquiRatings, and it’s not hard to understand why. With two sub-30 scores in the first phase at the level, she’s also superb across the country and hasn’t had a jumping penalty in nine international competitions with Harry; she has only one on her entire record, which came back in 2021 with previous rider Sam Griffiths. Harry’s a quick rider and this is a quick horse; she made the time on her debut at the level, one of only four horses to do so from a field of 66, and added just 3.2 penalties last year, the fifth-fastest round on a day where only one combination beat the clock. She has had a pole on the final day in each of her 5* competitions, which caused her to slip behind Cavalier Crystal in 2024, but she’s jumped clear at 4*-L events such as Bramham and Blenheim, so it won’t be surprising to see that clear round form coming into her top-level events too.
We can certainly expect this pairing to be well in the mix after the first phase, and one of Harry’s classic quick clears on Saturday should see them going into the finale well-placed for a tussle for the podium. Will Annaghmore Valoner beat her pal this time around? Perhaps — she’s sure got all the ingredients going on and should be ahead going into cross country day. It’s all about the colored poles, really. It’ll be exciting to see them duking it out whatever happens.
🇬🇧 Max Warburton & Deerpairc Revelry
This stunning Irish Sport Horse burst onto the CCI5* scene with Max Warburton at Burghley in 2024 with a sub-30 dressage score, a clear round across the country, more clear jumping on the Sunday and a top-20 placing. So far, so exciting. Sadly things didn’t quite continue in that upward trajectory, but that’s not unusual for a young horse that’s stepped up to the level; mistakes do inevitably come along. At Badminton last season he started out in the low-30s after the first phase, so not quite the same kind of pizazz we’d seen the previous fall. He was having a really smooth and confident round across the country until the horse seemed to tire suddenly after looking fabulous almost the whole way round. He had a frangible penalty late on the course and then picked up a 20 a couple of fences later; Max then helped the horse home, and they picked up a fair few time penalties in the process. The gelding came out the following day none the worse for wear and jumped a lovely clear round, so a lot of education banked on the horse’s second time at the level. They went on to contest Burghley for the second time last fall and seemed back on track, with a sub-30 score going into cross country day. He set off ears pricked and looking very ready but a sticky jump quite early on course caught up with him a little further down the line and they had a 20 at one of Burghley’s infamously tricky combinations. It was kind of unlucky, really, and they went on to have another educational round before jumping clear in the final phase. These things happen, though, and it’s all experience banked and not unusual as young horses navigate the step up to the top level.
Deerpairc Revelry sure has showed his potential though and there’s big things to come for him, for sure. Those low dressage scores will have him in the mix from the start and consistent clear rounds on the Sunday of a three-day are a valuable asset to have in a horse. He’s proved he can jump clear round a massive track like Burghley, and that he can beat the clock at the 4*-L level, and it’s exciting to see how this clearly talented horse’s career progresses as he really settles in at the pinnacle of his sport.
🇬🇧 Wills Oakden & Keep It Cooley
Keep It Cooley came into his debut at the CCI5* level last season with much anticipation and high expectations. On his way to the top of the sport he’d had consecutive wins at the 3* and 4*-L at Blair Castle and hadn’t had a cross country jumping penalty since his very first international event back in 2021. But as is so often the case when a young horse steps up to the top level, things didn’t play out how Wills Oakden would have liked. He’d chosen Luhmühlen for the Irish Sport Horse gelding’s debut but “Michael”, as he’s known at home, was quite green from the off. He had a little look going into the first water early on course and then went into the tricky combination fence in the main arena at blistering speed, picking up a flag penalty and a run out. Things came to a head at the second water; although they jumped in well, the gelding came to a stop at the second element and Wills decided to call it a day.
Since then they’ve had a confidence building round at the 4*-S level at Alnwick where they finished on their dressage score and came 2nd, but then a tumble from Wills in the 4*-L at Scone Palace, followed by the horse being withdrawn before cross country in the 4*-L at Ballindenisk, meaning international completions had come to a bit of a halt. They came out this season for a fresh start with a steady clear in the 4*-S at Burnham Market and will contest Badminton off the back of that good experience.
This horse has been going sub-30 at 4* quite regularly, but he scored 34.7 at Luhmühlen, so we can probably expect somewhere closer to that as he makes his second 5* start this week. He has been consistently reliable for a cross country clear, but those problems at Luhmühlen upset his record somewhat. When things go his way, he’s quick, putting down the fastest time of the day at Blair Castle last year on his way to the win, and with plenty of clears inside the time throughout his record. He’s incredibly clean in the final phase, with jumping penalties on just three occasions from 15 international finishes. Although he has the potential to be right in the mix, this week is surely about banking a 5* completion and getting a really good experience at the level under this horse’s cinch.
🇬🇧 Emma Thomas & Icarus X
This striking KWPN gelding had a great start to his CCI5* career with a clear round at Burghley in 2023 on his debut at the level, followed by another clear round on the Sunday and culminating in 18th place. Since then he’s clocked up two more Burghley completions and one at Badminton last year.
There’s no two ways about it, this horse gets hot, hot, hot in the dressage phase. Like, fireworks. We’ve seen him wave at the judges before now. It’s a shame because he’s a lovely mover, but the excitement of the occasion very much gets the better of him and Emma Thomas does a masterful job with this very difficult ride. His PB at the level is 37.3, which came at Burghley last fall, but he’s been as high as 51.2 and there’s a mixture of scores in between. However, we all know that the best day of a three-day is Saturday and that’s when this guy really can shine. Yes, there’s been some mistakes along the way, primarily at 5*. He had a 20 for a drive-by at Burghley in 2024 as a result of his keenness, then the same situation occurred at Badminton last year. At Burghley in the fall they picked up a really unfortunate 60 penalties for two ‘refusals’ at the same fence. It was at a step up out of water before a bounce very early on course and saw a lot of problems that day. Icarus had been incredibly enthusiastic but came to a really surprising stop, looking round as if to say he didn’t get what to do. Emma brought him round and they continued on with the job but they were judged as having stepped back before she did so and thus incurred the extra penalties. It was a real shame as the rest of their round was superb, total cross country grit on show from both horse and rider and massive jumps that elicited oohs and aahs from the crowd as they made their way around the meaty track. They went on to jump clear in the final phase, their second time doing so. They had a rail at Burghley the previous year and two at Badminton, but many did that day.
So things have been a little hit and miss, a little unlucky, and a whole lot of fun for this pair. We shouldn’t be expecting them to make the time on Saturday, but what we can bank on is a round that’s great to watch for its bold jumping, solid partnership between horse and rider and a combination who really do exude love for the sport.
🇬🇧 Fiona Kashel & Creevagh Silver De Haar
Joint-second oldest in the field, this 18-year-old has six CCI5* completions to his name, including two Badmintons, and returns this week to make it a hattrick. He scored a PB across all level of 28.4 in the dressage last year, going sub-30 for the second time in his career, having hit 29.7 at Pau the previous season. He made his debut at the level at Badminton in 2022 and delivered his first cross country clear at Luhmühlen in 2023; since then he’s jumped clear at both Pau and Badminton. He won’t be the speediest contender on Saturday, but he will be one to watch for his game expression and the true partnership on show between Fiona Kashel and her pal of over a decade. There will be penalties to add on Sunday, there were 24 of them last year, although they kept it to just the one pole at Luhmühlen in 2024 on their way to a superb 12th place finish. The most common number at 5* is 8. But being there is what we want to see come the finale, and another top-level completion on this sweet horse’s record.
🇫🇷 Luc Château & Viens du Mont
Luc Chateau’s experienced CCI5* campaigner is making his seventh top-level start at Badminton this week. He made his debut at Pau back in 2022 and finished in the top 10 after jumping clear inside the time and adding just a single show jumping pole to his dressage score of 39.8 across the competition. He showed up at Badminton the following spring and finished in 11th place, the best result at the event by a French rider in the last decade, where he relished the tough conditions due to the weather on a weekend where others found things particularly tricky.
Unfortunately that early form didn’t continue and his subsequent 5* runs saw the pair struggle to find cross country clears so easily. After that great finish at Badminton, Luc must have been full of hope when he showed up at Burghley that fall, but it didn’t go at all according to plan and Luc opted to put his hand up after two refusals at the same fence cost him 60 penalties. The following season they completed at Badminton, but 20 jumping penalties on cross country day meant they finished further down the order than would have been expected given the gelding’s early form, then a broken stirrup at Burghley the same year forced a retirement and quick re-route to Pau, where they finished 37th after a particularly difficult day in the dressage ring, a good clear and relatively quick cross country run in very wet going, but then three poles down in the final phase. This all came after the horse went through much of his career cruising round courses clear and if not inside, very close to the time.
For sure this horse is not really in the game for the dressage, with scores trending in the low- to mid-40s in the first phase at 5*, and he’s not one to leave every pole in the cups in the show jumping phase, but Luc manages to keep the damage to a minimum and, historically, when others have found it to be a tough day on cross country, this pair have usually already done enough for it not to matter too significantly.
Now 17, this gelding won’t have too many 5* runs left in his career, so let’s hope that everything comes together for him and he gets to really show the world what he can do once more.
🇬🇧 Ros Canter & Lordships Graffalo
Wonderful “Walter” is on track to make history once again. He’s already the only horse to have regained a Badminton title, the only horse to have won Badminton and Burghley in the same season, and the only horse to have defended both of those titles — and this season he aims to do the double-double by adding a third Badminton win to his roster. He’s obviously the highest-ranked horse in the field according to EquiRatings, and the very, very clear favorite for the win. It’s a lot of pressure, but Ros Canter is cool as they come and will just do what she does and see where her and “Walter” come out — which is highly likely to be on top.
Let’s do a little visualization. He enters the dressage ring and produces a solid, calm, easy, accomplished test for a score in the low-20s; his best at the level came at Burghley in 2024 and was 22. He leaves the start box and delivers a solid, calm, easy, accomplished round that never looks in any doubt and never seems hurried in the slightest — clear inside the time as he has been at both Badminton and Burghley, twice. He comes into the arena, probably in the lead, on the final day and jumps a solid, calm, easy, accomplished clear with perhaps a second or two of time, because there’s no rush given the buffer he’ll likely have over his closest competitor. That’s Walter.
No, we can’t predict the future, and we all know that anything can happen in eventing… but what we can say for sure is that no matter what happens, this exceptional talent and his equally talented jockey have already firmly placed themselves amongst the best of all time, and it’s just so very cool to be along with them for the ride.
🇬🇧 Emily King & Valmy Biats
This experienced and exciting pairing have five top-level completions on their card now, including 4th and 5th place finishes at Badminton, and it’s surely only a matter of time before they take their place on the CCI5* podium.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing, however, and Emily King’s had to pick herself up and dust herself off after a few disappointments. But she keeps on plugging away — this is a rollercoaster of a sport, after all, and Emily knows that only too well. There are five DNF results on their card, two from Badminton, two from Burghley and one from Pau. The most recent came over in France last fall, where “Val” shot out of the start box at warp speed and super power and Emily took a tumble at the second fence, rotten luck in the way her fall at the second-last at Badminton in 2022 was. And that’s kind of the story of this pair — they’re either superb or sadly unlucky. Their trip to Pau last season was a reroute from Burghley, where early disappointment came in the form of a drive by at fence 7, a tricky combination involving a step out of water to a bounce that caught a fair few out that day. It was a similar scenario at Burghley the previous year, with an early 20 resulting in a reroute to a particularly wet Pau. “Val” famously loves the mud, living out all year in rainy North Wales, and he relished his time splashing through the puddles. It was a round that was scrappy in places though, nothing wrong with that per se, but it meant they picked up 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device. Interspersed in between these mishaps are those two excellent Badminton finishes, and if we go back further it’s more of the same. Mistakes at some events, but a clear round on his second time at the level and an 8th place finish at Pau in 2022.
This horse is one who should be right up there after the first phase. He’s amongst the top-5 ranked dressage horses in the field, according to EquiRatings, with a score of 24.1 his PB at the level. Sub-30 for sure — in 11 5* starts he’s scored in the 20s on nine occasions, the other two being a 30 and a 31.3 back in 2023. As we’ve seen, his cross country record is patchy, but not due to a lack of talent on either horse or rider’s part. He can be strong, he’s had some bad luck, but he is very much more than capable of jumping quick enough clears round these meaty tracks. He’s yet to make the time at the level, wasting seconds in being set up due to him being so bold, but his excellent dressage score means he should stay within touching distance of the top spots even with a little time added on Saturday. He does tend to have a pole in the final phase at 5*, but he usually keeps it to one. At Badminton in 2024 he had two though, without which he would have been on the winning score. Last year’s rail came on a day when clear rounds were few and far between and his placing remained the same regardless.
Badminton has been the happiest hunting ground of all the 5*s for this combination and hopefully that will prove true this week too. It would be really great to see this pair on the podium at the level after all their years of plugging away together.
🇬🇧 Alexander Bragg & Quindiva
This 16-year-old mare has got a fair bit of CCI5* experience on her card now, from both sides of the Pond. She made her debut at the level at the wet and wild edition of Badminton in 2023, where self-confessed fair-weather rider Alex Bragg decided to retire out on a very muddy cross country track; he was by no means the only one that day to make the call. The gutsy mare proved she was a Burghley horse later that season with a 15th place finish, and then came back out the following spring for her sophomore year at the top level and podiumed at Badminton before finishing on her dressage score at Burghley and earning 8th place. Last year Alex opted to make the trip to Maryland with “Diva”, no doubt hoping for a top placing, potentially even on the podium. It wasn’t to be, however. On a particularly difficult day out on cross country, where a number of top contenders saw their competition end early, Alex’s experienced mare, who’d jumped off Burghley’s Leaf Pit twice without so much as a look — who was having an absolute peach of a round, super confident and going along like a pro — decided she was not going off the, smaller but similar, Maryland step. No way. Not today. She stopped. The crowd was silent, shocked. Alex quietly asked nicely. The answer was a resounding no. And so they come to Badminton off the back of that jaw-dropper.
We’re looking at mid- high-30s in the first phase for this mare, who’s a little spicy, but there will be very little to add after that if she decides she’s come to play. She’s jumped clear round some of the biggest tracks in the business and she’s swift; one of only four clears inside the time at Burghley in 2024 and the sixth fastest of the day at Badminton that year. She’s careful as you like on the final day and has never had a pole at a long-format event.
So, watch this space for a leaderboard climb on cross country day, but you’ll need to be quick about it — blink and you’ll miss this pair as they gallop past. If they’re up there on Sunday, they’re likely to stay put, or climb even further depending on what happens above them.
🇮🇪 Sam Watson & Ballyneety Rocketman
This Irish Sport Horse had his first CCI5* season last year, starting out at Badminton and ending up at Burghley, banking two top-level completions in the process and improving on his performance across all three phases on his second go. His Badminton began with a 40.5 in the dressage and he bettered that by almost 5 marks at Burghley. He had a late 20 out on cross country at Badminton in what was an otherwise really confident round, picking up a frustrating drive-by at a skinny second element when he was just a few fences from home.
This guy is speedy and cat-like, really clever with his feet and well-able to get himself out of trouble if things get a little scrappy, attributes he very clearly demonstrated in his round at Burghley, which was classic cross country, where he hunted round, full of grit and bravery. Sam’s a naturally quick rider, he’s one of only 10 in the field to make the time at Badminton more than once, but this horse eats into the seconds with his enthusiasm and so picked up a fair few time penalties at Burghley despite looking to be speedy and keen the whole way round. Sam’ll be looking to shave some of those penalties off this time around after getting two solid 5* completions under this gelding’s cinch. He had a pole in the final phase at Badminton last year, but clear rounds were a rare commodity that day, and jumped clear at Burghley, ending up in 13th place from a field of 52.
Should all go to plan, we can expect Sam to be aiming to better that placing and make it into the top 10 this season. He’s in a strong field of dressage scores this week though, and horses likely not to add much to those scores, but Sam’s a determined kind of guy and impeccable in his homework, so there’s every chance we’ll see an improvement when he brings this horse back out for his sophomore season at the top level.
🇧🇷 Marcio Carvalho Jorge & Royal Encounter
This 11-year-old gelding makes his CCI5* debut at Badminton after a slight hold-up to his international career through the 2024 season and time spent reconsolidating what he’d learned up to that break last year. He may not have a bunch of long-format experience under his belt, but he’s showing promise in all three phases and has banked some very good results, such as in the 4*-L at Millstreet in Ireland last year where he added just 3.6 cross country time penalties to his dressage of 30.3 across the competition and bagged his best result yet with the runner-up spot. This is a smart horse, who’ll be going sub-30 in the first phase once he’s established himself at the level, for sure, but for now we can expect something in the low-30s. His cross country jumping record is lovely and clean, but for a couple of babyish blips, and he’s quick enough at this stage in his career, with time penalties mostly kept to single figures. He respects the rails in the final phase, sometimes he picks up the odd 4 faults, but that clear round at Millstreet proved he can be careful on the final day of a long-format event.
It’s cool to see Marcio back at Badminton after an almost decade-long hiatus from the big B, and it’s very exciting to see what this young, talented gelding can do at his first 5*.
🇬🇧 Laura Collett & Bling
This quirky mare made her CCI5* debut at Badminton last season with an educational completion before capitalizing on that good experience at Burghley with a 10th place finish. She really has shown potential in the first phase as she’s matured — she improved her dressage score by 6.4 marks between her two top-level runs — and she’s got one of the best in the saddle to help her along the way in the indomitable Laura Collett. Her cross country record does have the odd penalty, but they’re green mistakes as she’s taken her time to learn her trade, and she’s shown she’s quick, coming home within the top-10 fastest of the day at Burghley. She’s generally a clean and careful jumper in the show jumping ring, although she had a rail at each of her two 5* runs, but again, a little more mileage at the level and this gal will be knocking those clears out of the park.
It’ll be interesting to see Bling back at Badminton now she’s had that great result at Burghley, and although Laura probably won’t be expecting to match her record-breaking finishing score of 21.4 with London 52 from 2022, she will be hoping to add another great placing to this sensitive mare’s record.
🇬🇧 Tom Rowland & Dreamliner
This 16-year-old gelding made his CCI5* debut with previous rider Oliver Townend at Luhmühlen back in 2022 and finished just outside the top 10. Tom Rowland took over the ride in 2023 and spent a season getting to know the horse before heading to Badminton in 2024 and picking up a 7th place finish. He improved his dressage score and cross country time on his return last year, but a pole in the final phase dropped him down the order to 12th, so Tom’ll be looking to be firmly back inside the top 10 this time around.
This horse trends in the low-30s in the first phase, putting down a 33.1 at Badminton last season. He’s accurate and workmanlike and very rideable, just not the flashiest horse we’ll see, although there are glimpses in some of the movements. He’s an interesting one to watch and could well put in a better score than his form perhaps suggests. On cross country he’s an out and out eventer. He hasn’t had a jumping penalty since way back in 2019 and his 8 time penalties at Badminton last spring put him as the 14th fastest round of the day in a field of 81. No, he’s not one to necessarily beat the clock at the level, but he’s dependable as the day is long and Tom may well feel he can push a little now they’ve got two excellent Badminton finishes together under their belt. He’s generally a careful jumper in the final phase, with a clear round in 2024 and just the one rail last year, but that was a day where clear rounds were hard to come by, so he was far from alone in adding penalties in the final phase.
Dreamliner is a really lovely type and a fun eventing horse, doing his job with a smile on his face and his ears pricked and trying his best. It would be nice to see him up there when all’s said and done on Sunday, as this horse deserves to be.
🇬🇧 Daisy Berkeley & Diese du Figuier
Last time Daisy Berkeley was at Badminton it was 2010 and she was on the podium. Fast forward to 2026 and she’s back with CCI5* debutant Diese du Figuier as the Selle Français gelding steps up to the top of the sport.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s new to the level, this guy has got some serious quality and is in with a great shot at a very good placing this week. He’s been sub-20 in the first phase at 4* and has proven himself across some of the meatier 4*-L tracks like Bramham and Blenheim, the latter of which he was runner up at last season. He’s not the fastest in the field and we can certainly expect time penalties on Saturday when he faces his biggest test to date, but he’s amongst the highest-ranked show jumpers at Badminton this year, according to EquiRatings, on a streak of 13 clear rounds and so shouldn’t add anything more than cross country time to his score.
It’s always interesting to see a newcomer take on the enormity that is Badminton, from the atmosphere and crowds to the mammoth fences and then the pressure of the final day, but this classy gelding has impressed in his international career thus far, and he’s got the experience of Daisy to help guide him. Watch this one for a taste of big things to come.
🇨🇭 Nadja Minder & Toblerone
The oldest horse in the field at Badminton this year, 19-year-old Toblerone has taken Nadja Minder through Young Riders to the top of the sport. Longtime pals and partners, this pair are ones not to miss for a cute display of just what a trusting partnership looks like around one of the toughest courses in the world. They made their CCI5* debut together at Pau in 2023 and came 25th, then opted for Burghley the following season and added a top-20 placing to their record. 2025 saw them contest Luhmühlen where they finished 16th, so all-in-all it’s been a pretty successful top-level run for this combination thus far.
We’re looking at low- mid-30s in the first phase, with a 30.5 at Pau, a 31 at Burghley and a 35.5 at Luhmühlen on their card at the level. This sweet guy is reliable for a clear round across the country, with just one jumping penalty in his time with Nadja which came on his 5* debut. They picked up frangible penalties at Luhmühlen in what was otherwise a smooth round, but it was clear all the way at Burghley and that’s what we’ll hopefully be looking for as they take on Badminton for the first time. They won’t be the fastest pairing in the field, but they were in the top 25% when it came to time at Luhmühlen and in the top third at Burghley, so time penalties shouldn’t be too expensive on Saturday. Three rails in the final phase at Luhmühlen sadly dropped them down the order some, they’d have been in the money if the poles had stayed in the cups, but they jumped clear at Burghley and just had the one rail at Pau, so adding penalties on Sunday isn’t inevitable and there are plenty of long-format clears on the horse’s record.
It would be very cool to see this combination right up there when all’s said and done at Badminton this week. They truly are a joy to watch together and regardless of the final placings, this horse has done his best friend very proud over the years.
🇧🇪 Wouter De Cleene & Quintera
Hannovarian mare Quintera returns to Badminton with Wouter de Cleene for a second go around after securing a solid completion last year. She made her CCI5* debut at Pau in2024, where she put down her second-best ever dressage score of 30.4 and jumped a clear across the country — not bad for a first time at the level. It was, understandably, a steady round, and an expensive time in the show jumping ring dropped them down the order, but a 5* completion was recorded nonetheless. She took her place in the Badminton lineup the following spring, and despite picking up a green 20 when the mare didn’t quite lock on to a particularly narrow brush, and having a couple of sticky moments, there were some real highlights of trust and bravery in the round and Wouter was quite rightly delighted when they crossed the finish line.
In terms of dressage scores we’re looking at anything from low- to high-30s, with that great score at Pau and then a 38.1 at Badminton; 4* scores trend midway between the two. Although this mare’s got a real zest for the job, she doesn’t always keep a clean sheet across the country, with a few 20s dotted through her record and the odd frangible device penalty. But she’s very much still growing into the game and Wouter is a supportive partner to her, having brought her right through from her first international competition. They do take some long routes and therefore pick up time, and there will probably be penalties added on the final day, with one or two rails being the norm, but it’s all about adding that third 5* and second Badminton completion to this lovely mare’s record this week.
🇬🇧 Aaron Millar & Friendship VDL
This sweetly-named KWPN 16-year-old has three CCI5* starts on his record but has only had one real crack at the level, having been withdrawn after the dressage phase at Badminton last year and before the competition began proper at Burghley in the fall, in what turned out to be a disappointing sophomore season at the level for the horse. He’d made his debut in great form at Burghley the previous year with a clear cross country jumping round and a 25th place finish. Let’s hope he gets a real spin around Badminton this week and adds to that great experience he had on his debut at the level.
We’re looking at a mid-30s score in the first phase, with a 35.9 at Badminton last time around and a 33 on his first time at the level at Burghley. He should be climbing the board on Saturday though as he’s reliable for a clear round across the country, with just one 20 on his entire international record from 21 runs. We shouldn’t expect him to be super speedy, his was one of the slower clear rounds at Burghley, but he has shown a swift turn of foot at the 4*-L level over tracks such as Bramham, so we’ll see how he’s feeling on Saturday, but a clear will certainly be the priority with this guy given his relative inexperience at the level. He’s generally a careful jumper in the final phase, although he did have a rail at Burghley, but plenty did that day.
The aim this week will very much be to add a second 5* completion to the horse’s record this week after the disappointment of those false starts last season.
🇫🇷 Benjamin Massie & Filao de Perle
This talented gelding may only be an 11-year-old, but he’s got three CCI5* starts to his name already, including 7th place at Pau last year when he was one of only six to make the time on cross country day. He’s amongst the ten fastest horses in the field at Badminton and looking down his results, it’s not hard to see why; he’s added just a single second of time across all of his six long-format runs across all levels, bar Luhmühlen last year where he had a run out and had to circle back and then was held on course due to another competitor, which would have disrupted his rhythm; his was the fastest round with jumping penalties by quite a margin though, and was quicker than some of the clear rounds.
Dressage scores at 5* have thus far spanned from 31.1 to 37.4, but this is a smart customer and he’s still coming into his full strength, so we can certainly expect more consistency as he progresses in his career and his quality sure suggests that he’ll be sub-30 at some point. He’s not infallible to a pole in the final phase, he had one at Pau last year but jumped clear at Luhmühlen, but the damage is always limited to a single rail and with a finishing score like the 35.2 he had at Pau, despite adding 4 faults on the Sunday, this horse really is an exciting prospect as starts his sophomore year at the top of the sport.
🇧🇪 Lara de Liedekerke-Meier & Hooney d’Arville
Record-breaker Lara de Liedekerke-Meier was the first Belgian rider to win a CCI5* when she took the Luhmühlen crown with Hooney d’Arville in 2024 on the mare’s debut at the level. She added just 4 cross country time penalties to her dressage score across the competition that week in a stunning example of just how much class this girl has. She’s back at Badminton after picking up 14th place last year.
“Hooney” has got the potential to be sub-30 in the dressage phase; it hasn’t quite happened at 5* yet, but she’s rarely out of the 20s at 4* and her two top-level tests have come in at 31.6 and 31.7, so all it’ll take is for Lara to eke out just a little more from the mare she knows so well, being a homebred, and they’ll absolutely be right up there going into cross country. Regardless, they’ll be within touching distance of the top of the leaderboard after the first phase. A clear cross country jumping round will be the order of the day on Saturday. Sure there’s a couple of penalties on her card, but with two previous clears at the level, we can expect her to make it three when all’s said and done after the second phase. She’s not the quickest horse in the field, so it’s a case of minimizing the time added, but Lara’s a smooth rider and is sure to shave off the seconds where she can. The show jumping’s a little less certain, with a few rails creeping into her form, one last year at Badminton, but she was clear on the way to the win at Luhmühlen, and when she does have a pole it’s just one of those things, rather than a case of the mare not being careful.
It would be very cool to see Lara and Hooney at the business end of things at the end of the week. They’re a really interesting pairing and it’s not hard to cheer for them.
🇨🇭 Felix Vogg & Cartania
Last year’s Maryland winner, Cartania, made history for Felix Vogg when he became the only Swiss rider ever to win two CCI5*s after adding the Maryland title to his Luhmühlen win (with Colero) from 2022. That superb win at Maryland was preceded by 15th and 11th placings at Badminton and a 13th at Burghley, proving this mare to be as versatile at the top-level as she is talented.
We are surely expecting a sub-30 score in the dressage, where the mare really does show her quality. She scored a PB of 28.3 at the level at Maryland and has two further scores in the 20s at 5* on her card. You have to go way, way back to 2018 to find a cross country jumping penalty on her record, although she isn’t the easiest and Felix had an abbreviated run round Badminton last year after quite a hairy round culminated in them coming unstuck three fences from home when an upright gate tripped them up. All that keenness tends to lead to time penalties, although they were inside at Maryland last fall on their way to the win. They added 12 for time at Burghley in 2024, putting them in the top quarter of the field time-wise, and were joint-10th fastest at Badminton that spring from a field of 68. The mare’s show jumping record has shown a marked improvement since Felix changed her bridle to a hackamore, with her first 5* clear round coming at Maryland since the change; prior to that she’d had three rails on two occasions at Badminton and one rail at Burghley.
This mare has proved her mettle at the top of the sport and if Felix can channel that keenness on Saturday, she should be one to watch for another top finish this week.
🇳🇿 Tim Price & Falco
Tim Price has been a regular at Badminton for over a decade, lining up every single year since 2014. He’s hot off the plane from Kentucky and takes his spot with Pau winner and Maryland runner-up Falco for the horse’s first time at the event. Although he’s 17, he’s relatively lightly run, with just those two CCI5* appearances plus one run at Kentucky, however he’s been a successful championships horse for Tim, earning him a bronze medal at the Worlds in 2022 and 6th place individually at the Paris Olympics.
He is for sure going to be well in the mix following the dressage phase. Tim’s a master between the white boards and Falco is equally talented on the flat. He scored 22.1 in the first phase on his 5* debut at Pau back in 2021, where just 0.4 time in the show jumping kept him from finishing on his dressage score on his way to the win at his very first time at the level. That score remains his PB though and he’s been in the 27s at each of his subsequent 5* runs. There are cross country penalties dotted throughout his record, with a 20 at Kentucky last year late on course in what had otherwise been a round that was smooth as butter. He’s not necessarily the quickest horse in the field but we all know that Tim rides the tightest lines out there and shaves off every single second he can; don’t be surprised to see him add a few penalties on Saturday though. But we can absolutely safely say that there’ll be nothing at all to add on Sunday, with just two rails in his entire international career of 30 rounds. Seriously, this guy is a jumper.
This pair have been first and second at the level, can they be up there when all’s said and done this week? Perhaps. As long as they keep the time on cross country to a minimum, they’re in with a really good shout.
🇮🇪 Padraig McCarthy & Lady Ophelia
A rider fall on the horse’s 5* debut at Burghley in 2024 meant a bit of a false start to this mare’s top-level career, but things were most certainly on track when she returned to the level at Pau last year and came 15th. This gritty mare won’t be at the business end of things after the first phase, with scores tending to be in the high-30s to a hoof in the 40s, although she put down a personal best of 33.9 at Burghley on her first time at the level and scored 35.7 at Pau, indicating that this mare really does show up to the big events. Clear cross country rounds are valuable in this game though, and there’s just one occasion where she’s picked up jumping penalties, back in 2022. She can be quick enough too, coming home within the top 25% at Pau in terms of time. Show jumping has been a little hit and miss recently, but she’s plenty of clear round form; she had a rail at Pau but plenty did that day.
Padraig’s hot off a flight from Kentucky where another lovely horse from his string made his debut at the top level with a top-20 finish, and Padraig will be hoping for the luck of the Irish for Lady Ophelia as she makes her Badminton debut this week. She’s a lovely mare who wasn’t expected to make it to the big time, but there’s a lot to be said for a horse with their heart in the job and it’ll be cool to see her capitalize on that great experience at Pau and give Badminton a real good go.
🇫🇷 Gaspard Maksud & Zaragoza
This stunning mare is rated in the top 10 in the field by EquiRatings and it’s not hard to see how the numbers add up. Dubbed “Zoom Zoom Zaragoza” by her eccentric French rider, the pair are well matched — sharp, quick and thrill-seeking, they’re an exciting watch at the big events, for sure. The horse’s much anticipated CCI5* debut at Pau in 2023 did not go at all to plan, with a fall ending her competition early, but she proved herself to be well and truly a Burghley horse the following year when she came 6th, which she backed up with 7th place last season. She contested Badminton last spring but did not have the smoothest of rounds across the country. It was all a bit quick and hairy and that culminated in a frangible device being activated. The drama continued at a water complex a little further round the course, when the mare seemed to lose her footing on the way out of the water and the pair got quite wet, but in true Gaspard fashion, he kicked on. After review, no penalties were given, but it was not ideal and those mishaps cost them a quite a few seconds. They went on to complete but added a very uncharacteristic three rails in the show jumping phase and finished up in 25th place.
This mare can easily put in a sub-30 test, she’s really stunning on the flat on her day, as she showed at Burghley in 2024 with a score of 26.8. But she can get a little tense with the atmosphere and when that happens, scores creep into the low-30s. One thing that’s in no doubt is that this gal is an absolute cross country machine. She’s bold and brilliant — there’s not a 20 on her international record from 25 competitions. Although she’s blisteringly quick, it’s not always out-and-out speed that beats the clock, with smoothness counting for a lot when it comes to making the time, and this pair are sometimes a little erratic, meaning they do pick up a few seconds. She can have a pole in the final phase, it’s 50:50 really, but that takes nothing away from the fact that this plucky mare is truly a phenomenal jumper.
It would be marvelous to see this pair at their very best this Badminton because they are so very exciting to watch when they’re on form — and keep an eye out for Gaspard’s headwear at the horse inspection, as he has quite the collection of novelty berets.
🇺🇸 Grace Taylor & Game Changer
This bold gelding has had a bit of a frustrating time at the CCI5* level thus far. He made his debut at Burghley in 2023, bursting onto the top-level scene with a big PB of 28.9 in the dressage phase and a super spin round the cross country, coming home with just time added, putting him in 16th place overnight, only for disappointment the following day when he was withdrawn before the final horse inspection. Things were put right at Badminton the following season with a top-20 finish, but then a trip to Maryland that fall ended early when Grace Taylor took a tumble at a fence which caused quite a bit of drama that day. Game Changer had been super keen, jumping right out of her hand, and we got a glimpse of just what she has to handle when the gelding’s well up for the job. Badminton 2025 added another completion to their card, but Burghley later in the season had the gelding all het up. He was bold and quick — too bold and too quick — and that ran them into trouble about a quarter of the way round the track, with a hairy mistake and then a hugely bold jump from way off at the following fence prompting Grace to put her hand up. A quick reroute to Pau saw him back to his best, with a quick clear adding just 2.4 time penalties putting them in the top 10 after cross country, but an expensive 12 faults in the final phase dropped them down to 16th overall, an excellent result nonetheless.
So it’s a one on, one off, kind of situation thus far for this gelding, but Grace’ll be hoping to break that cycle at Badminton this time around. It’s been a happy hunting ground for them on their two previous starts, so a hattrick of completions will be the order of the week for this pair.
🇬🇧 Tom Strawson & Public Address
This extraordinary point-to-pointer turned eventer made his CCI5* debut at Burghley last season and showed he’d got the heart and the guts and then some to duke it out at the top of the sport. No, he’s not a dressage horse, with a score of 39.8 at Burghley being a good showing compared to his usual scores in the 40s, but cross country — absolutely this guy’s got that part of eventing down. He jumped clear round Burghley with 25.6 time penalties to the delight of owner-rider Tom Strawson who had a ball out there on course. Theirs was a round that really did look like the best of fun — bold and brave with some very natty footwork from the gelding, particularly when he added a stride at a bounce combination to make it work for him, clever pony. He finished up on Sunday with four rails in the final phase which dropped him down a few places to 21st, but that didn’t diminish the fact that he’d almost hit the top 20 at Burghley on his very first time at the level, and had a ball doing so.
It’s very cool to see him come to Badminton this week and we’ll definitely be watching out for him on Saturday so we can follow along with what’s sure to be one of the most fun rides of the day.
🇬🇧 Holly Richardson & Bally Louis
Long-time pals Holly Richardson and Bally Louis are at Badminton for their fourth start at the CCI5* level and looking for their second completion. They had an exciting debut in 2023 at Burghley, when the horse absolutely proved his mettle for the task, with a clear cross country jumping round and a finish just outside the top 20 on his first time of asking. Sadly, they hit a bit of bad luck after that great start, with a technical elimination at Badminton the following spring where they were pulled up close to home due to missing a jump out on cross country, then withdrawing from Burghley that fall before the final horse inspection. But they’re back at Badminton this week looking for redemption, with the course and all alternative routes very firmly etched into Holly’s brain.
This pair will be mid- to high-30s in the first phase, but this sweet horse isn’t an eventer for the dressage, it’s all about the cross country for him, an attitude eventing fans can empathize with. They jumped a steady clear on their debut at Burghley but ran into some problems at Badminton before they were eliminated, and picked up a late 20 in what was otherwise a really great round on their second trip to Burghley. They won’t be out to beat the clock, they’ll be looking to have a good spin together, so there will be time to add, but it’s a clear jumping round that’ll be the priority for this pair. Show jumping isn’t this gelding’s best phase, but is something that Holly’s been working on; they had two rails at Burghley and we should probably expect at least one. But again, that’s all academic as this week will be all about the completion for this combination and it would be great to see this great partnership get back on track with a score on the board when all’s said and done on Sunday.
🇬🇧 Harry Meade & Cavalier Crystal
This lovely mare from Harry’s herd made her CCI5* debut in fine form at Burghley in 2023, a bold move for a step up to the level, but Harry knows his horses and she proved her mettle at the top of her game with a 3rd place finish, a feat she’s delivered for three consecutive years; in 2024 she well and truly laid down her marker as amongst the best in the world when she finished on her dressage score, one of only two horses from a field of 66 to do so. Impressively, she replicated this feat at Badminton last season, again one of only two horses to keep a clean sheet across the jumping phases. This woman is class with a capital C.
Whilst “Nell” hasn’t yet managed to sneak sub-30 in the dressage phase, she’s been tantalizingly close with a 30.5 at Burghley in the fall of last year, and there’s every indication that under Harry’s masterful tutelage she will in fact dip down into the 20s one day soon. And when she does, well, watch out the rest of the field. She has but a single cross country jumping penalty on her international record, from way back in 2017 when she was but a baby, and as we can see from those FOD results at two of the toughest 5*s in the world, she’s a quick one. Her show jumping record is equally enviable, with clear rounds coming out of her ears.
Might Mr. Meade win Badminton and quiet his insistent door knocking on a 5* victory? Mr. Meade might. He’s got three shots at the crown, but this is arguably his best one. Watch this space. Also, keep an eye out for Harry’s infamous choice of colored pants at the first horse inspection. Apparently he’s color blind and has no idea what’s been picked out for him, but he’s sported everything from lime green to baby pink in the past, so it’ll be fun to see what shade he dabbles with next.
🇳🇿 Caroline Powell & Greenacres Special Cavalier
The 2024 Badminton champs are back after being unable to defend their title last year when the talented mare didn’t feel “quite right” in the run-up, prompting Caroline Powell and co-owners Chris and Michelle Mann to withdraw her entry, so it’s really great to see her in the line up this week.
She really is an exciting mare who showed she was the real deal right from her CCI5* debut at Pau as a 9-year-old in 2022, where she shot straight out of the blocks with a superb 5th place finish. She made the trip to Maryland in 2023 and added a 6th place to her record, but not before an educational experience at Badminton, where she picked up 40 jumping penalties out on cross country and a heap of time and ended up in last place. But oh how those tables turned when she returned just a year later and won the whole dang thing. Since then she’s been to Burghley, but a disappointing 20 when the horse ran out to the side at the second element of a corner combination had Caroline putting her hand up and saving the mare for another day.
Amongst the highest-ranked dressage horses in the field according to EquiRatings, we are surely expecting a sub-30 score in the first phase; she put down a PB of 25.4 at Burghley in 2024, the likes of which would have her well and truly in the mix this week. As we’ve seen, when things go to plan out on course, she’s great, but things unfortunately don’t always go to plan in this sport. That jumping penalty at Burghley was the first she’d had since the two at Badminton, and they’re the only ones on her record since 2021, it’s just that the couple of mistakes she’s made have been on the world stage, as is so often the case with talented young horses stepping up to the top level. So, the priority for Caroline will be a confident clear round for the mare. Second, will be to keep time penalties to a minimum. Caroline’s a speedy rider, having been inside the time at Badminton three times on three different horses, but this horse isn’t the fastest in the field, nor however, is she a slouch, so if things are going well we can expect Caroline to be trying to shave off the seconds with some smooth riding and flowing lines. If all goes as hoped, this pair should be right up there going into the final day, and who wouldn’t want to be sat on one of the best show jumpers in the field on Sunday at Badminton? There are many, many more clear rounds than poles on the mare’s record, she hasn’t had a rail since 2023, and isn’t that a lovely prospect when you’re jumping for a top placing at a 5*?
This is a really popular returner to Badminton and one we’ve got our eyes firmly locked onto as she comes back to the level after a short break but with winning form under her cinch.
🇬🇧 Tom Jackson & Hawk Eye
Tom Jackson’s going for an Armada Dish this year, awarded to Badminton competitors who achieve five completions at the event, and he’s got two shots at getting it. A top-20 result at Burghley on his CCI5* debut last season puts this gelding in a good spot to deliver that dish to Tom. They picked up a fairly late 20 when the horse just didn’t seem to get that he was supposed to jump a skinny arrowhead coming out of a water complex, but that didn’t really detract from what was a really great round from the gelding over the biggest track he’d faced in his career up to then. He comes to Badminton off the back of a 2nd place finish in the big 4*-S class at Thoresby this spring, so both horse and rider will be full of confidence and ready to take on the big one.
They scored 35.1 in the first phase at Burghley, but scores at 4* range from mid-20s to mid-30s, so the potential’s obviously there, it’s just about realizing it on the day. In his six international runs with Tom, Hawk Eye only has that one jumping penalty from Burghley on his record, and just a couple more with previous rider Kristina Hall-Jackson, so he’s fairly reliable across the country and he’s certainly got the jump — the 20 at Burghley was surely a blip and more of a miscommunication than anything, understandable as the pair hadn’t had much time together before the horse made the step up to the top level. This is a speedy combination who’ve made the time at 4*-L and were far from the slowest around the track at Burghley despite having to circle back to jump the fence they had problems at. A clear round will be the priority but a quick one is certainly within this horse’s reach. They had a rail in the final phase at Burghley but a lot of competitors did that day; if he does add penalties on Sunday, he should keep it to just the one pole though.
It’ll be really interesting to see this pair at Badminton after an impressive run at Burghley and they’ll surely be ones to watch as the horse banks experience at the level and progresses in his career at the top of his sport.
🇬🇧 David Doel & Midnight Rollercoaster
New to David Doel last season and lightly run on the international circuit for his 16 years, Midnight Rollercoaster makes the step up to CCI5* at Badminton this week. David’s had just one long-format run on this guy, in the 4*-L at Strzegom in Poland last year, and it was a good one — they added just 4.4 cross country time penalties to their dressage score across the competition and came 2nd. We shouldn’t expect them to be in the hunt after the first phase, with scores generally in the high-30s, but if they can replicate that clear then they should be heading the right way on the leaderboard on Saturday. It’s not a given though, with jumping penalties dotted throughout this gelding’s record since he stepped up to 4* with previous rider Alison Lidstone, including with David in the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Arville last year. He jumped clear in the final phase at Strzegom but his card shows he can occasionally have a pole at long-format events.
Badminton will be a bit of a fact-finding mission for this combination, with a good experience very much first and foremost in David’s plans for the horse.
