View our cross country day photo gallery here
What a day! Whilst Giuseppe Della Chiesa’s cross country course was predicted to be influential at this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, no one expected it to cause this amount of drama.
Of the 78 starters who set out today, only 35 made it home and just 29 of those returned without jumping faults. Not one combination made it home under time. Faults were scattered across the course but the owl hole at the Outlander Bank, the Vicarage Vee, the Mirage Pond and finally, the Huntsmans Close caused the most problems.
Lucinda Green was among the many Badminton ‘old timers’ who praised Giuseppe for returning the event to its original tough standard.
“I would have liked to have had more finished but the mistakes were spread all around the course and it was true 4* course,” Giuseppe said. “We had some very unexpected mishaps from top riders,” he continued. “We were very surprised with the key hole which jumped very nicely last year and this year caused a lot more problems than we had expected but you always learn more each time.”
Australia’s coach, Prue Barrett told Paul that 'it’s a battle field out there and to just go get it'
Paul Tapner attacked the course with fierce determination and he was rewarded for his efforts. “It wasn’t to plan but it was about getting the job done, getting clear and getting home,” he said. Paul and Kilronan will enter tomorrow’s competition in the lead on a penalty score of 56.4. “It was a truly amazing day of competition in terms of the action from start to finish and it was an amazing course because penalties were spread all across the course.”
Paul chose to take the long option at the Huntsmans Close as he felt Kilronan tiring towards the end of the course. “I don’t know that I necessarily enjoyed riding the course but I enjoyed the end result,” he joked.
Looking ahead to the show jumping tomorrow, Paul is focusing on what really matters. “As long as I feel that I’ve done the best job that I can and he doesn’t let me down, then if we have rails the end result is immaterial. It’s about making the horse perform to the best of his ability on the day, given every single circumstance because there’s a million and one variables in our sport.”
#SELFIE ? Tim and Paul at this evening's press conference
New Zealand’s Tim Price was surprised to find himself in second place at the end of the day, on what he admitted was his second best horse. “I have had quite a few climbs in my time but not up to second place and not at a competition like this,” Tim said. Tim flew around on Ringwood Sky Boy, collecting the fastest time of the day. “He felt great. Up to Huntsmans Close I know a lot of people were saying that they were struggling up there with their horse’s energy levels but he was still galloping.”
Having said that, Tim didn’t find the course easy. He fell victim to the Lake on his second ride later in the afternoon and went for a swim, much to the delight of the waiting crowds (well we all know that is why everyone crowds around the water jump!).
“It was technically difficult the whole way,” Tim said
In third place is France’s Pascal Leroy aboard Minos De Petra. With the help of a translator, Pascal talked us through his round at this evening’s press conference. “It rode more difficult than it walked,” he said. Pascal thought that time would be easier to get and whilst he was stopped at the fourth fence for a hold on course at the beginning of his round, once he got going it was great.
“I was very happy that I was one of the first riders and not at the end of the day because the time was more difficult to get at the end of the day.”
Pascal Leroy and Minos De Petra
Oliver Townend is the highest placed Brit aboard the fantastic Armada in fourth place. He was another rider to praise the challenging course. “It’s what I expected; I thought the course was fantastic. I thought that Giuseppe has done an excellent an exceptionally brave job to get Badminton back to the status that it is and I think that it would be a better bunch of results if it wasn’t for the weather,” he said.
Oliver Townend and Armada
Oliver didn’t have the smoothest of rounds as Armada began to tire towards the Quarry at the end of the course. “If there was going to be a mistake it was going to be jockey rather than horse in my opinion but for the first time ever I did feel that we ran out of petrol.”
In fifth place is Sam Griffiths who was delighted to be one of the few to make it home with no jumping penalties. “The first half she was jumping beautifully and I tell you what I had to work the second half. I had to scrape and I had to fight,” he admitted. Time was hard to get and Sam put this down to the conditions. “I think the attrition of the course, with big fence after big fence and traditionally when it’s a bit drier they can get their breaths back along those long runs. But the long runs here were still sapping on them, I could never really get her breath back.”
“She sees a red and white flag and she does everything she can to get between them,” Sam said
Many young horses made their Badminton debut this year and they rose to the challenge magnificently. Pippa Funnell’s Billy Beware was one of those horses and he ate up the course. “He’s never done the trip before and he kept digging deep, I certainly didn’t help him at few fences and he showed me his class,” Pippa said.
“What I was really thrilled about was that when he had a few awkward moments he dug in deep which is what this level is all about.” Pippa and Billy are in sixth place after todays cross country test.
Pippa Funnell and Billy Beware
Chris Burton and TS Jamaimo had an unfortunate run out at the Vicarage Vee but they made it home safe and sound. “I’m thrilled with him, the way he feels is like a 4* horse certainly. It’s just disappointing to have that 20,” Chris said after his round. “It’s an exceptionally tough track today, the ground is terrible, the holes in the mud as you are galloping along are unbelievably deep and it makes the tough course that much tougher so I’m actually still quite happy with him.”
“It just wasn’t our day,” Chris said. I caught up with Chris at the end of the course and you can hear more about his round here:
Wendy Schaeffer and Koyuna Sun Dancer
Wendy Schaeffer flew around the course on Koyuna Sun Dancer. “I’m really, really please with him. He was very experienced all the way round,” Wendy said. Wendy admitted to being a fraction conservative leading to fence 16 but she felt that she adapted her way of going to suit the course. “It all went to plan except I did option the Huntsmans Close after hearing that Paul optioned that, I suppose it just didn’t seem to be jumping all that well.”
Hear all about Wendy’s round, her thoughts for tomorrow’s show jumping (and about Thursday’s dressage test)
Bill Levett was one of the unlucky ones to not make it home on his first ride Silk Stone this morning. However he had a second chance at the course this afternoon on board Shannondale Titan.
“I went out very steady because he’s a young horse and I saw that horses were getting tired all day and he’s a super horse so I want to try and have him for another day,” Bill explained. “There were a lot of questions out there for him and it was fascinating to see how he took them and he took them in his stride.”
Bill Levett on board Shannondale Titan
Bill said that it was a matter of ‘just getting it done’ and attacking the course. “It’s not pretty out there,” he said. Bill talked me through his ride on Shannondale Titan and explained what went wrong with Silk Stone in his first round:
The gruelling cross country test caught out the best in the world. No one was safe. Overnight leader Clark Montgomery had a refusal on Loughan Glen at the Huntsmans Close and consequently retired. World number one, William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk took a fall close to home and were eliminated. Andrew Nicholson was the last on course and when Nereo left a leg he was thrown out the front door – very unlike the man who is known as ‘Mr. Stickability.’
Mark Todd came off his first ride, landing on top of the fence that NZB Campino had chested. He made on lookers laugh as he stood up and jumped straight back on from on top of the fence. Unfortunately the pair had been eliminated so he had to walk home. On his second ride, Mark did his best to go swimming in the lake on Leonidas II.
“He did exactly what I said some horses do here and that is they jump in and then they head out into the middle of the lake,” Mark said. “We said from the beginning, its one big question after another.” Despite the mishap Mark still managed to get home with no jumping faults. “He responded, he did everything he was asked, he was so honest so I’m delighted.”
Emma Dougall and Kelecyn Ice Age
Emma Dougall was another Australian who managed to get around the whole course. Emma described the course as the most impressive track that she had ever faced on Kelecyn Ice Age. “It’s exciting that I finished, really disappointing that I had two run outs but the horse is fantastic and he did everything he could to help me out,” she said. “When I came around to the Vicarage Vee he felt a little bit tired and saw the crowd, I had my line but he didn’t quite lock on. He was just a little bit fatigued I think.”
Emma spoke about her round in more detail with me and you can listen in here (apologies for the wind)
Natalie Blundell and Algebra started strong
The Vicarage Vee was also the undoing of Aussie team mate Natalie Blundell. Natalie looked fantastic up until the second element when a refusal from Algebra and a consequent drop into the ditch saw her thrown from the saddle. Both horse and rider were fine.
Peter Atkins chose to retire Henry Jota Hampton after two refusals at the troublesome Outlander Bank but they will be back to fight again another day. Lucinda Fredericks also retired Flying Finish early on course after he came up lame following the Savills Escalator. Fortunately after Vets checked ‘Christi’ over it was found that he had sustained a cut to his hind leg, certainly not the worst outcome possible.
Peter Atkins and Henry Jota Hampton
It also wasn’t Seumas Marwood’s day aboard Wild Oats. The pair had two refusals, one at the Shogun Hollow and one at the Outlander Bank before he chose to retire. However with so much carnage caused across the course all day, it was an achievement to have the guts to leave the starting box in the first place!
Today was a true 4* test. It was thrilling to watch the best of the best be tested to their absolute limit and tomorrow is shaping up to be a nail biting final day.
Article by Emily Penney
Watch some of Paul's cross country round here
