Number one is ready to go - Kilronan's final preparation
The anticipation on cross country morning is huge. There are briefings, last minute adjustments, nutritional requirements to tend to, jockeying for positions and moments of panic - and that’s just in the media room. Like the riders, once you’ve set out there’s no going back
Sometimes it’s easy to forget what this is all about. The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials is not only one of the biggest horse events but also one of the biggest happenings of the year in the area, attracting approximately 110,000 visitors on cross country day. Some of them are not even interested in horses but here for the social occasion, the shopping and being seen, although the weather at this time of year is not traditionally conducive to glamour. This is tweed country, topped off by this year’s must have fashion accessory, the fur headbands that seem to be growing in size by the hour.
Just manoeuvring all the crowds into place by 11:30am is a feat itself. There is no shortage of space as the Duke of Beaufort’s estate covers thousands of acres but the car parks, tradestands, arena and cross country courses are slotted into an area of approximately 500 acres on Badminton Park which the crowds descend on for cross country day.
However by 11:30am everyone was ready for the big day to kick off and it was Paul Tapner riding his first horse Kilronan who did the honours. Despite his ‘go faster’ red cross country colours, Paul came home with 15.6 time penalties but having jumped a clear round. This set a trend for the next seven riders who all jumped clear but it was New Zealand’s Jonelle Price on her first ride Classic Moet that showed that the time of 11 minutes 27 seconds was achievable.
Jonelle
Oliver Townend and Armada
By the end of the day 13 combinations had jumped the much sought after clear round under time over the hallowed turf and Chris Burton riding TS Jamaimo almost made it 14. When he came through the finish flags it was thought that he had jumped clear however it transpired that Chris and TS Jamaimo had crossed their tracks at Fence 8, the ISH Studbook Huntsman’s Close.
They had a close shave here over Part A when TS Jamaimo banked the brush and Chris did a very good job to stay on but probably incurred the bloodied nose that he was nursing. Despite this the little Australian thoroughbred showed real class to recover well and come in under the time, which Chris was really pleased with when we spoke to him straight afterwards
Another Australian rider Andrew Hoy had less luck with two duckings in one day from both Lanfranco and Rutherglen. He wasn’t the only one to falter at one of the three water complexes which contributed significantly to the numbers of incidents on course today, catching out experienced riders such as Tina Cook on De Novo News, Caroline Powell on Onwards and Upwards and Sam Griffiths on his second horse, Happy Times.
Sam survived a near dip when Happy Times stumbled badly on landing in The Lake, tipping Sam forward but then putting him back in the saddle as he recovered his footing; Sam however decided to call it a day and walk home, leaving him to jump only Paulank Brockagh tomorrow, currently in 16th place after a clear round with only 1.6 time penalties.
Young Niklas Bschorer, who had such a good start in the dressage and was lying in eighth place going into cross country, definitely had the save of the day at The Lake. Niklas’ Tom Tom Go 3 stumbled up the step out of the water, as many horses did, leaving Niklas in all sorts of trouble sitting behind the saddle and turning his horse in circles as he managed to defy gravity and clamber back into position.
It was a great save but during his shenanigans Niklas’ air vest went off and, despite having done a great job of staying on, Niklas opted to retire with his jacket obviously causing him trouble. Bill Levett survived a less dramatic moment at the Gathouse New Pond when Shannondale Titan left a leg at the first element but then the big striding bay powered safely home with eight time penalties to finish in 23rd place.
Some riders were just delighted to make it home; Brazil’s Gabriel Silva Cury riding Grass Valley may be in 47th place but that didn’t dampen his joy at completing the cross country and possibly qualifying for the Rio Olympics in his home country. He is only four places below his coach, Sir Mark Todd riding Oloa however Mark is in ninth place with his other horse Leonidas II after a great round incurring only 1.2 time penalties.
In the middle of the afternoon, now bathed in sunshine but with a cool wind, the two German ladies Bettina Hoy and Ingrid Klimke put in impressive performances to maintain their top ten positions. Bettina and Designer 10 added only 1.6 time penalties to their dressage score to move from ninth to eighth while Ingrid blitzed around the course clear and under time on Horseware Hale Bob to finish in fourth place.
Yesterday Ingrid had problems with the baying of dogs – today, someone parked a car in her way on course and it wasn’t a Mitsubishi!
William and Chilli Morning
Then there came a rush of double clear rounds that got the crowds cheering in the grandstands where the riders started and finished. Oliver Townend went flying out on Armada, wasting no time at each fence and looking fresh right to the finish when he came back into the arena, clear and under time to finish in third place on a score of 39.6, just 1.8 penalties behind the leader Andrew Nicholson on Nereo.
This was followed soon after by equally impressive rides from Paul Tapner on Indian Mill (sixth on 41.9), Jock Paget on Clifton Lush (fifth on 40.8), William Fox-Pitt on Chilli Morning (second on 39) and the leader himself, riding his second horse Calico Joe, the thoroughbred he loves to ride
With not one rail between the top five, this is going to be a tense finale tomorrow but Paul Tapner is going to try hard to have two clear rounds!
