Samantha Lissington coasted to victory in the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S results at the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials (Sunday, 21 September) with her flying nine-year-old grey, Quantas R.

Gemma Stevens was runner-up on Cooley Park Muze with another exceptional performance – clocking the second-fastest time (2.8 time-faults) over the cross-country track to back up their second-placed dressage. Sarah Bullimore franked the form book, finishing third with last year’s Boekelo fifth Corimiro, 4.5 penalties adrift.

Sam has made no secret of how highly she rates this bold-striding nine-year-old, owned by the High Flyers Syndicate. He floated over Blenheim’s undulations to finish on his dressage score of 22.4 – a copybook performance in every phase for a pillar-to-post victory.

“I really wanted to win this and I knew he was capable, but it’s one thing saying it and another delivering,” Sam said. “So I’m really happy I’ve got him to the place where he can show off in the dressage.

“There was a lot of pressure in the showjumping, where it could have been won or lost, and then being last to go cross-country. Knowing Gemma is fast, I had to assume she would be inside the time on her top horse and I only had one second to play with.”

Sam came in bang on the optimum time as the only combination to finish on a clean sheet.

“Quantas is outrageous,” added Sam. “He has so much length of stride, that it looks like he’s going in slow motion but he feels fast. There’s a lot of power to deal with, and our journey has been about managing that power, knowing he had all the talent and capability in the world.

“It’s been about getting the rideability with the power, jump, speed and everything. He’s sharp and can spin – he spent one winter getting me off every day, three times in one week. He has a quirky side, but he’s becoming the ultimate professional. He’s got to be a strong contender for the World Championships.”

At times it felt like the Sam and Gemma show, with both riders piloting three horses apiece, of which all six finished in the top 15. And it was an absolute showdown at the end of the reverse order cross-country phase. Once Corimiro had secured third position, it was a duel between the top two, with just over as second splitting them.

Gemma Stevens runner-up in Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S results

Second last to go, Gemma set out in determined style on nine-year-old Cooley Park Muze. They laid down the gauntlet with the fastest time of the day so far, with Quantas cruising out on course. Quantas is already a winner at four-star long, and he showed how comfortable he is at this level with a stunning round, finishing with plenty of running.

Gemma was delighted with how “Rex” took on the challenge, having only started eventing in 2023.

“We’d had a crack at four-star at Hartpury and we had the wrong bit and it caught me out,” said Gemma. “I’ve changed from a soft nathe running gag to one with a lozenge with sides and that small thing makes such a difference as I now have more control over his stride, and he was absolutely wonderful. He got a little bit tired at the end and he used to give up a bit, but today he dug deep.

“I really hope he’s a top horse – but my other two horses I had here are also seriously exciting for the next two years.”

There was little to split the the top three, with Corimiro also outstanding in all three phases. Sarah revealed that she broke her collarbone three weeks prior to the event, and had an operation only two weeks ago.

“I am chuffed to bits, he’s a fabulous, fabulous horse,” Sarah said. “He’s one of those that you just want to get up in the morning and ride. He loves his job. He’s been wild all week, as we’ve been short of match practice, so to even make it here has been quite good.

“He was quite strong today and has such a massive stride; he thought this was all easy-peasy. I thought I was slow and was berating myself, because I haven’t got my full strength back. But he makes it feel easy, he’s a megastar – he’s probably the best horse I’ve had, and he’s got a great brain.”

Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S results: how the cross-country phase unfolded

This class, which is widely considered a championship for young horses, has heralded the arrival of certain superstars on the world stage, namely the new European champion London 52, who won in 2018, and the 2022 world champion Banzai Du Loir (in 2020). There’s every chance graduates from this class will be in the line-up for Los Angeles 2028, when they will be at their peak.

David Evans’ track had 23 numbered fences in a time of 6min 53sec, and there was plenty to challenge these up-and-coming stars. The first water complex in particular at fences eight and nine, was an eyeful. Horses approached the lake downhill with three chunky fences on a left-hand curve, culminating in a log drop into the water. After galloping through, they had to negotiate a tightly angled double of brushes.

The big log into this water did cause a number of stops, including four horses almost in a row, but this batch of top-notch eight- and nine-year-olds by and large found the cross-country well within their capability, yielding a 73% clear rate. David had been clever with the course, adding in time-consuming loops, and making most of the mounds and the double lake crossings to slow horses down. Time had the biggest impact, with only the winner finishing inside.

A thrilling finale

The top 20 ran across country in reverse order – with a few exceptions where Sam, Gemma and Tom Jackson had multiple well placed rides. The top 17 after showjumping were covered by 10 penalties, equating to 25 seconds, and just 7sec separated the top three.

Gemma was the cross-country trailblazer on Chilli’s Jester, the full brother to her five-star winner Chilli Knight, who was lying 18th after the first two phases. She set the standard with a comfortable clear for 5.2 time-faults. This proved a very quick time, with no one able to better it for the next two and a half hours. Gemma then bettered her own time with 3.6 time-faults aboard her second ride Chilli Morning IV, who moved up from 14th to eventual eighth. This set up a compelling final 40 minutes with the top-placed combinations jostling on the leaderboard.

Sam had the benefit of two clear rounds under her belt before setting out with Quantas R, with her overnight sixth Lucas Stone clocking eight time-faults to drop one place to seventh, when Tom Jackson and four-star debutant Brookfield William clocked a faster time.

The first horse to drop out of the top 10 was George Hilton-Jones’ ride Feardorcha Diamond MH, from 10th. He was reluctant to canter through the lake and petered out at the angled brushes. George retired after a second run-out. Next out, Austin O’Connor was going brilliantly until an unlucky tumble when his ride Diamond Mistress, lying ninth overnight, stumbled after after the “Narrow Ditch” at 14a and tipped Austin off.

But tidy rounds from Tom Jackson (Brookfield William), Phoebe Locke (Renkum Jitterbug, 10th), Fiona Kashel (Monbeg Kazador, fifth) and Tim Price (The Highlander, fourth) put the pressure on the top three.

This premium class may have had to play second fiddle to the European Eventing Championships on this occasion but it was an absolute thriller, and exciting to dream about what these top-class young horses may achieve in the years to come.

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Samantha Lissington maximised on her dressage lead at the Agria Blenheim Palace Horse Trials with a stunning showjumping clear in the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S. This was aboard her third ride in this class, the High Flyers syndicate’s Quantas R.

“He’s pretty phenomenal,” said Sam. “He’s got scope for days, and it’s really about trying not to make a rider mistake. He’s something else.”

Sam also moved up from 10th to sixth with Lucas Stone, thanks to a fault-free round.

The showjumping was split into a morning and late-afternoon session, with an interlude of European Championships cross-country as the filler. Because of the championships, the showjumping took place not in the main Palace Arena but in a temporary ring in the park. There was a big atmosphere, with a packed stand and crowds three deep lining the ring as people stopped to watch on their way to and from the Europeans cross-country track.

The top two from the dressage were jumping on either side of the break, and it was Gemma Stevens who laid down the gauntlet with her brilliant jumper Cooley Park Muze in the morning. The Rex Syndicate’s nine-year-old has won a 1.35m Derby and the Eventers’ Challenge at Hickstead already this season and demonstrating all their pure showjumping experience, they added nothing to their second-placed dressage score of 22.9 to give Quantas R no breathing space.

“He’s gone from strength to strength having only started eventing two years ago,” said Gemma. “He’s a big, green baby but he has the most amazing brain.”

Sarah Bullimore’s Corimiro, third after dressage, was also clear inside the time to maintain her 24.8 score ahead of Sunday’s cross-country, while Fiona Kashel and her striking dark grey Monbeg Cazador added 1.2 time-faults but retained the fourth spot she held after dressage.

Tight time for Blenheim horse trials showjumping phase

It was noteworthy that the top three all jumped clear inside the time, as it gives the impression that the showjumping was straightforward. But although there were plenty of clear rounds, the time was very tight, and only 25% of the 86 contestants finished fault-free.

Sam’s clear with Quantas R was in the afternoon session after the course was doused with rain. She explained that she tweaked her style after knocking a fence down en route to Quantas winning at Royal Jump CCI4*-L in the summer, despite watching Gemma’s bold round with Cooley Park Muze.

“At Royal Jump, I took a stride out and had one down, so I didn’t want to do that today,” she said. “I made him do the conventional strides even though the time was tight, and had to find some extra places to make up the time. It added some extra pressure, but I think [a tight time is] good for the class to mix everything up.”

Gemma had full confidence in her expert jumper to take out the strides.

“He has a massive stride which is fantastic in some ways but it can make you a bit slow because you’re always waiting on a distance and it’s really tight in that arena,” she said. “But I left a couple of strides out and that really worked. He is the ultimate jump-off horse because he’s got such a good brain so it never fazes him. I can go flat out and next time just slow down – it doesn’t bother him.”

The cross-country starts tomorrow (Sunday, 21 September) at 9.30am with Gemma Stevens first out on David Evans’ track with Chilli’s Jester. The top 16 will run in reverse order, meaning Quantas R is due to run at 1.36pm.

Gemma said: “There’s a lot to do, but my horse is ready for the step up and I hope he’ll take it on, understand what he’s got to do and believe in me. Then he’ll have a holiday and be ready to do some really exciting things next year.”

CCI4*-S results after showjumping: top six

• Samantha Lissington and Quantas R (NZL): 22.4
• Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze (GBR): 22.9
• Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro (GBR): 24.8
• Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Kazador (GBR): 26.2
• Tim Price and The Highlander (NZL): 26.3
• Samantha Lissington and Lucas Stone (NZL) and Phoebe Locke and Renkum Jitterbug (GBR): 29.5
• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim Europeans, including the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘A shock today, but I knew he had that score in him!’ Gemma Stevens takes impressive dressage lead with jumping star in Blenheim young horse class

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Samantha Lissington brought three horses forward to the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S class at Blenheim Palace, and saved the best for last. She topped the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results on Quantas R with a smashing score of 22.4, a huge personal best at any level for this nine-year-old horse who already has several top-10 finishes at four-star under his belt.

“I knew there was a chance he could be the winning test, because I have so much faith in the quality of work he’s producing, but it’s one thing thinking it and another being able to deliver it,” said the New Zealand rider, who is based in Wiltshire. “I was thrilled we could execute it all on the day.”

The grey, owned by the High Flyers, impressed from the word go, scoring a nine from Les Smith, the judge at C, for his first halt. He went on to score a 10 for his final halt while, in between, there was a string of eights and nines. Only once did his marks dip to a six, for the extended walk. The halt proved particularly satisfying.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a 10 before!” said Sam. “Last season our halt let us down so we’ve worked on it a lot. It was a pity he left a hindleg behind in [mid-test] halt as he never does that.”

Another detail Sam has tweaked is the extended trot – which earned a nine.

“He has such length of stride that he can almost look slow because he’s in such a rhythm, so it’s an art to show the extensions,” she explained. “I had to take a risk and I felt I was careering around – like I’m flying. He has a lot of harmony, and I’ve been able to add the expression this year.”

Sam, the world number nine, has gathered impressive strength in depth and quality in her string this season, and Quantas is one of a number being primed for the Los Angeles Olympics. With his prodigious success last season, Sam deliberately held him back from doing a four-star long until this year to save his mileage while he was gaining strength.

The major players in the dressage phase

Gemma Stevens had set the target on Thursday evening with Cooley Park Muze leading on 22.9. But with over 40 competitors – including pre-competition favourite Coromiro (Sarah Bullimore) – performing on the second dressage day (19 September), even that super score would be under pressure.

While Thursday played out in blustery conditions, Blenheim was bathed in an Indian summer for Friday’s competitors. But it wasn’t until five horses from the very end that Sam managed to take the shine off Gemma’s leading score.

While Coromiro – fifth at last year’s Boekelo aged eight – came close, scoring 24.8 to sit in third, only Quantas could sneak ahead.

Tim Price was first in on his third ride and laid down his challenge with a 28.8 on Gloire De Marchenval to go in the mix at the top of the leaderboard. They lie seventh overnight. Tim was also last of all to go on The Highlander and slipped into fifth on 26.3.

Barrington Alice was one eight-year-old tipped for a potential podium spot under Izzy Taylor, having finished top-10 in her first CCI4*-S at Scone last month. She has delivered a string of sub-30s this season, so her mark of 30.2 was a touch below par to put her in 14th.

Placing are tight at the top, so time will be pivotal over Sunday’s cross-country track, designed by David Evans. If time-faults come into play, Gemma is just over a second behind Sam, and 10 seconds cover the top five. A single run-out will prove extremely costly, with 20 penalties covering first to 81st.

Sam is looking forward to tackling the course, and predicted a tough time test, as well as singling out the first water crossing – a chunky fence into the big, open lake, coming out over two angled brushes on a one-stride distance.

“The first water crossing is tough – it’s a big question, particularly with the crowds and the open lake – and there’s no room for error,” she said. “The rest of the course, [the designer’s] trying to slow us down so time will have a big influence. My horse can be fast – but also strong.”

But first, the competitors have to test their accuracy and scope over the showjumping phase, which starts at 8am on Saturday. Second on the leaderboard Cooley Park Muze is due in the ring at 9.06am. Half the field will jump in the morning, before a break while the European Championship cross-country takes place. Sam is scheduled to jump Quantas R at 4.57pm.

Blenheim Horse Trials eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S dressage results: top six

• Samantha Lissington and Quantas R (NZL): 22.4
• Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze (GBR): 22.9
• Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro (GBR): 24.8
• Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Kazador (GBR): 25
• Tim Price and The Highlander (NZL): 26.3
• Sian Coleman and Kilroe Frolic (IRL): 26.8

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim European Championships and other major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Gemma Stevens has stamped her authority on the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S class, leading the first day’s dressage phase by 2.1 penalties at the Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Gemma was riding her Hickstead Eventers Challenge winner Cooley Park Muze, a nine-year-old gelding owned by the Rex Syndicate, who is known for his exceptional jumping ability and scored a huge personal best in this phase for 22.9.

“This was completely not expected!” said Gemma. “He’s still very green, having only evented for two years, since he was seven. But I’ve always believed he could get a really good score, it was just about getting it together on the day.

“He has the most amazing brain, he’s not bothered at all by any sort of atmosphere. Today he was really with me, happy and settled.”

Gemma was first into the GFS Saddles arena with Chilli’s Jester, scoring 33.3, but it was her second ride Cooley Park Muze who sauntered into the top spot towards the end of the first day of dressage. Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Cazador, who were 13th in this class last year, sit in second on 25. Gemma noted that the four-star test plays to her dressage leader’s strengths.

“He has an incredibly light contact, and I rode him in a thick rubber snaffle with a very loose noseband,” Gemma explained. “I managed to get him taking the bit more forward than I have done in his three-star tests. The four-star test suits him because you can ride him more forward and he likes being ridden like that.

“He has the most amazing canter, he’s very good at his sideways work and it all came off and the judges absolutely loved him.

“Even though it’s a shock today, I’ve known that he has it in him to do that sort of score. I just hope we can now do him justice and carry on like this for the rest of this show and career going forward. He’s a very exciting horse.”

How the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage phase played out on day one

For a long while, it had been a day of tight scores at the head of the leaderboard, ever since New Zealander Samantha Lissington was second into the arena on the Finnish-bred Lucas Stone, scoring 29.5 for top spot, where she stayed until lunchtime.

Australia’s Kevin McNab snuck into the lead by 0.1 of a penalty with Wilfred Lancer, and then Britain’s George Hilton-Jones crept ahead by the same tiny margin, for 29.3, aboard Feardorcha Diamond MH on the horse’s first attempt at four-star. Samantha also steered her second ride, Malibu TS, into this bracket for 29.8.

Finally the 29 deadlock was broken midway through the afternoon when Fiona Kashel sailed out in front on her own and Frank Breach’s Monbeg Cazador, who scored 25, and the floodgates opened. Gemma conjured by far the horse’s best mark at any level, before Sian Coleman also came into the mix with Kilroe Frolic on 26.8.

At the end of the day one, here are the dressage standings:

• Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze: 22.9
• Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Cazador: 25
• Sian Coleman and Kilroe Frolic: 26.8
• George Hilton-Jones and Feardorcha Diamond MH: 29.3
• Kevin McNab and Wilfred Lancer: 29.4
• Samantha Lissington and Lucas Stone: 29.5

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim European Championships and other major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Excitement is building ahead of this week’s Agria Blenheim European Eventing Championships (17–21 September). However, it will have a slightly different backdrop in 2025 as the palace is undergoing a £12m roof restoration, which is due to be completed in 2027.

This means that the main façade of Blenheim Palace, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is currently under wraps to allow the restoration project to take place.

Blenheim Palace roof restoration: what you need to know

This monumental £12m undertaking “aims to preserve the palace’s historic architecture and safeguard its heritage for future generations”.

The work is necessary as a combination of age – Blenheim Palace is over 300 years old – climate change and penetration from rainfall have led to the declining state of the roof, attic timbers and ceilings below.

The area of the roof in question – almost an acre in size – is only served by six downpipes; excess rains mean leaks are commonplace.

“This is a crucial new undertaking that we must deliver if we are to secure the future of wall and ceiling paintings of international importance, while also protecting the palace from further damage,” says Kelly Whitton, head of Built Heritage. “We’re not just maintaining a structure; we’re safeguarding a legacy.”

The restoration project started in July, and the white wrapping and scaffolding were in place by the end of that month.

The construction of the scaffolding took 137 days to complete and involved 70,000 scaffold fittings and around 31 miles of scaffold tubes.

The objectives of this project, as stated by Blenheim Palace are:

• Improve environmental stability of two internationally important ceiling paintings
• Reduce health and safety risks from stone fall
• Prolong the lifespan of stone by slowing the rate of decay
• Complete outstanding fire compartmenting works in roof voids
• Increase capacity of roof gutters to reduce further risk of water ingress
• Improve energy efficiency where possible and practical

Two thirds of this project is being privately funded by Blenheim Palace, and Blenheim is “therefore seeking further support from a variety of trusts, foundations and individuals to bridge the current funding gap.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim Europeans, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Kitty King, who has competed at five European Championships, winning four medals, previews Mark Phillips’ course for the forthcoming 2025 Agria Blenheim European Championships cross-country course, with the event taking place between 17 and 21 September.

Course-designer Mark Phillips is in charge of Blenheim’s track for the first time this year and has made some alterations to previous years although the direction in which the track runs remains mostly the same.

“T year’s course has a similar feel to past events at Blenheim,” says Kitty. “The direction it takes is mostly the same, but Mark Phillips has introduced and re-introduced some questions.”

The 2025 Blenheim European Eventing Championships cross-country course features 31 numbered fences.

“I feel the course is appropriate for the level given it has to cater for lots of different nations with varying levels of experience,” says Kitty. “I think it’s of a similar level of technicality to other European Championship tracks I’ve seen. It’s difficult to say how strong some of the angled combinations will be without the brush inserted at this stage, but it could make it look a lot more tricky.

“Mark is testing the rider’s ability to know their horse and their horse’s footwork and their ability to maintain a line at the correct speed – it’s very clear for the horses what the questions are, as long as riders can achieve this.”

Kitty has assessed and rated each of the fences in an exclusive Horse & Hound course walk in the current (11 September) issue of the magazine – out now.

Kitty King walks the Blenheim European Championships cross-country course

Watch below as Kitty walks the direct routes at three key combinations on the 2025 Agria Blenheim European Championships cross-country course…

The Suregrow Dew Pond (fence 6abc)

After jumping fence five, you are suddenly into the throngs of tradestands, cameras and spectators, with a lot for horses to look at.

The direct route involves going up a mound to a narrow triple bar where horses will be able to see the water at the bottom of the bank behind.

“How they jump this and use their footwork down the bank will determine how many strides they will get to the final part, which is another narrow triple bar,” explains Kitty. “Although the distance walks on four strides, many will get five and maybe even six if their horse scuttles cautiously down the bank.”

There are long route options here that will add a minimum of five seconds.

Churchill Corners (fence 11abc)

Built on a straight line in front of the palace, this combination includes a box-type fence, followed by a moving four strides to a tricky corner, followed by another moving four strides to another tricky corner.

“This should ride OK if horses stay on their line,” states Kitty. “As you get closer to the corners, the angle becomes more severe and this is a serious test. There are alternatives to parts b and c, but each option will take five or six seconds.”

FEI Mounds (fence 22ab)

This combination comes at the top of a two-minute climb and marks the highest point of the course. There is a right-handed rollback approach to part a, which is an open oxer on top of a mound, before horses run back down the mound and up another mound to an open corner on a tight angle.

There will be some strategically placed trees on the right-hand side of the base of the bottom of the second mound, which will mean riders won’t be able to ride a curve to reduce the angle to the corner.

“The oxer is big, so horses will still have to be jumping well at the top of the climb in order to jump it well,” says Kitty.

Again, there are options here, but they are twisty and time-consuming and will take even more petrol out of the tank.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim Europeans, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Preperations for the 2025 Agria FEI European Eventing Championships at Blenheim Palace (18–21 September) are in full swing as Britain gets ready to host its first senior championship in a decade.

Grandstand tickets for Sunday’s showjumping final have sold out, the number of tradestands is up on previous years and there will be new lakeside hospitality lodges, as organisers plan for bumper crowds.

The BBC will broadcast some of the competition on iPlayer, Eurosport has plans to show a highlights programme and the championship will also be streamed on FEI TV, powered by ClipMyHorse.tv “Britain is a very strong eventing nation and I think a lot of the other nations do look to us, so it’s really important that we deliver a gold-standard event,” event director Katrina Midgley of Stable Events told H&H.

“For us as a nation, it’s immensely important to get it right, and that we give a platform for all the nations to be able to show their horses and sportsmen at the best that they can be.”

Designs for Captain Mark Phillips’ cross-country course are done and it will start to take shape on the ground in mid-August. Visitors can expect to see a mix of “some old favourites and a few new additions”, as well as the return of certain fences that “will bring the action right into the centre of the tradestand village”. Ensuring the best footing is a priority. Blenheim’s course-builder David Evans is based on site and has deep knowledge of the ground, and ground-measuring expert Mark Lucey is also on board.

General ticket sales are “strong” and the early decision to have a larger grandstand has been rewarded with huge demand for ticketed seats for Sunday’s showjumping, which has now sold out. There will also be some free unreserved public viewing space around the arena.

“On an average year, we’re looking at around 30,000 people attending – we would hope to double that this year, and we’ve certainly got the capacity for it. We also have the infrastructure, which is important, as you can’t have people queuing for an hour for the toilet and missing the action,” said Mrs Midgley.

She added: “I am constantly blown away by the support and the enthusiasm and drive that I have from those surrounding me.

“We’re an events company, so we’re used to putting on large-scale events – that isn’t new to us – but running a European Championship, that’s new to me, and it puts everything on another level. But I have the most amazing team around me, including the people within the sport, British Equestrian, UK Sport, the FEI, they’re all very supportive. Everybody’s moving towards the same goal, which is to make this an amazing event.”

British Eventing chief executive Rosie Williams told H&H holding the European Championships at Blenheim is “a hugely exciting moment for our sport and a real honour for British Eventing”.

“It’s not only a chance to showcase world-class eventing on home soil, but also an opportunity to inspire the next generation and bring new audiences into the sport,” she said.

“Blenheim has a special place in the hearts of many riders and fans, and to see it become the stage for such a prestigious championship is fantastic for British equestrianism as a whole.

“We’re proud to support the event and are looking forward to a week that will celebrate everything we love about eventing – the partnership, the skill, the atmosphere, and the sense of community that makes it so unique.”

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Blenheim Horse Trials is going to be hosting the 2025 Agria FEI European Eventing Championships (8-12 September) so we’ve updated our list of hotels near Blenheim Palace, including nearby guesthouses and B&Bs at a range of price points, to help anyone who is planning to attend. The event will also be hosting its regular CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses, so there will be plenty of action for eventing fans to enjoy.

We’ve listed a great selection of accommodation and hotels near Blenheim Palace below in order of distance from the venue (OX20 1UL). Many of these options are likely to get booked up well in advance, so we recommend you don’t hang around.

Budget hotels near Blenheim Palace

Mid-range hotels near Blenheim 

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Captain Mark Phillips has been named as the cross-country course-designer for Britain’s home eventing European Championships this autumn.

The Agria FEI Eventing European Championships will run at Blenheim from 18 to 21 September. Long-standing Blenheim course-designer David Evans – who built designer Derek di Grazia’s Tokyo Olympic cross-country course – will be one of the assistant designers.

H&H columnist Mark, a four-time Badminton winner and Olympic, world and European team gold medallist, designed Burghley for some 30 years, before Derek took on the tenure ahead of the cancelled 2021 event. He has designed courses across the world during his long career, including the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon and the Festival of British Eventing for many years at Gatcombe.

“In recent times I’ve been cutting down on my course-design duties and have concentrated more on a course adviser role at many of the major events both in this country and the US to help with the development of the next generation of designers,” said Mark.

“I was honoured to be asked and am looking forward to designing this year’s Agria FEI Eventing European Championship cross-country course at Blenheim.

“I’m also very happy to continue my adviser role and help the FEI with their specific request to help younger designers. As such, they are flying Jay Hambly over from America and I’ve already had help from David Evans and Helen West with the initial plans.”

The last time Blenheim hosted the Europeans, in 2005, Zara Tindall – Mark’s daughter – won individual and team gold medals with Toytown.

The box office for spectator tickets opens today (6 January).

This is the third year that Stable Events has organised the horse trials and event director Kartina Midgley said that hosting the Europeans is “the cherry on top” of this milestone year.

“We’ve been dedicated to reviving this incredible event and 2025 is going to be a landmark year!” she said.

“It’s the 20th anniversary of Blenheim’s last hosting of the FEI Eventing European Championships – so many people have told me they were there in 2005. We’re going to make sure 2025 is an experience they’ll never forget either.”

Blenheim 2025: further updates

The regular CCI4*-L class will take a year off this year, while Blenheim hosts the Europeans. The CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses will go ahead as normal.

H&H had previously reported that it was hoped Britain would be able to field eight individuals, rather than the usual two, as host nations previously did.

An FEI spokesperson told H&H in December that under FEI rules, at all championships and Games, the host country is limited to the same number of riders and horses as the maximum for foreign countries.

This means that if seven or more teams are entered – as is usually the case at Europeans – the maximum will be two individuals per country, in addition to the team.

If five or six teams are entered, it would be three individuals per country. If there are four or fewer teams, it would be four individuals per country.

“Any change to the rules would require an overall modification to be approved by the FEI General Assembly,” added the spokesperson.

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The eventing European Championships will take place in Britain next year, at the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials in Oxfordshire, from 18-21 September 2025.

Britain’s host duties for the eventing European Championships seem to run on a 10-year cycle – Blenheim Palace previously ran the European Championships in 2005 and this is the first senior eventing championship to be hosted in Britain since the event was held at Blair Castle in Scotland in 2015.

“It is a great honour to be bringing the FEI Eventing European Championship back to Britain,” said Katrina Midgley of organisers Stable Events.

“Blenheim is such a fitting backdrop, with the Palace and the spectacular parkland cross-country course, and we look forward to welcoming the teams and their supporters for a truly memorable occasion. Thanks must go to the teams at British Equestrian, FEI, British Eventing, Agria and UK Sport who have been instrumental in securing this exciting fixture.”

UK Sport’s head of major events Esther Britten added: “Delivering major events like this continues to demonstrate the UK’s reputation as one of the world’s leading hosts, creating extraordinary sporting moments that reach, unite and inspire the nation.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with the teams at Blenheim and the FEI on this exciting event which will showcase the best British athletes on home soil.”

This will be the 37th running of the bi-annual eventing European Championship, which started in 1953, the 12th occasion that Great Britain has been the host nation, and the 35th anniversary of the first international horse trials at Blenheim.

Britain has dominated the eventing European Championships since its inception, accumulating a total of 20 gold medals in the individual category as well as 24 team golds. One of the individual winners was Zara Tindall (then Phillips), who took the title at the last Europeans at Blenheim in 2005 on Toytown, while Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were the most recent champions, at Haras du Pin in 2023. Britain also took the team title on both those occasions.

“Blenheim is long established as a popular and beautiful eventing venue and we are very much looking forward to the FEI Eventing European Championship taking place there,” said FEI eventing director Catrin Norinder.

Next year will be Agria’s first as title sponsor of Blenheim.

“Could there be a more thrilling way to celebrate the third UK birthday of our game-changing lifetime equine insurance than by becoming Blenheim’s title sponsor for the 2025 Agria FEI Eventing European Championships?” said Vicki Wentworth, chief executive of Agria UK.

“Agria celebrates another birthday next year – the 135th since it was founded in Sweden – and we can’t wait to host the best riders in Europe, plus owners and horse fans from far and wide at Blenheim on its 35th anniversary. It’s a brilliant event that always produces a memorable competition.”

What are your favourite memories of the 2005 Blenheim Europeans? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com with your full name, nearest town and county, for a chance to be published in Horse & Hound. 

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Andrew Nicholson on which autumn fixtures on the British eventing circuit have impressed him

As we proceed through the autumn three-day events, at home and abroad, there are some British horse trials that I think deserve recognition.

Cornbury is a great event site and works very well for the three young horse championships it holds – for five-, six- and seven-year-olds. It has much more of an international feel about it than many events at that level, with a spectacular main arena and a lot of atmosphere.

With so many classes at Cornbury, the timetable can’t be easy to put together, and having the open intermediate and the CCI3*-S on the Thursday meant that several of the Blenheim-bound horses, including Tim Price’s CCI4*-L winner, were able to run.

I did prefer the cross-country warm-up in its original site, on the far side of the main arena, rather than on the fairly small, cambered bit of ground it now occupies near the lorry park.

However the whole thing has a smart, championship-type feel about it, and the extra prizes, such as each winning rider getting their bodyweight in Hawkstone beer, were innovative and well received. And owners love the excellent hospitality and big screen on which they can watch all the cross-country.

Using the terrain

I haven’t been to South of England for a few years, and I was quite hard on the cross-country course in this column the last time I went, as I thought they hadn’t used the hills well enough. I was really pleased to see that the track now utilises all the undulations and the natural terrain in the way it used to – up and down, into the dark and then back out into the light. Proper old-fashioned cross-country.

I only had one ride, in the intermediate on a six-year-old that has been going pretty well, and I felt I had to work quite hard round there – in a good way. It dawned on me afterwards that most of the horse’s novices, and certainly his intermediates, have been on flat tracks. South of England should have been very good for him.

Because the ground was so varied and hilly, you just had to sit and ride, rather than carefully count your strides everywhere. It felt like proper cross-country riding; most people had time-faults, and most horses coped very well with the demands of the course.

The other thing that impressed me was that the horse trials was held alongside the South of England Autumn Show, which had lots of countryside sports activities. The place was very busy and they stopped the showjumping in between classes for a hound parade. The arena was packed with children who were invited in to meet the hounds and it was great.

I presume the public were there more to attend the show than the horse trials, but the kids were hooked on the hounds, and when I jumped afterwards, there were loads of them on the fence line watching the cross-country. They were walking into the lorry park to have a look – it got them interested.

These sorts of things will help shows to survive and both sides of the event must have benefited. Full credit to the organisers in every way.

Why so difficult?

I thought the courses at Blenheim were quite soft, and I can’t quite work out why so many riders made it look difficult. They often looked to be going a gear too slow and adding strides too early on in lines they shouldn’t have been adding in, and then the fences became more difficult because they weren’t riding forward to them.

I have probably never walked round the four-star at Blenheim while it was happening, and I was impressed with how many people were there. That is possibly what makes the course harder than it walks, if the horses and riders aren’t used to crowds.

The eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S attracts a high calibre of horse and, a bit like Le Lion d’Angers for seven-year-olds, Blenheim plays a key part in introducing them to crowds at a relatively early stage in their career.

● Which events have impressed you the most this year? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Eventer Louise Harwood broke her femur and damaged her arm, shoulder and pelvis in her fall at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials last weekend.

The five-star rider and Blues Cloud fell on the cross-country course of the CCI4*-S eight- and nine-year-old class and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in a stable condition. Blues Cloud was uninjured in the fall.

Louise said yesterday (25 September) that she had undergone one surgery and was due to have another operation.

“Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials didn’t quite finish as desired!” she said. “A little trip down the road to John Radcliffe Hospital following [the] fall with Cloudy.”

Louise, adding that she had “perplexed” the doctors as to which of her injuries were new and which old. On 15 June, she sustained fractures to her skull, vertebrae, ribs and shoulder blade in a fall from a muck trailer. She had returned to competition a month before Blenheim, and had since finished in the top 10 at Wellington and Cornbury.

“So far it has been determined that I have bust my left femur, which was operated on Monday with a nail insertion,” she said yesterday. “I have definitely acquired a nasty new smash-up to my humerus and shoulder joint, which is going to be mended by op in the next few days.

“The pelvis is a bit damaged too and it has yet to be decided the best course of action. There are quite a few ribs broken, but just have to avoid coughing and laughing (which is fairly easy) at this stage.”

Louise thanked all those who had visited her: Lucy Jackson, Claire Rumney, her husband Greg Harwood and mother Jackie.

“Thanks for all of your get well messages, they are much appreciated,” she said. “Thanks to all my owners, supporters and sponsors. This year has been a challenge!”

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Tim Price added a first Blenheim title to his already incredible tally of international victories when topping the leaderboard in the 2024 Blenheim Horse Trials results aboard Happy Boy in the CCI4*-L.

The British-based New Zealander had competed at six previous Blenheims prior to this one since he moved to the UK 19 years ago, but until today (22 September), the Blenheim winner’s trophy had eluded him.

Happy Boy, a 12-year-old gelding owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, hadn’t been seen competing internationally since retiring across country at Saumur in May and his 2023 season was plagued with bad luck.

“He’s had a bit of an unlucky last 12 months with bits and bobs like he tied up at one point and then suffered from travel sickness at Luhmühlen,” explained Tim after his dressage, which left him equal fourth on 25.4, a score he added just 1.6 cross-country time-faults to, to seal victory by 5.7 penalties, maintaining his overnight lead in the process.

“I do not take these days for granted. He was cool, wasn’t he?,” said Tim after the showjumping, which was a victim of the weather, with the final 10 horses jumping in deluge of approximately 8mm of rain. “He tried really hard in the ground – the going, especially the treble, had taken a turn for the worse, but he’s a fighter.”

Tim made no secret of the fact Happy Boy was eliminated for three run-outs at a corner in an open intermediate at Cornbury House Horse Trials last week, but said that this horse’s character can sometimes display itself in this way when preparing for a big run.

“That’s often been the way when he’s been on form, where he can get a little tricky and then he’s gone on to do something fun and special,” smiled Tim. “Don’t get me wrong, I was a little bit worried – it wasn’t just one run out – so we went cross-country schooling at Rosamund Green Farm on Monday and had to go through a few things with him, with some repetition, but I was still a bit dubious.”

Following this blip, Tim opted to take one long route during yesterday’s cross-country.

“Thankfully the long route I took at the second water didn’t cost me the win, but that decision was based on our result at Cornbury and our schooling session on Monday.”

Happy Boy is a horse that has shown oodles of promise throughout his career and Tim drew on past experience with him to help net a clear round in today’s showjumping; a course that provided 15 clear rounds inside the time from 58 starters.

“He won the world seven-year-old championships at Le Lion – he was seventh or eighth going into the showjumping that year where the final phase was held on grass [before the event added an all-weather arena] and it was very, very wet and I had that in the back of my head today. Based on that, I had to ride him positively and a bit quicker than I normally would, just to give him confidence that he could jump out of the ground.”

Blenheim Horse Trials results: “I’m over the moon”

Daisy Berkeley secured her best CCI4*-L result since winning this class on Springbok IV in 2006, finishing runner-up with Diese Du Figuier.

“He’s a very good little horse,” said Daisy of this 11-year-old gelding who rose from sixth after the cross-country. “I knew I had to keep motoring with him because the distance was long at the first part of the treble and I’d seen some horses struggle with it, so I just turned the corner and trusted his carefulness as I was very forward to it.

“He jumped beautifully but I did nearly get jumped off at the first fence as I couldn’t grip the saddle in the rain and I thought ‘if I get jumped off after everything we’ve done this week, that would be a disaster!’”

Daisy explained that the decision to compete Diese Du Figuier, who she co-owns with her mother Caroline Dick, Camilla Case and Martha Ivory, came as a result of being unable to complete at Blair Castle last month.

“Coming to Blenheim hadn’t been my original plan – we went to Blair and he was third after cross-country, where he gave me a beautiful round and then he had a bruise, which meant he was too sore to showjump. We re-routed here and I would have been chuffed to bits with a top 10 placing and now I’m over the moon.”

On being the highest placed British rider in this class, Daisy, who is 52, joked: “Probably the oldest too!”

“When I was walking the cross-country, I was thinking ‘I might add a stride here’, but then I thought, actually, just grow a pair and ride him for the distances and trust him to be a good horse and he really was a good horse. It’s lovely to come back here and have a podium finish.”

When asked about the possibility of taking this horse five-star, Daisy said: “I think he would cope but this old lady [referring to herself] might not. I was so nervous before the cross-country – although as soon as I was on him, I was fine, but it’s the build up and I don’t know if my nerves could take it.

“I like watching other people jump round five-stars, but who knows? If he keeps doing what he’s doing, then maybe – my husband might have something to say about it though!”

Germany’s Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice, who led the dressage on 22.8, dropped from second after the cross-country to third after lowering the middle part of the treble – they also picked up .4 of a time-fault to complete on 33.2.

“The whole competition here has been amazing, but the ending was not so good,” said a dejected Jérôme, who, with this 14-year-old gelding, has enjoyed great international success, including finishing seventh individually at last year’s European Eventing Championships. “He got a bit careful warming up because there was water everywhere and then he was not quite sure. He slipped a lot yesterday and he remembered that. He wants to be careful and the ground was slippy again today. In the end I have to be happy though and he kept trying for me.”

The USA’s Jenny Caras capitalised on a fast double jumping clear with Jerry Hollis’ Sommersby to rise from equal 23rd after the first phase into eventual fourth, adding 2.4 cross-country time-penalties to a 32.2 dressage, with the time-faults costing her second place.

“I was hoping to be top 10 – I wanted to do the most competitive test I could and I knew he was capable of finishing close to whatever score he started on,” explained Jenny. “I wasn’t sure where that would leave me, but he’s done what he needed to do and I’m just a little bit annoyed about my time penalties now.”

German rider Calvin Böckmann and the incredibly consistent The Phantom Of The Opera further cemented themselves as a combination that should never be overlooked when finishing fifth.

The 23-year-old, who co-owns this striking chestnut gelding alongside Jason, Liam, Roger and Simone Böckmann, endured something of an up and down week. They entered cross-country day in sixth after a 25.8 dressage, and were it not for activating a frangible device for 11 penalties during their cross-country, could have been challenging for at least second place today. As it was, they came into the showjumping in 13th and an immaculate clear round meant they leapt up the leaderboard.

“In general, I’m very happy with my placing – of course, I’m still gutted thinking about the 11 penalties, but my horse has done so much for me this year and had brilliant results and it wouldn’t be fair if I wasn’t more than grateful and proud and happy about this result,” explained Calvin, who was the alternate for his national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics with this 13-year-old. “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I’m very happy and looking forward to maybe coming back here next year.”

The next two places in the Blenheim Horse Trials showjumping results were filled by Alex Bragg, who dropped from fourth to sixth after picking up 8.8 penalties in the showjumping with Ardeo Premier, and Tom McEwen, who finished seventh with James and Jo Lambert’s promising 10-year-old mare Isa, a relatively new ride, who is one to be noted for the future.

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Padraig McCarthy became the first Irish rider to win the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses at Blenheim Horse Trials today (22 September) with the classy eight-year-old home-bred gelding, MGH Zabaione.

The pair headed into Sunday’s cross-country in 10th after the showjumping, but a speedy cross-country round, where they clocked the third fastest round of the day with just four time-faults, was enough to propel them to the top of the leaderboard.

This young horse CCI4*-S has a history of serving as a stepping stone to five-star greatness. Analytics firm EquiRatings has counted 26 graduates who have gone on to win a five-star, including six former winners of this young horse championship.

“I expected to get a very good result – he’s done three four-stars now and he’s been placed every time,” explained Padraig. “I didn’t expect to win it, especially with where we were after the showjumping, but to win is a huge thrill.”

Padraig said he “thinks the world” of MGH Zabaione, who he owns alongside Peter Cattell and Diane Brunsden.

“He’s probably the most complete horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s won at every level so far; two-star, three-star and four-star and I bred him, so it’s really exciting.

“It’s amazing for the owners too – they believed in me when I said the horse was a really good one when I sold him to them when he was a four-year-old.”

Padraig commented that this son of Zavall VDL has now finished for this season, but that he has high hopes for the years to come.

“I hope he’ll be a good one for championships in the future.”

Of the 88 cross-country starters, 74 jumped clear around the David Evans-designed track, but only one – Sam Ecroyd and Bloomfield Manuscript, who finished fifth – finished inside the 6min 49sec optimum time. The weather played a part in this with rain falling for most of the competition.

“I think there was plenty to do and it was quite slippery, there were lots of twists and turns,” said Padraig. “Horses always get a little tired here, but luckily MGH Zabaione does his training on the hills in Dartmoor and was really fit – he stayed really with me all the way and I think that’s what got me the win. He’s got a great length of stride and I could keep using his gallop. He’s an incredible horse that makes my job easy.”

Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S young horse results: “He’s exceptional”

Dressage and showjumping leaders Georgie Goss and Kojak slipped to second by .4 of a penalty when they picked up 8.8 time-faults across country.

“I’m so proud of him. There’s that natural disappointment of moving down to second, but if someone had offered me that placing on him last week, I would have snatched their hand off,” said Georgie, who switched from riding for Britain to Ireland in 2023.

Kojak, a nine-year-old Georgie co-owns with Molly Fisher, Lucy Fleming and Samantha Wilson, caught the eye throughout the competition, scoring 27.7 in the dressage, before following this up with a double clear jumping performance.

“He’s an exceptional horse and I’m so, so proud of what he’s done today,” said Georgie of the son of Namelus R. “I was going as fast as I physically could – he lost a shoe about halfway round and had a few slips, and I’d like to think that would have been the difference between winning or not, but he slipped, picked himself up and jumped the fences and galloped and galloped.

“I think he gave me more than [I thought] he had this weekend. He gives me 110% of everything he’s got at every single event and every single day. He’s quite green for the level and my intention coming here was for him to have a nice round and get used to the crowds, but then as soon as he performed the way he did in the dressage, we had to kick on.”

Georgie hopes this result will catch the eye of the Irish selectors.

“We’ll maybe do a CCI4*-L at the beginning of next season to qualify for the Europeans – I’d like a green jacket!” she laughed.

Caroline Harris proved she has a potential star in her yard when finishing third with eight-year-old Cooley Mosstown. They were equal 12th after the dressage and then added four showjumping faults before jumping clear across country, picking up 1.2 time-faults – the second fastest round of the day – which was enough to propel them up the leaderboard on to the podium, finishing on 36.9.

“I know he’s a very good horse – he came fourth at Le Lion last year [in the seven-year-old World Young Horse Championships], so I was hoping for a top 10 finish here,” commented Caroline of this horse, who is owned by Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford. “I was pretty disappointed to have a pole down, because he’s a really good jumper and it felt like one of our best rounds.

“He’s phenomenal – he‘s only been eventing two seasons and he makes it feel so easy. He was unreal across-country.”

Caroline explained that Cooley Mosstown, who is by Celtic Hero BZ, showjumped in Ireland as a five-year-old before she purchased him from Cooley Farm when he was six.

“I started eventing him in the May of his six-year-old year and won his first CCI4*-S this year at Mallow and I really rate him – he’s a top, top horse.

“He tries super-hard but he’s sharp in the sense that he sometimes tries too hard and then panics, but he gives me everything and I think he’s one to go all the way with.”

Caroline hopes to aim Cooley Mosstown at the CCI4*-L at Bramham next season before bringing him back to Blenheim Horse Trials for the eight- and nine-year-olds before perhaps having a tilt at the CCI4*-L at Boekelo.

Piggy March and Dassett Arthalent were fourth (37.1) with Sam Ecroyd and Bloomfield Manuscript fifth (38.4). Jonelle Price and Full Monty De Lacense took sixth (40) and Caroline Powell and CBI Aldo finished seventh (40.2).

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An official update has been issued after five-star event rider Louise Harwood suffered a fall at Blenheim Horse Trials today (22 September).

Louise was riding the nine-year-old Blues Cloud, who is owned by Jennifer Evans-Bevan, when they fell at the final part of the James Hallam Insurance Brokers water complex at fence 10ABC.

The statement, which was issued by Blenheim Horse Trials, said: “Following a fall at fence 10c in the CCI4*-S eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Oxfordshire, Louise Harwood (GBR) was immediately attended to by the onsite medical team and has been transferred by road to the John Radcliffe hospital in a stable condition for further treatment.

“Her horse, Blues Cloud was assessed by the on-site vets, walked back to the stable and is uninjured.

“Our thoughts are with Louise and all of her connections.”

This fall comes a month after Louise successfully returned to competition having recovered from serious injuries sustained in a fall from a muck trailer on 15 June. Her injuries included fractures to her skull, ribs and shoulder blade – and some vertebrae, on which she had surgery. Since her return she has secured top 10 placings at both Wellington and Cornbury House Horse Trials.

Blenheim is the first competition Louise has ridden Blues Cloud at since her summer injury, but they jumped clear across country in this class last year and have completed some intermediates this season.

Louise, who has more than 20 five-star completions to her name, was also competing Native Spirit in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim and they completed yesterday’s cross-country with 20 penalties.

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Three horses were held at the Blenheim Horse Trials final CCI4*-L trot-up and four others withdrawn overnight ahead of Sunday’s (22 September) horse inspection.

Sixty horses were brought forwards to the trot-up, held in front of Blenheim Palace and all but one were accepted by the ground jury of Andrew Bennie, Les Smith and Nikki Herbert, supported by vet Alison Butler.

The first to be held was the second of Ireland’s Ian Cassells’ two rides, Shanbo Super Flex, who was 18th after yesterday’s cross-country. The 10-year-old mare was then withdrawn from the holding box.

Cutting Edge, the ride of New Zealand’s Vicky Browne-Cole was also sent to the holding box, but was accepted upon reinspection. They go into the showjumping in 37th.

Gemma Stevens’ ride Jalapeno III, who had an unfortunate run out at the last combination yesterday, was also sent to the holding box but was passed when reinspected. They currently hold 24th.

There were some notable overnight withdrawals, with three of the top 15 after the cross-country opting not to present their horses at the final Blenheim Horse Trials trot-up.

These included Zara Tindall, who was seventh after the cross-country with Classicals Euro Star, plus Kenzo Power B, the second of David Doel’s rides, who was in 11th and Italy’s Florencina R, the mount of Giovanni Ugolotti, who was holding 13th. In addition, Sammy Oliver’s Kellyspa Van T Asschaut was withdrawn from overnight 38th.

The final showjumping phase gets underway at 11.30am with a break in the middle of the day before the top 25 jump for the placings from 2.45pm.

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British-based Irish rider Georgie Goss has maintained her dressage lead in the Blenheim Horse Trials showjumping results in the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds.

Riding the classy Kojak, who is owned by Georgie, Molly Fisher, Lucy Fleming and Samantha Wilson, Georgie jumped one of 30 clears inside the time allowed from 95 starters.

“He jumped his socks off – it was a perfect track for me: it’s a very jumping track, with long galloping lines, and he gets quite long and forward anyway, so I actually end up having to work quite a bit,” explained Georgie.

New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone has maintained second place after the first two phases in the Blenheim Horse Trials showjumping results in this young horse class riding the talented grey Rocket Man, a nine-year-old owned by Clarke and his family.

“The track rode how I thought it would – it’s quite a big arena, and the jumps are quite airy, so it’s quite a careful track,” said Clarke. “This horse is a very good jumper but he was very excited today, so he wasn’t always 100% listening to me, but I’m delighted with him.

“Tomorrow will be his biggest test so far, but he’s jumped one four-star, where he was clear. We weren’t going for the time at that one, though, and it’s always a bit different when they’re under pressure — but I think he’s a lovely cross-country horse and he should be up for it, so I think he’ll be brilliant.”

Piggy March and Olivia Davidson’s Dassett Arthalent capitalised on a clear round to head into the cross-country in third, having been sixth after the dressage.

“He’s a good jumper, and I knew he could jump a good round, it was just about keeping him focused,” stated Piggy. “He’s naturally careful, which helps. There’s obviously an atmosphere in there, and you do have to get a gallop on.”

The cross-country phase for this class is set to get underway at 9.30am tomorrow (22 September).

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New Zealand’s Tim Price and Happy Boy have cemented their place at the top of the Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country results with a clear round, clocking just 1.6 time-faults around a track where only one combination finished inside the optimum time.

Happy Boy, a 12-year-old owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, hasn’t been seen competing internationally since retiring across country at Saumur in May and his 2023 season was plagued with bad luck.

“He’s had a bit of an unlucky last 12 months with bits and bobs like he tied up at one point and then suffered from travel sickness at Luhmühlen,” explained Tim after his dressage, which left him equal fourth.

Tim opted to take the long route at fence 15abcd, the James Hallam Insurance Brokers water complex, which prevented him from finishing inside the optimum time around the David Evans-designed track.

“I was deciding all the way up to fence 15 about going long. He hasn’t had the smoothest 18 months with things getting in the way of play, so step one was to get him back on track with a good round and step two was to make good decisions based on him being a bit of a cheeky chappy sometimes,” said Tim, who also holds eighth after the cross-country with his own, Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and Lucy and Ben Sangster’s Chio 20.

“I found Happy Boy was galloping so well and got into three-day event mode, as opposed to ducking and diving at one-day events. The clock was looking good but he was also travelling so well, I was in two minds about taking the direct route, because he can sometimes wobble and it’s one of those jumps where as a rider, you didn’t have the opportunity for plan B – you have to jump the element in the water and then channel your horse through, so the decision I made I think was a good one because I was up on the clock and I thought he would run home too.”

Dressage leaders Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice have slipped to second after notching six time-faults and they now sit 1.8 penalties behind Tim and Happy Boy.

“I heard there was a lot of trouble with people having the MIM Clip at fence 19a [The Subaru Quest; a rail, ditch, arrowhead],” commented Germany’s Jérôme. “I was on my minute markers but then after coming out of the top water [fence 15], he needed a bit of time, so I let him breathe and he recovered and jumped well through fence 19.

“I then tried to be fast coming home but I wasn’t fast enough. The ground was a bit slippery for him, so I lost a bit of power, strength and balance through his body.”

Ireland’s Ian Cassells really impressed with a smooth round aboard 11-year-old Kellys Quality, who is owned by Patrick Murphy, and is contesting his first CCI4*-L.

“He’s a bit inexperienced and his natural shape is quite downhill,” said Ian. “He can be quite strong, so I have to be strict with myself to go forward galloping and then really get my body up but keep my reins long to allow him to use his neck and I have to really trust him that way.

“His owner is amazing – I’ve had this horse for five years, he was bought for under €10,000 out of Goresbridge sales and this is the first time that Patrick has had a horse at this level, so I’m really happy for him and for his trust in me.”

Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country results: riders capitalise on speedy rounds

Debbie and Neill Nuttall’s 11-year-old Ardeo Premier built on several top-20 finishes at four- and five-star level with Alex Bragg to clock the equal second fastest round of the day for 0.8 time-faults. This was enough to propel them from 25th after the dressage to fourth.

“It rode exactly as I walked it apart from I saw a horrendous stride in the main arena to the box brush, where I floated a bit to it and he was very good to me to go through there clear,” admitted Alex. “He’s not the fastest horse in the world, but if you can stay on your minute markers, you’re always in with a chance. He’s super smooth and speedy through the combinations and I’m so pleased with how he’s grown up.

“Although he did Luhmühlen five-star, the reason for coming here was to see if he would be suited to a domestic five-star and I think now he could have a Badminton in him.”

Aaron Millar and Count Onyx were the sixth combination on course and this 10-year-old CCI4*-L first-timer, owned by Alexandra Van Tuyll added just 2.8 time-faults to their 29.4 dressage to now sit in fifth.

Daisy Berkeley and her own, Camilla Case, Martha Ivory and Caroline Dick’s 11-year-old gelding Diese Du Figuier were another combination to catch the eye, adding 4.8 time-faults to a 27.9 dressage to sit just behind Aaron in sixth.

Zara Tindall appears to have a strong five-star prospect in her stable in the form of her own and Judith Luff’s Classicals Euro Star. This 10-year-old grey gelding finished incredibly strongly, just adding 3.2 time-faults to their 30.4 dressage to go into tomorrow’s final showjumping phase in seventh.

“He’s had a bit of an up and down year with having issues jumping a ditch rail, corners and skinnies, which all happened at intermediate level,” explained Zara. “But I’ve realised he likes these bigger tracks. He’s got all the potential and he’s so quick and has a lot of jump and gallop, which is so exciting.”

Gemma Stevens, who was second after the dressage with Jalapeno III had a very unfortunate run out at the final combination on course when the mare didn’t seem to lock onto the final narrow element after a big table on a turning line. Heartbreakingly this is where Gemma and this mare fell when in contention last year. They did however complete this time, notching just 5.2 time-faults to leave them in 28th after the Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country results.

New Zealand‘s Jesse Campbell and Diachello, who were third after the first phase, jumped clear up until having a sticky jump into the second water at fence 15, which then made their distance and line to the angled brushes in the middle of the water impossible to achieve, meaning they ran out. Jesse opted to retire after this.

The only rider to finish clear inside the 10min 12sec optimum time was Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy aboard Christopher and Sarita Perkins’ MGH Mr Messack, who stopped the clock with nine seconds to spare. They go into tomorrow’s showjumping in 15th.

From the 75 cross-country starters in this class, 46 jumped clear and 64 completed.

The final horse inspection for the CCI4*-L gets underway at 8am with the showjumping to follow.

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“I wanted to give up horses completely,” says Fred Powell, who is competing Grafiba at this year’s Blenheim Horse Trials. “We had a rubbish season last year where we fell a couple of times.”

Fred’s turnaround is nothing short of admirable and, heading into today’s cross-country phase in the CCI4*-L (21 September), Fred and ‘Raffy’ sit in eighth on a 26 dressage score.

“Amy Penny [event rider], my best mate, told me I wasn’t giving up and she’s been my rock. So I’ve kept going and kept grafting,” explains Fred, 27, who is based in Wales.

He left school at 17 to pursue a career in horses and set up a yard at home.

“Mum and I made our own stables and we bought and sold horses to make money and then people started sending horses to me,” states Fred. “Then Covid hit and owners took horses away due to costs so I went and worked for Andrew Williams and Vicky Tuffs at GHF Equestrian.

“I took three horses with me and Andrew and Vicky gave me an amazing opportunity to be second rider to Vicky, and I got to ride some fantastic young horses. Then their business came to an end in 2023 and I went back home and that’s where I am now.”

Fred is frank in explaining what life is like in his quest to make a career out of eventing.

“Running a business as an event rider is really hard to make work financially, and I don’t have any staff, but we’re making it work. I think people are scared to say how tough it is, but I’ve got an amazing support network around me.”

Raffy was purchased by mother and daughter, Jackie and Jo Forrester, six years ago when he was five after Tim Price initially produced him. He was intended to be a horse that Jo could compete at the lower levels.

“Raffy did a light suspensory while competing at BE100 and Jo asked me to ride him while he was being brought back into work. Then she said ‘Fred, I’m not getting back on him’, and I’ve kept the ride from that point,” says Fred, who describes this son of Grafenstolz as a “cheeky” character.

“He can be quite nappy and a bit of a stresser in a weird way and he almost gives a little bit too much, but he doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body and he likes his own space – you can’t namby pamby him as if you spend too much time with him, he gets annoyed.

“His trickiest phase is the showjumping and Kim Belton has been a great help lately and has helped settle him, which has been his biggest issue. He doesn’t like touching a fence, so when he did, he got really worried about it and compounded the issue. But as long as we can keep his brain, he is amazing.”

Fred and Raffy have enjoyed some strong results this season, including finishing third in the competitive CCI3*-L at Hartpury last month and they also jumped clear across country to finish 15th in the CCI4*-S at Blair Castle too.

“Raffy’s owners have been amazing this year about letting me do my own thing with him this season and trusted me, and that’s really helped,” smiles Fred, who was delighted with their dressage performance here.

“He was wicked. He hasn’t been to many big places and he napped all the way up to the warm-up, but he really rose to the occasion in the arena and he did some really cool bits of work. He’s a lovely, big mover.”

Fred’s aim this week is to “come home happy and safe”.

“I really do believe in him,” he says.

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British-based Irish rider Georgie Goss (née Spence) and Kojak hold the lead in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds dressage results at the end of the first phase (20 September).

Kojak, a nine-year-old owned by Georgie, Molly Fisher and Samantha Wilson, performed an eye-catching test to score 27.7, which puts them 1.7 penalties ahead of day one leaders, New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man.

“I’ve been working with Liv [dressage rider Olivia Oakeley] and Ian Woodhead a lot and he tried his heart out,” explained Georgie of the son of Namelus R. “We’re not established with the changes, but we somehow managed to get them both in the test. If anything, he can get a little bit flat, so I was pleased that there was enough atmosphere to keep him awake.”

Georgie has had the ride on Kojak for three years and she says she “liked everything about him” when she purchased him.

“I mean, just look at him – he’s beautiful, he moves, he jumps, he gallops, although he’s not the fastest in the world, but he’s learning to gallop and I’m very much hoping he will be a team horse for me next year.

“He’s just one of those horses that just keeps giving and always gives his best and always tries.”

Sweden’s Sofia Sjoborg and Govalent, a nine-year-old she co-owns with Juliet and Mattias Sjoborg, are third on 30.1.

“He’s never really seen an atmosphere before, so I was just hoping to keep him relaxed and with me,” said Sofia of this gelding by Valent, the sire of five-star horses Cooley Rosalent and Jewelent. “He’s quite long and still quite weak and has a lot of muscling up to do still, so I was thinking a mistake-free test would be nice and then anything above that was a bonus.”

Samantha Lissington, who is another Kiwi to impress so far this week, sits fourth with the impressive eight-year-old grey gelding, Quantas R. Owned by The High Flyers, this son of Qualito is on a score of 30.2.

“He’s a proper horse but he’s obviously only eight so he’s got a bit of a disadvantage against the nine-year-olds,” stated British-based Sam. “His change to the right has taken us all year to get – it was consistently a relaxed, late change behind. So we’ve done a lot of work on that with Gareth Hughes, who has actually really helped us use anticipation and activation at home to get the change, because he has quite a relaxed way of going and didn’t realise he was doing anything wrong.”

From a field of 95 starters in this class, only two combinations scored sub-30.

“It’s a bit irritating to score just over 30 when I thought it was a sub-30 test, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more from him,” Sam said frankly. “He could have gone in there and been impressed by the atmosphere, but he stayed with me the whole way.”

Blenheim young horse CCI4*-S dressage leaders after day one, Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man, have been relegated to second, while the Netherlands’ Andrew Heffernan and SSK Cape Cooley are fifth on 30.3.

Piggy March and Dassett Arthalent are sixth on 30.7, Louise Bradley and Ardeo Mandela are seventh on 30.8 and the top eight Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results are completed by Norway’s Yasmin Olsson-Sanderson and Cos Me Will on 30.9.

The showjumping phase of the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds gets underway tomorrow (Saturday 21 September) at 7.45am.

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There is a new leader in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage results at the end of the second day (20 September). Germany’s Jérôme Robiné riding Black Ice scored 22.8, thanks to a beautiful and confident test on this combination’s first visit to the event.

Black Ice, a 14-year-old owned by Dorothea Von Zedwitz, was fifth in the five-star at Luhmühlen and seventh individually at the European Eventing Championships, both in 2023, and more recently finished fifth in the Nations Cup CCI4*-S at Arville last month.

Jérôme and this striking gelding were awarded a smattering of nines from the judges, including for the two flying-changes that carry a coefficient.

“He’s very calm in his mind and there are no surprises when you go into the arena,” explained Jérôme, 26. “He has very good flying-changes and he has a big, forward canter and nice movement and it’s easy for him.

“I had to work on his flying-changes in the past, but he’s good now. It’s not easy for him in his body as he is long, but he moves well and now he’s established.”

New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell briefly shot into the lead before Jérôme stole it from him as the next rider in. Jesse scored 23.3 with his own and Kent Gardner’s Diachello and sits in third going into the cross-country after Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno III slotted into second towards the end of the day.

“He’s always promised to deliver a really good test and for whatever reason, things haven’t quite gone to plan for him – he’s such a big, loose moving horse that it‘s not been easy, but he’s getting better and better with age,” explained Jesse of this 14-year-old Diarado, with whom he was part of the New Zealand team at the Tokyo Olympics.

“It’s fun to bring him here and enjoy it. I was taking it all in and staying focused – he needs a bit of riding because he is so big and loose and needs a bit of putting together, but I’m delighted with him. He has good changes and that really helps with the coefficient marks in those moves and you can make up some ground with that.”

Speaking of tomorrow’s cross-country, Jesse hopes that the rain – which has only made a very brief appearance so far at Blenheim this week – stays away.

“He prefers the top of the ground, but we’ll see what we’ve got.”

Gemma Stevens and Chris Stone’s 16-year-old mare Jalapeno III scored 23 to sit .3 of a penalty ahead of Jesse.

“We can really do it, but she’s a woman of her own mind and if she’s a little bit not in the mood, then we’re on a 27 – if she’s really with me and in the mood, she can get a 22 or 23 and today she decided that she was in the mood.,” explained Gemma, who was sixth at Badminton in 2023, seventh in the CCI4*-L here in 2022 and fourth in the same class in 2021.

“She is a proper lead mare and we have to come to an agreement and we came to a good agreement today and was beautiful to ride.

“She knows what she likes, when she likes it, how she likes it and who she likes.”

Speaking of her test, Gemma said: “I thought the trot was super-consistent for her today, which I then knew I could carry on into the canter and I could enjoy it because she’s got a beautiful canter and changes – she can do tempi-changes at home when she’s with me and she felt like she was really with me.”

Joint Blenheim dressage leaders after day one, Tim Price and Tom Woodward hold fourth on Happy Boy and Low Moor Lucky respectively on 25.4, while Germany’s Calvin Böckmann is sixth on 25.8 with The Phantom Of The Opera.

The USA’s Phillip Dutton and the nine-year-old Denim are seventh on 25.9, Britain’s Fred Powell and Grafiba are eighth on 26 and the top 10 are rounded off with Piggy March and Halo on 26.2 in ninth and Ireland’s Ian Cassells and Kellys Quality in 10th on 26.5.

The CCI4*-L cross-country gets underway tomorrow (Saturday 21 September) at 11.30am.

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How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Horses plagued with misfortune rocket to the top of the Blenheim CCI4*-L leaderboard

Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course

‘Being at Blenheim in riding boots, rather than sat in the stands, is surreal’: meet the former PE teacher tackling her first CCI4*-L

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Wizz Leyland is one of just a handful of riders contesting this week’s Blenheim Horse Trials who combines a job outside of horses with competing at four-star level.

She rides her own 15-year-old grey gelding, Cruise The Town – Boris, as he is known at home.

“I worked full-time with horses for [event rider] Angus Smales as soon as I left school and I thought ‘right, I’m going to make a go of this’, but as I got further into that, I realised there’s not a lot of money in it,” explains Wizz, 31. “So I had a change of plan, went home to Northumberland and picked up a job for Bedmax in 2021 as the head office is three miles away.”

Wizz started off as a lorry driver for the bedding company.

“I have my HGV and they had a lorry and so I started driving that for them, delivering bedding two or three days a week – I started early in the morning, which meant I could ride in the afternoon,” she says. “It was great fun and I loved it then after a year, they conned me into working in the office.

“I started out combining working in the office and lorry driving and now I’m full-time in the office as operations manager and I love it. I’m very grateful to Bedmax for allowing me to combine riding with work.”

Wizz states that the two horses she competes – she has a two-star horse, as well as Boris – have to possess easy natures in order for her to combine working with riding.

“They’re very good at understanding head torches when there’s so few daylight hours in the winter,” she laughs.

Boris found his way to Wizz while she was working for Angus.

“I’ve had him since he was seven and I’ve done everything with him. Angus bought him from Ireland and so he was on the yard while I was working there. I started riding him and fell in love with him – he is very special.”

The pair scored a career highlight when finishing second in the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in 2021, but it hasn’t been entirely plain sailing for them.

“We’ve made lots of mistakes together and he had an injury in 2022 – he picked up a cut while jumping around the cross-country at Bramham and it ended up requiring a joint flush on the operating table the following morning. While building him back up from that, he picked up another small tendon injury, which put him out for a year.

“We gave him plenty of time to recover and I walked him for miles in hand, like a big dog. He owes me nothing, but he’s getting better with age and he’s still low mileage.”

Of Boris’ character, Wizz chuckles when she describes him as “weird”.

“He needs to know who you are – he’s not good with strangers and men, in particular.”

Wizz says she would love to complete at Blenheim this week.

“I really want to gain my MER [minimum eligibility requirement] for five-star as I would love to be in a position to enter one and to be able to say I got him there.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course

Horses plagued with misfortune rocket to the top of the Blenheim CCI4*-L leaderboard

‘Being at Blenheim in riding boots, rather than sat in the stands, is surreal’: meet the former PE teacher tackling her first CCI4*-L

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

“Being here in riding boots, rather than sat in the stands, is surreal,” says Sophie Callard, who is competing Brookfield Benjamin Bounce at this year’s Blenheim Horse Trials, in what is a first CCI4*-L for both horse and rider. “Blenheim is a special place for me as mum first brought me here when I was 12 and I have visited every year since.”

Sophie has always been a keen eventer, starting in the pony ranks before progressing through juniors and young riders.

“But dad was very adamant that I wouldn’t ride as a career, so I had to go to uni,” explains the smiling 30-year-old. “I studied sport science and then went on to teach primary school PE for five years, which was amazing – I loved it.”

Then, just before Covid hit, Sophie started doing a bit of riding for Brookfield Equestrian’s John and Chloe Perry, whose yard is in the same Berkshire village as the school Sophie taught at.

“Then when Covid hit, we were on three-week rotations at school where we worked for a week teaching the children of key workers and then had two weeks off, which is when I would ride at John and Chloe’s.

“It was at that point Chloe suggested I should work for them full-time, which was always a dream of mine, but it was just a case of making the leap. I still hack past the primary school now and the children will run to the railings and shout ‘Miss Callard!’ to me.”

Sophie’s job with John and Chloe mostly involves her producing the young Brookfield-prefixed horses.

“They usually arrive as four-year-olds and I produce them until the end of their five- and sometimes six-year-old years before they then go onto their designated riders,” says Sophie. “John and Chloe are also really amazing at allowing me to build my own string with new owners coming in while based on their yard around their horses.”

When asked if it is difficult to see horses she has produced be sent off to new riders, such as Piggy March and Tom McEwen, Sophie is adamant in her answer.

“I love nothing more than to see the horses I’ve produced going well with their riders, knowing that I’ve played my part – that’s really satisfying. We have a lovely relationship with all of the riders as the horses progress and Piggy helps me when we’re at these sorts of events – literally like my right arm – and walks the courses with me and is just amazing.”

Brookfield Benjamin Bounce, or simply Bounce as he is known at home, is a ride that Sophie took on for the 2023 season having been competed to CCI4*-S level by Tom McEwen. The 12-year-old was owned by John and Chloe, plus Alison Swinburn, and it was the latter who was responsible for securing Bounce for Sophie to ride.

“It was an amazing thing for Alison to do in order to allow me the chance to break into the higher levels of eventing,” Sophie says.

“Bounce is just amazing – he can be a bit tricky in that he’s a bit of an odd character. He’s a bit of a worrier and is definitely a one person horse. I just have him here this week and no groom, so I get to do absolutely everything with him and he loves that. When I ride others on the yard at home, he hates it. He’s my little mate and we‘re just friends – yes, he’s a bit quirky, but I love it and he tries his heart out for me.”

Speaking of her goals for this week, Sophie states she wants to “enjoy it”.

“We’re here to have a lovely time and to hopefully gain a completion with solid results in all three phases – that would be amazing.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course

Horses plagued with misfortune rocket to the top of the Blenheim CCI4*-L leaderboard

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and the striking grey, Rocket Man, have taken the lead in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds dressage results at the end of day one (19 September).

Rocket Man, a nine-year-old owned by Clarke and his family, really caught the eye and were the only combination in this class to break the 30 barrier today, scoring 29.4.

“I expected him to do a good test – he’s a beautiful mover and is pretty level-headed most of the time, but this would be the most buzzy atmosphere that he’s been in and he coped well with that,” explained Clarke. “There were certainly a good few things that could be improved, but he tried really hard and he’s in the lead after 49 horses, so I’m very happy.”

Britain’s Eliza Bell initially produced Rocket Man, who is by Diacontinus, up to CCI3*-S level before Clarke took on the ride halfway through 2023. This horse completed his only other CCI4*-S run at Marbach in May 2024.

Speaking of his test today, Clarke said: “The changes were both clean, but they just need to become a bit more established – he’s still in the learning phase of those. He’s normally very good in his halts, but I felt they could be better on both centre lines. The trot work felt super good and his canter work could be better, but it was a good effort by him.”

Britain’s Louise Bradley currently holds second with Alison Garlick’s Ardeo Mandela. The nine-year-old scored 30.8 in this his first four-star.

“I knew it was all there, but I just didn’t know if it was going to come off,” Louise said. “He’s not done changes in a test before, so I was really pleased to get one of those. His level of work has improved recently and he’s been really connected and taking me, so I was hoping it would be quite smooth and he wouldn’t react to the atmosphere.

“I was most pleased with how he went in and felt like he enjoyed himself, rose to the occasion and wasn’t bothered by the crowd, which makes me think that I’m going to be able to take him on a big stage one day.”

Louise purchased this son of S. Creevagh Ferro from Ireland when he was five and he most recently finished sixth in the CCI3*-L at Hartpury and 11th in a CCI3*-S section at Cornbury House last week.

“I have produced him all the way through and because he’s quite a big horse, we’ve taken our time,” she explained.

New Zealand’s Jonelle Price sits third in the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results with Jackie Olivier, Kate Holmes and Jo Pidduck’s Full Monty De Lacense on 31.2, while her compatriot Caroline Powell is fourth on 31.4 with CBI Aldo. The top five is rounded off by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and MGH Zabaione on 32.1.

There are 47 combinations to come on Friday, with the CCI4*-S dressage for eight- and nine-year-olds resuming at 9am.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Horses plagued with misfortune rocket to the top of the Blenheim CCI4*-L leaderboard

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Two riders share the top spot in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage results at the end of the opening day (19 September). New Zealand’s Tim Price, who is riding Happy Boy, and 22-year-old British rider Tom Woodward and his mount Low Moor Lucky, both scored 25.4 with fault-free tests.

Happy Boy, a 12-year-old owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, hasn’t been seen competing internationally since retiring across country at Saumur in May and his 2023 season was plagued with bad luck.

“He’s had a bit of an unlucky last 12 months with bits and bobs like he tied up at one point and then suffered from travel sickness at Luhmühlen – things have got in the way of me actually starting competitions – but we’ve got that all under control now and we know a lot more about him,” explained Tim. “He’s ready to go five-star, but we’ll just get this done and we’ll get back on track for a five-star next spring.”

Tim described Happy Boy as “an unassuming little character”.

“But time and time again he’s really tried hard when it counts – I just really like this horse. He’s like putty but although he’s quite short and compact. He always wants to lengthen his body a bit and it’s up to me to have him round and be able to ride him forward in a soft way.”

Tom Woodward was emotional upon completing his test with his own 17-year-old Low Moor Lucky, who is another horse to have overcome setbacks to return to competition.

“He’s had quite a bit of time off this year with niggles and I know what a great horse he is and it’s been frustrating to not be able to have him out competing – I’ve been longing to get him back out,” said Tom, who events full-time from his base in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. “I’m not one to get emotional, but I do feel emotional today because I just love this horse. He was my first horse off ponies and I did my first ever two-star on him, he gave me my first international win, and he’s just been the dream.”

Tom explained that Lucky felt “magic” in his test today, with the flying-changes being a highlight – the second change earnt two eights and a seven from the judges.

“We’ve worked towards this all year really and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he felt – he’s a delight to ride out every day,” said the young rider, who trains with Lisa White, Sarah Verney and Carol Broad, who is one of his owners, for his flatwork. “We campaigned him at four-star last year and I probably wasn’t quite established enough in my riding to get the marks out of him that he deserved.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have a couple of other horses at four-star this year, which has enabled me to really develop my craft on the flat and now I’m able to put that into Lucky and it’s all come together.”

Tom’s aim for this weekend is to “enjoy having Lucky back”.

“He’s run in a couple of open intermediates recently and has felt in amazing form. The last time I did a four-star on him was here last year, so I’m just buzzing to get back out and jump around the cross-country because he loves it and I love it, so I can’t wait to get out there and give it a good crack.”

Twenty-three-year-old German rider Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom Of The Opera, who were alternates for their national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, currently sit third on 25.8.

“I’m actually very, very pleased – I think I can say that dressage is not our strongest discipline, because sometimes he can become a bit fresh,” explained Calvin, who was second in the competitive CCIO4*-S in Aachen earlier this summer and most recently won the CCI4*-S Nations Cup at Arville. “We were here last year and he was quite fresh then, but this year we could just keep it together so much more and test by test, it’s getting better and better.”

Calvin picked out his half-passes and halts as particular highlights today with the 13-year-old he owns alongside Jason, Liam, Roger and Simone Böckmann.

“Usually he’s a bit on fire and doesn’t love to stop and halt!”

Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results: “A little unicorn”

Britain’s Fred Powell, 27, and Jackie and Jo Forrester’s 11-year-old gelding Grafiba, is fourth on 26 after producing a personal best at this level, while Piggy March and Jayne McGivern’s wonderful grey stallion Halo are fifth on 26.2.

“His changes were very good and on the whole, he’s pretty solid in this phase,” said Piggy. “Maybe there’s still one more half a gear to go with him, but he’s consistent – he feels really nice, he’s relaxed, he’s working well, he’s enjoying it and he didn’t make any mistakes. He’s lovely to work with and a little unicorn.”

Ireland’s Ian Cassells and Kellys Quality are sixth on 26.5, Daisy Berkeley and Diese Du Figuier are seventh on 27.9, while Japan’s Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA are eighth on 28. Rounding off the top 10 in the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results, the USA’s Katherine Coleman is ninth on Monbeg Senna on 29.1 and Aaron Millar is 10th on 29.4 with Count Onyx.

There are 37 combinations to come on Friday, with the dressage for the CCI4*-L resuming at 10.20am.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course

One held at first Blenheim trot-up ahead of a bumper week of eventing action

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country course is ready and waiting to be tackled by competitors.

David Evans returns as course-designer for the Oxfordshire event for a seventh year. He has designed both of the 2024 cross-country courses at Blenheim Horse Trials – the CCI4*-L and the short-format CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses.

Take a peek at what horse and riders in the CCI4*-L – jumping the red numbered flags – can expect on Saturday (21 September)…

Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L cross-country course gallery

Fence 1: The Cross Country App Flower Bed

Fence 2: The KBIS Table 

Fence 3: Supastuds Oxer 

Fence 4abc: Brookfield Bold Question 

A big table on a related distance to a corner, lettered bc

There is also an alternative for the bc option of two separately lettered houses

Fence 5: Blake Morgan Flyer 

Fence 6: Strawmax Straw Pellets Table 

Fence 7ab: Game Fair Combination 

Fence 8: The Volare Way 

Fence 9ab: The Volare Landing 

Alternative at 9a and b 

Fence 10: Open Oxer 

Fence 11abc: Voltaire Rollercoaster 

Fence 12: Silverhand Escape 

Fence 13ab: Water Edge Challenge 

Fence 14: Water Edge Point 

Alternative fence 14 

Fence 15abcd: James Hallam Insurance Brokers Water Complex 

Alternatives for fences 15bcd – all jumped in the opposite direction to the direct route 

Fence 16: British Horse Society Canal Turn 

Fence 17abcde: The Isuzu Challenger 

Alternative for the cd elements – the route involves a 180-degree turn between the two elements 

Fence 18: The Duke’s Table, sponsored by Estribos 

Fence 19abc: The Subaru Quest 

Alternative fence 19c 

Fence 20: Bucas Leap of Faith 

Fence 21: The Flower Meadow Picnic Table with Fortnum & Mason 

Fence 22ab: Horslyx Balancer Offset Brushes 

Fence 23: Suregrow Brush 

Fence 24ab: Karcher Solution 

Fence 25: British Eventing Support Trust Finale 

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Get your 2024 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials tickets now and save 20%

One held at first Blenheim trot-up ahead of a bumper week of eventing action

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

One horse was held at the 2024 Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L first trot-up this afternoon (18 September).

The second of Gubby Leech’s rides in the CCI4*-L, Direct Ballytarsna Ducarel, owned by Penelope and Katie Canbourne, was sent to the holding box, and passed on re-presentation at the Speedi-Beet sponsored Blenheim Horse Trials first trot-up. All 81 horses presented before the CCI4*-L ground jury of Andrew Bennie, Les Smith and Nikki Herbert were accepted to go forward to the first phase, which starts at 10.20am tomorrow (19 September) – the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds dressage starts at 9am tomorrow.

Emorka P, the mount of France’s Alexandra Pierquin, was asked to trot again, then given the nod of approval in front of the stunning backdrop of Blenheim Palace in glorious autumnal sunshine.

Blenheim Horse Trials trot-up: best dressed awards

Hi-Ho Silver sponsored the best dressed awards at the first horse inspection.

New Zealand’s Vicky Browne-Cole was awarded the best dressed female rider prize. Competing in her first CCI4*-L at this week’s event, Vicky wore a white blouse with beige tailored trousers and a matching beige fedora and loafers, completed with gold-rimmed sunglasses. She rides her own 13-year-old grey mare, Cutting Edge, at Blenheim this week.

The best dressed male award went the way of Great Britain’s Tom Crisp. He wore a three-piece suit, with blue jacket and trousers and a tweed waistcoat, brown suede brogues and sunglasses. Tom rides 10-year-old Dassett Rock Star, who is owned by Helen Smith, at Blenheim this year. This duo completed the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds here last year and finished 17th with a clear cross-country round in the CCI4*-L at Bramham this summer.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Get your 2024 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials tickets now and save 20%

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Organisers of Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials are “delighted” to confirm Agria as the event’s title sponsor.

The insurer has committed to a three-year deal from 2025.

“I have been impressed with Agria’s game-changing policies and how horse owners have embraced Agria and its unique lifetime equine insurance. So we could not be more delighted to welcome the company as our title sponsor next year,” said Katrina Midgley, organiser of Blenheim on behalf of Stable Events. “Agria’s three-year sponsorship commitment demonstrates its strong support for Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials and the wider sport of eventing. We look forward to working closely with a partner that has horse welfare at its core.”

The event, which runs this year from 19 to 22 September, features CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds and CCI4*-L classes.

Some 800 grassroots riders will also contest the riding and Pony Club eventer challenges, and the Retraining of Racehorses regional championships.

British Eventing (BE) ran Blenheim Horse Trials until 2020; that December, The Jockey Club was awarded a five-year contract as organisers. The Jockey Club ran it for two years, and current organisers Stable Events took over last year.

Agria UK CEO Vicki Wentworth said: “As a Swedish-born company which insured its first animal, a horse, over 130 years ago, we’re very proud to be joining Blenheim as the title sponsor in what will be the 35th anniversary of its first event.

“We are a company that believes in giving every horse access to the best possible protection and veterinary care, so we’re delighted to be supporting an event which hosts horses ranging from Olympians to family fun horses and former racehorses — and we are already a partner of RoR. We very much look forward to helping Blenheim thrive over the coming years.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Get your 2024 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials tickets now and save 20%

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Blenheim Horse Trials is a significant date in the British autumn eventing calendar as it plays host to a prestigious CCI4*-L as well as a CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds, which is a great opportunity to spot some potential five-star heroes of the future. This year’s event takes place on 19-22 September – if you want to attend then book your Blenheim tickets now – but if you aren’t able to attend in person, here’s how to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live.

If you prefer the additional online security offered by a VPN connection, check out the NordVPN, where you can get 73% off, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below.

Keep up to date with Horse & Hound

Horse & Hound will have a reporter on site at Blenheim from Wednesday onwards, who will be on hand to provide online reports from both classes. To keep reading on our website after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription. Visit horseandhound.co.uk/join to buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a combined magazine and website subscription. If you are already a magazine subscriber, the cost to upgrade your subscription to include full website access is minimal – call 0330 333 1113 to find out more.

For detailed analysis of all the action, don’t miss our full Blenheim Horse Trials report in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 26 September 2023.

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live

Although there will be no terrestrial TV coverage available from this year’s Blenheim Horse Trials, you can follow all the cross-country and showjumping action on H&C TV+. If you aren’t already signed-up to H&C, either you can take out a 12-month subscription at £74.99 or £7.99 per month, or choose the pay per view/event pass option at £17.99, which gives you 30 days access to the event.

The cross-country is scheduled to start at 11.30am on Saturday 21 September for the CCI4*-L, while you will also be able to watch the showjumping phase for the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds from 7.45am.

On Sunday 22 September, you will be able to watch the final horse inspection, followed by the cross-country phase for the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds and showjumping for the CCI4*-L.

H&C’s coverage of Blenheim will have expert commentary from Nicole Brown and Ben King.

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live with a VPN

While it is not necessary to use a VPN to access Horse & Country’s live stream, if you would like to protect your online viewing from being monitored by third-parties, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you do this. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t able to track what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get 73% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

How to use a VPN

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access.

3. Then head over to Horse & Country on your browser or device and enjoy the livestream.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Get your 2024 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials tickets now and save 20%

Places to stay near Blenheim so you don’t miss any of the eventing Europeans’ action

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Defender Burghley Horse Trials has revealed its charity partner for 2024 as the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

The charity was launched by the late Scotland rugby player Doddie Weir, to fight motor neurone disease. Doddie made 61 international appearances for Scotland on the rugby pitch, and was a keen rider in his youth, eventing on the Scottish circuit. He remained interested in horses throughout his life.

The charity’s plans for Burghley (5–8 September), include a tug of war involving rugby players and event riders.

“Our founder, Doddie Weir, loved his horses and riding was one of his favourite pastimes – although at 6ft 6in, it had to be a big enough horse!” said Paul Thompson, the charity’s director of fundraising and communications.

“This partnership is therefore especially meaningful to both the Weir family and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and we’re excited for it to get under way.”

Badminton final scores

He added: “To be associated with such a prestigious event means a great deal to My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and this will make an important impact on our ability to invest in vital motor neurone disease research.”

In an interview with the Scottish Field in 2017, Doddie said: “I’d say most of my rugby skills came from my time with the horses: I had a decent core which allowed me to get plenty of height in the air and manoeuvre during line-outs, and the ability to see ahead when correcting a stride or making a turn mid-air transferred to line-outs too. he explained. “But the bigger picture was learning line-out calls and when you’re used to learning showjumping courses and dressage tests, this was a big influence.”

Burghley event director, Martyn Johnson said the partnership “is fantastic news”.

“We hope to help this very worthy charity, which funds, guides and enables the best research to find a cure for motor neurone disease, to raise both awareness and funds,” he said.

“The celebrity tug of war, ‘Pulling Together For MND’, should be great fun for our weekend spectators and be a real spectacle ahead of the main event cross-country on Saturday morning.”

People will have the option to add a small donation to My Name’5 Doddie Foundation when buying tickets for this year’s event.

Badminton Horse Trials partners with LeMieux for official collection

Mars Badminton Horse Trials has welcomed equestrian clothing and products brand LeMieux as its official equestrian partner.

LeMieux is producing an official Badminton collection, in the blue and gold colours associated with the event, which will include saddle pads, fly hoods, grooming kits, headcollars, lead ropes, base layers, socks and hat silks.

Badminton director Jane Tuckwell said that the five-star is excited to be working with LeMieux on the new range, which “will further broaden our range of merchandise.

LeMieux managing director Dan Mahoney added: “LeMieux’s collaboration with Badminton further solidifies our commitment to providing exceptional equestrian products.

“This partnership not only celebrates the heritage of Badminton but also showcases LeMieux’s dedication to quality and innovation in the equestrian industry.”

Blenheim partners with Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason will be providing picnic hampers for the first time at this year’s Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (19 to 22 September).

Picnics for two will be available to pre-order via the Blenheim box office and can be collected from Fortnum’s Giant Hamper, in the palace grounds.

Harri Le Seelleur French, senior events partnerships manager at Fortnum & Mason said: “Offering our picnic hampers at the horse trials is an exciting opportunity for us. Our penchant for picnics began in the 18th century when the then fledgling company began to supply hunters and travellers with baskets of provisions for their journeys.

“Fortnum’s encourages joyful living, and what could be more joyous than soaking up the action at Blenheim, feasting on a picnic prepared by Fortnum & Mason?”

Event Organiser Katrina Midgley added: “We are delighted that our visitors will get to relish these luxury hampers whilst enjoying everything going on at the horse trials.

“The wonderful fresh ingredients that make up the hamper menus sound fantastic and offer an indulgent experience to those who purchase the hampers.”

New Hickstead sponsor for 2024

The All England Jumping Course has welcomed Equine Giveaways as a new sponsor at Hickstead.

The online equestrian competition website will sponsor the Equine Giveaways Royal International Stakes at the Agria Royal International Horse Show (23 to 28 July).

“For many years now, Hickstead has been one of our favourite venues to visit, so we are absolutely delighted to be able to become a sponsor at the Agria Royal International Horse Show,” said Krystina Tissot, co-founder and co-director of Equine Giveaways. “Teaming up with such a prestigious venue is a very proud moment for ourselves, our fantastic equestrian community and Equine Giveaways as a whole.”

The two companies have also teamed up with Ariat, for a “Hickstead experience” competition.

“We are honoured that a new, forward-thinking company such as Equine Giveaways has chosen to work with us at Hickstead,” said Simon Gaskin, sponsorship and marketing manager for the All England Jumping Course.

“We are very much looking forward to the Equine Giveaways Royal International Stakes, and welcoming the prizewinner of this once-in-a-lifetime competition, which I’m sure will attract lots of interest from equestrians.”

Discover Newmarket signs deal with National Horseracing Museum

Discover Newmarket, the town’s official tourism service, has entered a new partnership with the National Horseracing Museum.

Discover Newmarket will manage visitor services on behalf of the museum, looking after all its commercial aspects including day-to-day management.

Noel Byrne, chief executive of Bedford Lodge Hotel and chair of Discover Newmarket, said: “We have always had an excellent working relationship with the museum and this new agreement builds on the support that we have been providing for the last year.

“Our extended partnership ensures that we work even closer together to attract visitors to our internationally recognised town.

“This is an important development for Discover Newmarket as an organisation, which has gone from strength to strength since it started trading in 2015. Without a doubt, this is an exciting venture for both us and the Museum, which will bring huge benefits to the local economy, making Newmarket a better place to live, visit and work.”

Plans for revised membership offers, plus a series of events, new exhibitions and an enhanced visitor experience are already under way.

The Hon Frances Stanley DL, executive chairman of the National Horseracing Museum, added: “As an existing stakeholder of Discover Newmarket, we are delighted that the museum has been able to strengthen its relationship and bring on board additional expertise to assist with our ambitious plans for the museum.

“The museum plays an important role in the town’s tourism offer as well as supporting the horseracing industry nationally, and therefore our new union with Discover Newmarket is an obvious fit to ensure continued success.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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Top British and international event riders will be heading to Blenheim Palace (19-22 September 2024), and Blenheim Horse Trials admission tickets for the event are available.

A 20% discount on admission tickets bought prior to 31 March is now available, so don’t miss out. Standard parking is free in 2024.

Blenheim Horse Trials: general admission ticket prices

Thursday (Dressage)

Entry ticket advance booking (until 31 March): £24

Entry ticket (1 April – on the day): £30

Combe grandstand – centre line seat: £15pp

Combe grandstand – standard seat: £10pp

Woodstock grandstand – centre line seat: £15pp

Woodstock grandstand – standard seat: £10pp

The Bladon, Marlborough and Churchill grandstands are open on Thursday and free of charge. Seats are on a first come and first served basis.

Find tickets for Thursday here

Friday (Dressage) 

Entry ticket advance booking (until 31 March): £24

Entry ticket (1 April – on the day): £30

Combe grandstand – centre line seat: £15pp

Combe grandstand – standard seat: £10pp

Woodstock grandstand – centre line seat: £15pp

Woodstock grandstand – standard seat: £10pp

The Bladon, Marlborough and Churchill grandstands are open on Friday and free of charge. Seats are on a first come and first served basis.

Find tickets for Friday here

Saturday (Cross-country)

Entry ticket advance booking (until 31 March): £33.60

Entry ticket (1 April – on the day): £42

The Grandstands are open on Saturday and free of charge. Seats are on a first come and first served basis.

Find tickets for Saturday here

Sunday (Showjumping)

Entry ticket advance booking (until 31 March): £28

Entry ticket (1 April – on the day): £35

Combe grandstand: £30

Woodstock grandstand: £30

Bladon grandstand: £30

Marlborough grandstand: £30

Churchill grandstand: £30

Find tickets for Sunday here 

Whole event entry 

Four-day entry ticket advance booking (until 31 March): £108

Four-day entry ticket (1 April – on the day): £135

Find tickets for all four days here

Children

Children 12 years of age and under can enter the event for free when accompanied by an adult – they will require proof of age and will be given a ticket at the entrance. While under 13s are free, if you are purchasing seating, you will also need to purchase seating for children.

Members’ tickets 

Members tickets must be purchased in addition to general admission tickets and provide access to the members’ enclosure, which gives you exclusive access to the members’ bar, café and garden. Members tickets must be purchased for children – 12 and unders do not go free in the members’ area.

Thursday members’ ticket: £25

Friday members’ ticket: £25

Saturday members’ ticket: £35

Sunday members’ ticket: £35

Four-day members’ ticket: £99

Find members’ tickets here

VIP packages

VIP tickets provide access to the Palace Pavilion, which offers a ringside seat to the event. VIP ticket holders can park using the in-show parking, so have very little distance to walk. The VIP package also includes breakfast, a three-course lunch, all-day access to the Pavilion lounge and garden and the VIP toilets. There will also be expert commentary and exclusive rider interviews, plus livestreaming of all the action. VIP tickets must be purchased for children – 12 and unders do not go free. You must also purchase VIP tickets in addition to a general admission ticket.

Thursday VIP ticket: £125

Friday VIP ticket: £125

Saturday VIP ticket: £160

Sunday VIP ticket: £150

Four-day VIP ticket: £500

Find VIP tickets here

Parking

General parking is free in 2024, but there are other parking options available. These must be purchased in advance.

In-show parking offers parking closer to the centre of the event, meaning there will be a shorter distance to walk.

Thursday in-show parking: £35 per vehicle

Friday in-show parking: £35 per vehicle

Saturday in-show parking: £35 per vehicle

Saturday lakeside parking: £50 per vehicle

Sunday in-show parking: £35 per vehicle

Sunday lakeside parking: £50 per vehicle

Find in-show parking tickets here

Blenheim Horse Trials camping

Various camping options are available for you to purchase in advance of the event. There are no discounts available on these tickets and admission tickets must be purchased in addition to camping tickets.

Camping is for five nights (Wednesday–Sunday inclusive). Standard plots are 9x9m and suitable for motor homes and caravans, while premium plots are 12x12m and suitable for horseboxes, motor homes and caravans. Generators are not permitted.

• Standard camping pitch (9x9m): £165
• Standard camping pitch (9x9m) with electric hook up: £270
• Premium camping pitch (12x12m): £215
• Premium camping pitch (12x12m) with electric hook up: £320

Find camping tickets here

Tent only camping

Camping is for five nights (Wednesday–Sunday inclusive). Premium plots are 12x12m and standard plots are 9x9m. This area is reserved for tents only and generators are not permitted.

• Standard tent only camping pitch (9x9m): £165
• Standard tent only camping pitch (9x9m) with electric hook up: £270
• Premium tent only camping pitch (12x12m): £215
• Premium tent only camping pitch (12x12m) with electric hook up: £320

Find tent only tickets here

Glamping

Glamping includes a fully furnished and carpeted bell tent complete with:

• Comfortable mattress on a raised bed frame
• Full linen including duvets and pillows
• Throw/blanket
• Cushions
• Entrance mat and rug
• Lanterns
• Hanging mirror
• Low-level table

Deluxe glamping tents come with single beds as standard, but there is scope to change these to doubles. General admission tickets must be purchased in addition to glamping tickets.

Glamping with no power

Glamping no power three nights 1-2 people (2 x single beds): £665Glamping no power five nights 1-2 people (2 x single beds): £735Glamping no power three nights three people (3 x single beds): £735Glamping no power five nights three people (3 x single beds): £810Glamping no power three nights four people (4 x single beds): £735Glamping no power five nights four people (4 x single beds): £810

Glamping with power

Glamping with power three nights 1-2 people (2 x single beds): £780Glamping with power five nights 1-2 people (2 x single beds): £860Glamping with power three nights three people (3 x single beds): £860Glamping with power five nights three people (3 x single beds): £935Glamping with power three nights four people (4 x single beds): £860Glamping with power five nights four people (4 x single beds): £935

Find glamping tickets here

For more information about tickets visit: bpiht.co.uk

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A fortnight after his Burghley win with the great Ballaghmor Class Oliver Townend, showed that he has another rising star grey among his string by taking victory in the young horse CCI4*-S at Blenheim Horse Trials with the stunning mare Cooley Rosalent.

The pair headed into Sunday’s cross-country with a one-second advantage over Piggy March and Brookfield Future News. They would be the only two combinations of the day to make the tight cross-country time, turning those provisional places into their final standings.

This eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S has a history of serving as a stepping stone to five-star greatness. Analytics firm EquiRatings has counted 23 graduates who have gone on to win a five-star, including five former winners of this young horse championship.

Paul Ridgeon’s grey looked full of confidence as she devoured David Evans’s short-format cross-country course, ears pinned ahead, crossing the finish line smack on the optimum time of six minutes 54 seconds to win on her dressage score of 24.7.

“She’s incredible,” said Oliver, who has had the mare since she was four years old. “We’ve always thought she was exceptional.

“Well done to Richard and Georgina Sheane at Cooley Farm, they found another one for us. She’s been special since word go. I’ve been lucky enough to produce her, but in all honesty, most people could have produced her, because she’s very straightforward, exceptionally talented and finds everything very easy.

“She wants to do it more than probably more than I do sometimes. She’s very keen and enthusiastic. She had her ears pricked all the way round the cross-country.”

The nine-year-old mare, by Valent, is out of thoroughbred mare Bellaney Jewell and is a full sibling to Irish rider Clare Abbott’s 2021 eventing Europeans ride Jewelent. Both were bred by the Rosbothams in Ireland.

Oliver and Cooley Rosalent arrived at Blenheim with an exceptional record, having finished in the top seven in 12 of their 15 international starts. This includes two wins and taking silver at the six-year-old world championship in Le Lion in 2020.

She stepped up to five-star at Luhmühlen in June and Oliver explained that her trip to Germany was always part of a wider plan with her development in mind.

“We wanted to know how she coped with it, and what we needed to do from a management point of view and educational point of view for the future,” said Oliver.

“She wasn’t going to Luhmühlen to win. She was going to see people and umbrellas and arenas. That mileage has been absolutely second to none. Then when you come to a place like Blenheim… she felt like an experienced horse going around there.”

He added that Cooley Rosalent found the cross-country course “as always, very comfortable” and was also thrilled with the performances of his other two CCI4*-S rides, En Taro Des Vernier and Caunton First Class.

“For an eight- and nine-year-old class, the course in general was extremely tough, which I think it should be. It’s our eight- and nine-year old-championship.

“It was a fair course. But at the same time, you definitely don’t want to be coming here on anything that’s even half green, because even for the ones that have enough mileage, it’s definitely a big step up.”

Blenheim Horse Trials: ‘It’s what we do this for’

Piggy and the eight-year-old Brookfield Future News were drawn early, making light work of the course to finish five seconds inside the optimum time. It would prove to be an almost mirror image of how the CCI4*-L cross-country played out, with an early pair cruising round inside the time, only to be followed by several eventful hours. Anyone lulled into a false sense that this would be a straightforward day of cross-country was mistaken.

The dressage scores were so tightly bunched that any cross-country time-penalties were hugely influential.

The layout of the course meant that the first water complex came up much earlier in this track than in yesterday’s long-format, with the brush box to shoulder brush causing a sizeable share of problems. The young horses took a different route through the second water – a dew pond at the top of the hill that was introduced last year – with plenty of green moments from these eight- and nine-year-old horses. In total, 10 combinations had problems at the first water, and 18 at the second.

Brookfield Future News, who is owned by Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry, showed maturity beyond his years to give Piggy a round to remember.

“He was bloody brilliant,” said Piggy. “I’m so excited because he was everything that I thought he was, from the age of six. He’s a bigger blood horse – he’s not always been the fanciest. But I’ve always believed and he’s one of my favourites.

“I’ve said all along to people, ‘you have no idea what this has underneath the bonnet’. He was amazing at Le Lion last year and I know he’s a five-star horse.

“The owners have just been brilliant. I said, ‘I don’t want to run him for the sake of it. Can this be his target?’

“It’s exactly what we all do this for – days or a moment like that, where you give the owners as a hug and we’re all like buzzing, because he’s a horse they’ve done the journey with, that we’ve always believed in, and to then get on a stage and do that is amazing.”

New Zealand’s Tim Price had three exciting prospects in this class. Flashy chestnut Jarillo, owned by Clifton Eventers, Shaun and Lucy Allison, Rachel and James Good, took home the highest result from the Price squad in third.

“He doesn’t make many mistakes. He’s just a really classy little horse and keeps trying very hard,” said Tim. “It’s quite rare for such a careful horse to be so brave cross country. Today was a big test with a lot of different things. He’s done one CCI4*-S short before in Ireland, but this was definitely a step along and he dealt with it all really well.”

Caroline Harris and D. Day were fourth (30.7). Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat took fifth (33.8) and Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and Pomp And Circumstance rose 29 places from their position after dressage to finish sixth (35.8).

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World number one Ros Canter and Izilot DHI added the Blenheim Horse Trials trophy to their impressive collection of silverware with their flawless showjumping round sealing their place at the top of the CCI4*-L results.

Ros and the 10-year-old gelding cantered into the showjumping on their two-phase score of 22. They produced a textbook round to pile pressure on world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir, who led from the first phase.

Yasmin and Banzai, winners of this class in 2021, could afford a smattering of time-faults, but no rails. The 12-year-old gelding, owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund, glided across the coloured poles with his usual ease and flair.

But perhaps the only true certainty in horse sport is that it can be relied upon to be unpredictable. The final fence fell for Yasmin, and the 2023 Blenheim crown landed on Ros’s head.

“More than the result, I’m just so proud of how he’s dealt with the whole week and how he jumped today, particularly with how sprightly he felt,” said Ros.

“He was quite peaky and spooky, and that’s his personality. The last couple of times he has done a three-day, he’s been a bit flatter ahead of the showjumping. Today, he felt strong and well, so it’s really exciting that he’s getting stronger in his body because he is still a weak horse and there’s still lots more development to come.”

Izilot DHI, who Ros owns with Alex Moody, is a supremely talented, somewhat mercurial character. That complexity is both his strength and at times his Achilles heel.

This is their eighth international win and his fourth four-star victory, having won three CCI4*-S classes – including his direct preparation run at Blair Castle. He is also not immune to a 20 penalties for a spooky moment, Bramham this year being a prime example.

“This time of year is much easier for me, once he’s run a bit, the sun has been on his back, he’s been out in the field all the time,” said Ros, who took the horse for a gentle cross-country school on Wednesday “not to train him, but to relax him” on the way to Blenheim.

“I think the spring will be difficult again next year. He could easily go to his first open intermediate and duck out, because there’s a duck or something in the wrong place. That’s ‘Isaac’ for you and I’m not sure that’s going to change anytime soon.

“But I’m starting to get the hang of how to build him up for an event where I really need his brain in the right place.”

Yasmin came over to congratulate Ros with a hug and a smile. And while there’s no questioning her competitive spirit, she was philosophical about that pesky final pole.

“We’ve had a good week all in all, so I can’t really complain,” said Yasmin. “He’s super careful and agile, so I’ll probably be analysing that video all winter to find out what went wrong! But that’s horses isn’t it? Some days you come out on top and some days you don’t.”

Yasmin had been open that her main aim for the week was to finish the season on a positive note. In doing so, she has also secured a critical minimum eligibility requirement to be considered for Paris 2024.

“I’m very pleased all in all. We’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve this weekend and now he can go out in the field and have a nice holiday and get ready for next year,” she said.

Harry Meade’s showjumping clear with Annaghmore Valoner was rewarded with a further climb up the leaderboard to finish third on their dressage score of 30.6. This gutsy mare, owned by Dinah Posford, Jules Carter and Stephen Posford, was 16th after dressage and rocketed to fifth ahead of the final phase with her fault-free cross-country round.

“She’s got so much talent,” said Harry, who will now aim to consolidate her CCI4*-L form at Bramham 2024.

“She’s a little bit of a hothead; she holds her breath, but she’s got all three phases, which very few horses do. She’s a beautiful mover, she’s got loads of blood and gallop, and she just oozes class.”

Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality ended the week with a flawless showjumping clear to finish fourth (32.2). Tom Rowland scored one of the biggest results of his career to take fifth with Dreamliner, adding just 0.4 of a showjumping time-penalty to their dressage score to finish fifth on 32.5.

Piggy March and the spring-heeled little “Pegasus” Halo lowered the front rail of the butterfly oxer at fence seven, which dropped them from third to sixth.

“He’s been amazing; the dressage was below his standards, because he made a couple of expensive mistakes, which he hasn’t done before. Today was my error, which irritates me,” said Piggy, who ended the week on a score of 33.5 with the 10-year-old stallion.

The next two places in the Blenheim Horse Trials showjumping results were filled by two big leaderboard climbers. Felicity Collins and RSH Contend Or, who were fourth here in 2022, rose from 31st to seventh on 33.6; while Australia’s Sammi Birch and Findus PFB rocketed from 48th after dressage to finish eighth (34.4).

China’s Alex Hua Tian was a little frustrated to pick up four faults with ninth-placed Chiko (34.4). The pair were fourth after cross-country and a clear would have resulted in a podium spot.

“He’s jumped so well all year, and he jumped so well in there, but every horse can have a fence somewhere if that’s the way the dice roll for you on the day,” said Alex.

Italy’s Giovanni Ugolotti completed the top 10 with Florencina R, jumping clear on the final day to end on 34.8.

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Three horses were held at the Blenheim Horse Trials final CCI4*-L trot-up and two others withdrawn overnight ahead of Sunday’s (17 September) horse inspection.

All 65 horses brought forwards to the trot-up, held in front of Blenheim Palace, were accepted by the ground jury of Andrew Bennie, Judy Hancock and Angela Tucker, supported by vet Alison Butler.

Katie Magee’s ride Enceladus, with whom she was in 33rd overnight, was the first horse to be sent to the holding box. The 14-year-old gelding, owned by his rider and Anne Kitching, was given the nod of approval on re-presentation.

Katie’s other horse in this class, Angela Hislop’s Treworra, who held provisional 31st place after cross-country, was withdrawn ahead of the final Blenheim Horse Trials trot-up.

Treworder (pictured, top), piloted by Michael Owen, was also asked to go to the holding box. The 13-year-old, owned by Jane Buick jumped clear across country yesterday with 14.4 time-penalties. He was accepted upon re-presentation and heads into the final phase in 39th place.

New Zealand’s Joe Meyer was asked to take his CCI4*-L ride Harbin to the holding box. The grey, who Joe owns with Ruth, Gay and John Meyer, and Theresa Foote, was waved through on re-presentation.

Guilty Pleasure, ridden by Franky Reid-Warrilow for owners Liza Austin and Pegasus Arenas, was withdrawn after cross-country.

The ground jury asked several horses to trot again. These included Halo, who is in third after cross-country with Piggy March; Dreamliner, who is in provisional sixth with Tom Rowland; Master Point, ridden by Ireland’s Ian Cassells; and Helen Martin’s ride Andreas.

The first CCI4*-L showjumping session starts at 11.30am. The second session, for the higher-placed competitors, starts at 2.30pm, with overnight leaders Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir set to enter the ring at 3.42pm.

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Harry Meade showed he has two more powerhouse contenders in his string with super cross-country performances on both rides in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim Horse Trials.

Harry was second out of the start box with Mandy Gray’s Et Hop Du Matz, the first of his two CCI4*-L rides at Blenheim Horse Trials. The pair breezed across designer David Evans’ testing cross-country course to come home a comfortable four seconds inside the optimum time of 10 minutes 20 seconds.

Anyone watching Harry’s first round who believed this would be an uneventful cross-country day was soon corrected, with plenty of combinations incurring penalties on course.

“There’s an advantage sometimes in going early because you don’t watch everyone – you have a plan, although obviously there’s the element of the unknown,” said Harry.

“Et Hop Du Matz was lovely. He is green – it’s only his second ever long-format event. He did one CCI3*-L at Millstreet last year and won it. I have never let the handbrake off, apart from Millstreet, and he was easy and lovely.

“He’s a proper type – rangy and confident, and looked at what he was doing.”

The British rider backed up his course form with a smooth performance aboard his second ride, Annaghmore Valoner. This gutsy mare, who is owned by Dinah Posford, Jules Carter and Stephen Posford, cruised home with nothing to add to her dressage score of 30.6.

The 11-year-old was produced by Australia’s Sam Griffiths, with whom she finished seventh in the young horse CCI4*-S in 2021.

“She was super,” said Harry. “My main aim for her was just to come out of the start box, settle her into a gallop and just let her breathe. Both them were up on their minute markers the whole way around and just happy and confident and she was super inside the time. I’m delighted with them both.”

He added: “Sam did a great job starting this mare off and when he took on the elevated position of high performance coach for the New Zealand team, I was very lucky to deputise for him.”

Their fault-free performances mean that both horses have catapulted up the Blenheim Horse Trials leaderboard after the cross-country.

Et Hop Du Matz, 44th after the first phase, heads into the final phase in provisional 11th, while his stablemate Annaghmore Valoner has climbed from 16th to provisional fifth.

Harry added: “I think that David has done a really good job. Hats off to the whole ground team, because the going was positively firm when we arrived, not through their fault but because of the conditions we’ve had. They’ve done a really good job, working really hard with loads of watering and spiking.

“I thought the course rode really well, that he designed some good questions and had some good, attacking distances.”

He added that both of his horses galloped through the Noonans Treasure Chest Combination (fences 8 & 9ab) on four strides, compared to the five or six strides some others found in there, and that the table to arrowhead question at fence 22ab also “rode really well”.

“The one thing I would say is that perhaps – although my horses were good at this fence – the [rail, ditch, arrowhead at fence 19abc] was a bit long.

“Not so much the exit, but particularly the entrance, so they dwell over the ditch and then the exit was also long. But it was a good course, it was clear for horses and took some riding, but it was all of an appropriate standard.”

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World champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir were at their sparkling best to solidify their position at the top of the Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country results with a clear round finishing bang on the optimum time.

Yasmin, 26, came here with the aim of finishing the season on a positive note. It’s exactly a year since this pair were crowned world champions in Pratoni following a meteoric rise, which involved winning this class in 2021.

As much as the world champion crown is a privilege for any sportsperson to wear, the weight of it can be measured in pressure and expectation. Their 2023 season has been a mix of record-setting highs and uncharacteristic blips. And although there is still the showjumping to go tomorrow, the gremlins of their 20-penalty hiccups at Kentucky CCI5* and the Europeans were put firmly to bed with a class cross-country performance.

“He picked everything up super easily and was right on his lines,” said Yasmin, who rides the 12-year-old gelding for Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund. “He responded when I said go, and steadied when I said ‘whoa’.

“It’s a beautiful place to be able to compete. The owners absolutely love it and my family has come to watch. We’re having a really nice time and enjoying the horse because he’s so special.

“He’s an absolute pleasure and a joy to have. So for us to just actually enjoy him and have nothing else to think about is really nice.”

Asked whether she felt pressure today, she said: “For sure. I think more on myself, as I always just want to do my best and not let anybody down.

“So many people put so much work into this – my team at home, the team that come here and everyone behind the scenes, it’s a massive group effort and when we have a good day, it’s everybody’s good day.”

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, who she owns with Alex Moody, have held their provisional runner-up spot. The pair finished one second over the optimum time of 10 minutes 20 seconds to add 0.4 of a cross-country time-penalty to their dressage score of 21.6. This means they head into the showjumping 1.5 penalties shy of Yasmin and Banzai’s leading score of 20.5.

“He felt really grown up out there and really honest,” said Ros. “It’s probably the first time I’ve pushed him for the time around a long-format course like this.

“He felt a little bit weary two thirds of the way around. It’s the first time he’s had to dig that deep, but he was so focused with the crowds and all the things we previously had problems with. He was fantastic.”

She added that cross-country course designer David Evans “definitely created a thinking course”.

“I think some of the distances we all thought were a bit different to what maybe we would have picked,” said Ros. “But I think that really makes it a case where you had to make a plan for your own horse, decide what canter you wanted before the fence, and commit to that.

“Some you could choose to roll on at, others, you had to really make a difference to the canter and that was the challenge of it. I think it was all about walking your lines multiple times, knowing what canter you wanted to get to, and knowing the horse you were on.”

Beyond Yasmin and Ros, the rest of the top 10 has had a complete reshuffle.

Piggy March and the delightful little stallion Halo, winners of the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S class here in 2022, were both beaming after a cracking cross-country performance.

Piggy was deflated after their dressage test yesterday – although it was a good score of 28.7, she knows what Halo is capable of. But that memory and the agonisingly long wait before their 4.30pm cross-country time was more than made up for by their blistering round.

“I am absolutely over the moon – he was fabulous!” said Piggy, who picked up 0.8 of a cross-country time-penalty and has climbed to provisional third in the Blenheim Horse Trials results with Jayne McGivern’s 10-year-old.

“To be honest, I’ve hated today, being drawn so late. I showjumped my first horse at 8.05am and then waited all day to see all sorts going on.

“I’ve never been so late at a three-day and I was worried about him; he’s just not got much mileage and good horses were having problems. But he felt fab in the warm-up and once I got out there, I was having a whale of a time. He was a little Pegasus, a little unicorn today.”

China’s Alex Hua Tian rose from 11th overnight to provisional fourth in the Blenheim Horse Trials results with relatively new ride Chicko, owned by Kate Willis.

“I was very quietly confident coming here,” said Alex, who picked up just 0.4 of a time-penalty, which he reflected was probably because he took a check to the last.

“I’ve had such an awesome year with him across country. As a partnership, I feel like we clicked straight away. He wouldn’t have the range in his gallop that some other horses out there do, but he has tremendous amounts of heart and I trust him so much.”

Tom Rowland has rocketed 23 places up the leaderboard thanks to his clear round inside the time with new ride Dreamliner.

“I absolutely love him,” said Tom, for whom this was just his fifth event with the Chamberlaynes’ Jumbo gelding. “I feel like I’ve learned a little bit from him from each round. He took me by surprise a bit at Burgham, where he was very strong. But I felt that today was the best balance he has galloped in. He’s so reliable and straight. I’ve been trying to work a bit on my steering, as he’s a big horse and I was really pleased as to how adjustable he was.”

Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality picked up a smattering of time-faults to sit provisional seventh after cross-country on a two-phase score of 32.2. Sarah Bullimore (Irish Trump), Will Rawlin (Ballycoog Breaker Boy) and Felicity Collins (RSH Contend Or) have climbed into the top 10 to hold eighth to 10th places respectively.

Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country results: an influential track

It was certainly an influential course, with distances in some combinations proving a talking point. Second out of the start box Harry Meade and Et Hop Du Matz produced the first clear round inside the time, lulling viewers into a sense that perhaps this would be an uneventful day. Harry also delivered another clear round inside the time with his second ride, Annaghmore Valnoner, with whom he is in provisional fifth.

The second water at fence 15 – a big hanging log in, followed by a right-handed turn to a brush and ending with an arrowhead on dry land – was particularly influential. The Noonans Treasure Chest Combination (fences 8 & 9ab) caught out several, as did the multi-part question at the furthest part of the course at fence 17, plus the combination heading into the woods at fence 19.

Gemma Stevens, who was in third overnight, took a tumble from Jalapeno at the penultimate fence – a table with a right-handed turn to a chest fence. Laura Collett parted company from Calahari, with whom she was fourth after dressage, at the Sporting Saint flyer at fence five.

Pippa Funnell walked home with Billy Walk On, sixth after the first phase. Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Loire enjoyed a steady clear, with 18 cross-country time-penalties dropping them from provisional seventh to 35th.

New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig, who were in provisional eighth in the Blenheim Horse Trials results ahead of cross-country, incurred 15 penalties at the final element of the rail, ditch, arrowhead combination at fence 19.

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Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent were rewarded for their spotless showjumping clear round to climb to the top of the provisional Blenheim Horse Trials young horse CCI4*-S results after the overnight leaders were eliminated.

Tom McEwen and MHS Brown Jack (pictured, top), who headed the standings after dressage on a score of 24.6, cantered into the showjumping with a lead of 0.1 of a penalty over Oliver and this grey mare.

But Tom and the nine-year-old gelding, owned by Fred and Penny Barker, left their luck at fence one. MHS Brown Jack rubbed the first – a multi-coloured oxer jumping towards the palace – which remained in place. After that, five rails fell, resulting in an uncharacteristic 20 showjumping penalties for this big Obos Quality 004 son.

Under FEI rules, competitors with 20 or more jumping penalties over the coloured poles are eliminated, in classes where the showjumping comes before the cross-country. This means that MHS Brown Jacks’ 2023 Blenheim journey ends here.

Oliver and Cooley Rosalent, a Valent daughter who is owned by Paul Ridgeon, had produced the best test on the second day of dressage to sit second behind Tom in the Blenheim Horse Trials young horse CCI4*-S results ahead of the showjumping.

Piggy March and Brookfield Future News, who had been equal second with Oliver and the grey mare after dressage, jumped a smart clear just adding 0.8 of a showjumping time-penalty to their first phase score to remain in touch on 25.5. Piggy and the eight-year-old gelding, owned by Alison Swinburn, and John and Chloe Perry, head into the cross-country with their position on the leaderboard unchanged.

While Mark McGowan’s showjumping course has ruffled the standings, there remains little breathing room at the top ahead of cross-country. Just 10 penalties separate the top 36 competitors.

New Zealand world number two Tim Price has three exciting prospects in this class, which has a long history of throwing out future five-star and championship heroes. He has climbed two places with the flashy chestnut Jarillow, owned by Clifton Eventers, Shaun and Lucy Allison, and Rachel and James Good, to sit provisional third in the Blenheim Horse Trials results after showjumping.

The nine-year-old made light work of the course, breezing across the influential track with his ears pricked and giving the coloured fences plenty of air. His stablemate, Chio 20, tipped the first rail of the treble to drop from fourth to provisional sixth.

Clear rounds were few and far between in the early stages, with the final element of the red and green treble in front of the grandstands at 10c keeping the arena party particularly busy. Heidi Coy and Clonshire On Trend scored the first fault-free round of the day.

The dressage scores were so tightly packed in this competitive 95-strong class that any faults proved highly costly – and clear rounds were well rewarded.

Caroline Harris and D. Day have risen from 10th to provisional fourth, with Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon and DHI Jackpot leaping from 14th to fifth thanks to their stellar clears.

Notable clear-round climbers include Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat (29.4), Olympic champion Julia Krajewski aboard Nickel 21 (29.5), US rider Hallie Coon with 2021 seven-year-old world champion Cute Girl (29.5) and Gemma Stevens on Ophelie Van Prinseveld (29.7). They fill seventh to 10th in the Blenheim Horse Trials provisional results after showjumping.

Storm Straker and Fever Pitch, Jutopia (piloted by Australia’s Sammi Birch), and Quidam De Lux, ridden by Stephen Heal, who were in provisional sixth, seventh and ninth respectively, each rolled a pole to drop to 13th, 17th, and 27th ahead of cross-country.

The cross-country CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses takes place tomorrow (Sunday, 16 September).

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When South African event rider Alexandra Munn bought her four-star ride The Spice Merchant (“Basil”), the hope was that he would be a great horse to gain some experience at novice and intermediate. Four years later and the pair are making both their CCI4*-L and Blenheim Horse Trials debuts at the 2023 event.

“He’s been the gift that keeps on giving,” said Alexandra, who bought the Irish Sport Horse gelding from Lizzie Baugh when she moved over to the UK to work for William Fox-Pitt in 2019.

“I bought him as a stepping stone horse. Then we took him to his first two-star and he was amazing. We worried about the time, because he’s quite solid bro, but he just has all these engines and all these tanks and he never runs out of steam.”

The pair finished sixth in their first intermediate, and has continued on that upward trajectory.

“We just kept going, kept stepping up, and he kept performing. He was double clear and 11th in his first four-short. He loves his job and I just love him so much,” she said.

The 26-year-old was horse-mad as a child.

“I actually started in showing because I was a complete pup, terrified!” she said. “I wanted to be on a horse, but didn’t want to go beyond maybe a medium canter and I was a bit scared of jumping,” she said. “Then my mum took me to the Rand Hunt’s children’s meet (drag hunting), and that’s where I learnt to be brave.”

Alexandra rode across in a variety of disciplines while riding in South Africa. She worked for Zimbabwean showjumper Charley Crockart, helping in the production of horses, and jumped to 1.35m and competed to the equivalent of advanced medium dressage.

“I dipped my fingers in all the pies and just loved it,” she said. “But I kind of got to the point where I wanted to take it further. I’ve got a British passport, because I was born here and grew up in South Africa – and I represent South Africa, because I identify as South African.

“I wanted to come over and see what I could do with the big fish. It’s been one hell of a journey and it’s all thanks to the amazing coaches and support and family I’ve had along the way. I’ve got an army of people behind us that makes it happen, it’s not just me and Basil.”

Her career has taken along several paths, including eventing full-time, and she is currently loving the balance between campaigning Basil and working as an estate agent.

“I’ve narrowed down to just having Basil. He’s my pride and joy, and he keeps me sane after the long days of trying to sell houses,” she said.

“We’ve got big dreams. We are hopeful for Paris, for the individual spot to represent South Africa. We’ve got a very competitive zone, so it’s all about points and obviously now I’ve only got one horse it’s difficult to accumulate those. We’ll try our best to qualify, but if we don’t then we’ll aim for a five-star.

The pair head into the cross-country on a score of 40.8 and are scheduled to leave the start box at 1.12pm tomorrow (Saturday, 16 September).

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Newly crowned Burghley champion Oliver Townend has powered into provisional second in the young horse CCI4*-S Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results with the ascending star Cooley Rosalent.

The elegant mare, owned by Paul Ridgeon, set her campaign off to a strong start with the best test in Friday’s contingent in the eight- and nine-year-old class. Their score of 24.7 is the same mark as Brookfield Future News and Piggy March produced on Thursday, putting them equal second in the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results at this stage.

Cooley Rosalent, a nine-year-old by Valent and out of Roselier mare Bellany Jewel, looked a picture in the morning sunshine, with the judges broadly in agreement on her mark.

She scored silver at the six-year-old young horse World Championships in 2020, was seventh in the seven-year-old class the following year, and comes to Blenheim with multiple top international results plus the experience of a five-star under her belt.

The scores are tight in this competitive class, which has a history of serving as a stepping stone for horses on the road to future five-star and championship glory. The top 23 horses in this 95-strong class all start the jumping phases on sub-30 dressage scores.

Thursday’s leaders Tom McEwen and MHS Brown Jack, owned by Fred and Penny Barker, have held their top spot. But just 0.1 of a penalty separates them from Cooley Rosalent and Brookfield Future News, who is owned by Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry.

Tim Price now has two horses in the top 10, with CHIO 20 (25.1) edging ahead of stablemate Jarillo (26.7). The duo hold provisional fourth and fifth respectively.

“I was very pleased, because this is his first advanced test and it’s nice to get into some movements where they help everything,” said Tim, explaining the step up between three- and four-star.

“It’s nice to put him into a shape and make him go sideways, because it is improving him. So I’ve been looking forward to this stage.”

The “BFG” nine-year-old, who Tim owns with Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell, and Lucy and Ben Sangster, is one of three exciting prospects the New Zealand world number two has in this class.

Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results: ‘He knows he is king of the yard’

Storm Straker and Fever Pitch bounded into sixth, with their classy performance earning the pair a score of 27.

“I felt a bit of pressure, only because it’s a big championship and you want to do well, don’t you?” said Storm, who combines riding with her job in insurance.

Storm has produced this Tannenhof’s Farenheit son from a four-year-old. He has not always been easy, owing to his sensitivity, but patience and training is reaping rewards.

“He really trusts me now and he’s really started showing character in the past year, which is really nice,” said Storm, riding for her mother Victoria Straker. “He has come out of his shell. He’s special. We adore him. He knows he’s king of the yard; he’s got a great character, and it’s really nice that he’s shining.”

Stephen Heal and the flashy, people-loving chestnut Quidam De Lux impressed the judges to earn a score of 27.5 and sit seventh after dressage.

“He’s done plenty of good tests and generally always does; he just sometimes struggles with the contact a little. Today he felt mostly on-side. We always win the warm up!” said Stephen, with a smile.

“He’s naturally quite lazy, so I don’t want to be on him for very long. But you need long enough to get all the gears working. It’s been a case of playing around, and it feel like on the whole, we got it right today.”

Ireland’s Clare Abbott and the nine-year-old Mr Mighty, who she owns by Cormac and John McKay, showcased glorious canter work to spring into contention, scoring 27.9 for provisional eighth in the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results. They are the highest of four combinations on the same score at this stage, split by collectives.

“He has so many gears and he is so powerful. It’s about keeping that toned, as he would like to do tempi changes and fancier stuff,” she said.

“The cross-country course looks great. It’s definitely built with the eight- and nine-year-olds in mind – it is progressive in size and difficulty, and it gives the horses every opportunity to build up into it.”

Susan Lamb and Therese Miller’s Jutopia, piloted by Australia’s Sammi Birch, is in ninth. Caroline Harris and D Day complete the top 10.

“He wants to do everything correctly, so the stronger he’s getting, the more I can show him off,” said Caroline, who rides the nine-year-old Billy Mexico son for Fiona Olivier, Lucy Matthews, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle.

The CCI4*-S showjumping starts at 8am tomorrow (16 September), concluding with cross-country on Sunday (17 September).

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World number one Ros Canter and her multiple international-winning ride Izilot DHI delivered the best performance on the second day of dressage at Blenheim Horse Trials to sit second in the CCI4*-L results ahead of cross-country.

Their score of 21.6 leaves them 1.1 penalties adrift of Thursday’s leaders Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir, who have held onto their lead with their personal best score of 20.5.

Ros and Izilot DHI won Blair CCI4*-S in August, with the Scottish event serving as a prep run for the autumn three-days for several in the Lincolnshire-based rider’s string.

The pair divided judges’ opinions with a +11% difference in scoring between the highest and lowest scores among the three judges.

This 10-year-old Dutch warmblood, who Ros owns with Alex Moody, consistently fires out smart tests. His four-star personal best stands at 18, achieved at Chatsworth in May. While their recent average has been closer to the mid- to late-20s, Ros is continually learning new ways to unlock this talented gelding’s potential.

“I was a little bit braver today, in just working him a little bit quieter, doing a little bit less,” said Ros.

“Previously, I’ve had to do quite a lot of work to get his brain [in the right place], but he’s been feeling so good this week that I thought that I best reward him, be brave myself and trust him.

“We’re still scratching the surface, to be quite honest. There’s a huge amount more in there from him.”

Ros added she was delighted with the horse’s softness and his flexibility at the poll in his test today.

“This is a better time of year for him. He’s tricky in spring and bad weather, and it’s a nice day for him today. I’m learning all the time.

“This horse has taught me more than any other horse has ever taught me. I learn every day when I ride him, playing about and working things.

“I’ve had a little bit of a head tip in the last few events; today I didn’t get that – and that was a missing key I found yesterday, just through working by myself and playing away. He’s an absolute pleasure and he teaches me an awful lot.”

Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results: top 10 shake-up

Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno, owned by Chris Stone, who held second place in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage results after the first day, are now provisional third (25.6).

Laura Collett and the 10-year-old German-bred Calahari produced the second highest-scoring test on Friday, nailing a 25.8 to hold fourth overnight. Laura is temporarily stepping in for injured regular rider Aoife Clark, and the new partnership topped the CCI3*-S at Cornbury as a stepping stone to Blenheim.

“He can get hot but he didn’t feel at all buzzy and he was really rideable,” said Laura, riding for the Ace of Spades Syndicate.

“I haven’t had him very long, he’s Aoife’s horse and I’m just standing in. At Lisgarvan and Cornbury it finally felt like we’re gelling as a partnership, so hopefully that’s happening just in time for a big one.

“He’s a really fun horse. He’s very different to my normal types. It’s taken a while to get the feeling and find the buttons, but hopefully I feel like we’ve found them, so fingers’ crossed for tomorrow.”

Last competitors of the day Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality (“Norris”) gave the business end of the leaderboard a shake-up to slot into provisional fifth on 26.6.

“I’m still actually really getting to know him in many ways. So he might know exactly what he’s up to, but we’ve still got a bit of learning between each other,” said Tom, who rides the 14-year-old Irish gelding for Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry.

“Norris was great. It’s probably not the best work that we’ve done, and not the best work we’ve done all week, so in that department, it was a little bit it’s a shame, but nothing more than that.

“He knows exactly what he’s doing and cracked on with it. We had a late change, which was again, a shame. But I was really delighted with him and he deserves the mark he is on.”

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On, owned by Barbara Walkinshaw and Nicholas Walkinshaw, are now in provisional sixth (27.1). Kirsty Chabert holds seventh with her father John Johnston, Caroline Caines, Caroline Rees and Carole Somers’s Opposition Loire (27.9).

New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington is the highest-placed international competitor in the CCI4*-L at this stage in provisional eighth aboard her own and Sharon Honiss’ Lord Seekonig.

The 10-year-old Lord Fauntleroy son was produced to CCI3*-L by Ireland’s Alex Power, before joining Samantha’s string a year ago.

“He was awesome. I felt like I could really ask for all the movements,” said Samantha. “We just had one little confusion at the end where he thought I was asking for a flying change, but then we figured that out. He’s a lovely horse to ride on a flat.”

Last year’s Blenheim Horse Trials young horse CCI4*-S winners Halo and Piggy March head into cross-country in provisional ninth on a dressage score of 28.7. While this is still a competitive score, Piggy was a little disappointed as she knows what Jayne McGivern’s bonny 10-year-old stallion is capable of achieving.

“He is a lovely horse, he has it all there, but that’s not what he should be doing or has been doing – he actually went a bit into himself and just drew back behind me, and he is not that sort of a horse,” said Piggy.

“Whether it’s just a long day with the heat… I haven’t overworked him, I don’t know. That’s horses. He’s had so much more lovely work and he’s so consistent and rideable, then he just came into himself. Tomorrow’s another day, it’s a learning thing for him.

“He’s capable of six marks off that [score] quite comfortably. You just think, what should I have done differently? So it’s a learning thing for me.”

Olympic champion Julia Krajewski completes the top 10 in this bumper 93-strong class with Professor Bernd Heicke’s Ero De Cantraie, with whom she won the German national championships at Luhmühlen in June, on 29.6.

The Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L cross-country starts at 11.30am tomorrow morning (16 September), with Tom Grant and Penhills Optimax the first of the combination to tackle David Evans’ course.

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Meet the $1 former racehorse making her Blenheim debut: ‘She’s independent and will tell you what she likes’

‘I’m such a perfectionist’: world champions score huge Blenheim lead with massive new personal best

Olympic medallist’s rising star shows maturity to scoop lead in fiercely competitive Blenheim young horse championship

Water complexes, accuracy questions and great big ditches: take a peek at the Blenheim cross-country course

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

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A former racehorse who was bought for just $1 is impressing on the international eventing circuit and has made her Blenheim Horse Trials debut in the CCI4*-L after a transatlantic journey.

Canadian rider Hanna Bundy’s ride Lovely Assistant, who sold at auction as a yearling for $70,000 (£56,414), won one of her 10 starts on the track in the US before her career switch.

“My fiancé Nick Hanson got her off the track as a three-year-old. She was 14.2hh and he bought her for $1,” Hanna told H&H.

“Nick’s sister, Juliana, developed her up to prelim level (equivalent to UK novice) and then I took over the ride four years ago and brought her up to four-star. She’s been amazing.”

Nick added: “We bought her with the intention to resell, but then saw a ridiculous amount of potential and said, ‘Why don’t we keep her for a bit longer and see what happens?’”

The little mare stepped up and is thriving in her new career. The pair arrived in Britain with a wealth of four-star results, including fifth at Bromont CCI4*-L in June, with Blenheim Horse Trials as their end of season target before they return to Canada.

They are part of a wider contingent of Canadian riders who travelled to the UK in early August to contest a tour of fixtures on the British and European circuit, including the Arville leg of the eventing Nations Cup.

“It’s been amazing,” said Hanna, who has spent time training with Jonelle Price and Rebecca Howard in the UK.

“I’ve only been to Blenheim to support before – my cousin came here last year, so I was able to walk the course and get the lay of the land – this is the first time over here with a horse.”

The pair earned a score of 36.4 in the first phase on their Blenheim Horse Trials debut this morning (15 September), which Hanna felt was a “fair” mark for the 12-year-old mare.

“I’m happy with her. She gets quite tense usually, but I was able to keep my leg on today. There’s quite a bit of atmosphere in there, so I was happy with how she handled it. There’s definitely a few places where I lost some marks, like in the walk and one of the changes wasn’t pretty, but I was happy with her overall performance.”

Lovely Assistant, who Hanna owns with Carl and Nicholas Hansen, is the first horse Hanna has taken to four-star and she was quick to credit the work Juliana did with the mare to establish a solid foundation.

“Juliana did a great job with her – when I got her she fully understood what her job was and knew to go between the flags!” said Hanna.

“She is funny. She’s independent and she’ll tell you what she likes. She’s a mare, but she likes to kiss! We’ve had a lot of time one-on-one as she’s the only horse I have here.

“She loves her job. Dressage is the hardest phase for her, but she runs and jumps and lives for this. I couldn’t ask for a better horse to be here on.

“I love thoroughbreds – I love this thoroughbred. She gives me 110% – her heart and soul is in it.”

The thoroughbred mare is by Colonel John, and out of Silver Ghost mare Absolutely Lovely. And the next generation of lovely little assistants are already on the ground back in Canada, with offspring by Contendro and Diacontinus.

“We’ve bred from her a few times through surrogate mares, so hopefully her babies are like her,” said Hanna.

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‘I’m such a perfectionist’: world champions score huge Blenheim lead with massive new personal best

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One held at first Blenheim trot-up, as fresh horses and a golf-themed outfit caught the eye

Water complexes, accuracy questions and great big ditches: take a peek at the Blenheim cross-country course

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Tom McEwen and MHS Brown Jack took an early lead in the young horse CCI4*-S results at Blenheim Horse Trials as the promising nine-year-old channelled his maturity to earn a tidy dressage score of 24.6.

This competitive class always serves as a jewellery box of future stars. The quality on this first day was reflected in the scores, with 10 penalties separating the top 30 in the results after day one of dressage at Blenheim Horse Trials.

MHS Brown Jack, owned by Fred and Penny Barker, is a tall, powerful boy at around 17.1hh, meaning time and strengthening have been key.

“Jack was brilliant, that was on par with his test at Bramham, except for I think there are probably more highlights in his test today and a couple more minor errors,” said Tom, who scored 28.7 in the CCI4*-S at Bramham with this OBOS Quality 004 son.

“I’m delighted with him. He kept really relaxed and calm. He got very hot up here yesterday, as there were loads of horses in the arena familiarisation and it was too much for Jack’s mind to take. So I put in a little bit of work this morning, and he was great.

“I was really hoping that he would have a friend in the next door arena – and there was no one there. I thought, ‘right, he’s gonna have to be really mature’ and he was. He was fantastic.”

The pair squeezed ahead of former leaders Piggy March and Brookfield Future News by 0.1 of a penalty, to head the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results in the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S overnight.

Brookfield Future News, the exciting prospect who finished second in the British seven-year-old championships at Osberton in 2022, scored highly in his walk and canter work to earn his dressage score of 24.7.

“That’s as good as he’s got at the minute,” said Piggy. “He is a horse I’ve always thought a lot of and that I think is a five-star horse.

“He’s only eight, he’s not done masses this year and is quite a big framed horse, so we’ve just taken it easy. I was so impressed that he wasn’t spooky at all. He was very settled and he’s getting more and more expressive, starting to come off the floor.

“He’s a very blood horse, and so it’s great to see that there’s all this movement coming out of him, which is exciting.”

World number two Tim Price had two of his three Blenheim young horse championship contenders in action on day one. The New Zealand rider is in provisional third with the flashy chestnut Jutopia, owned by Clifton Eventers, Shaun and Lucy Allison, and Rachel and James Good.

“He’s a very sharp little red-headed thing that’s a little bit scared of his own shadow sometimes,” says Tim.“He’s working at a good level, and he’s got a lot of exciting things in there. As he gets more established at this level, I think I’ll be able to go for a bit more, to come out of a turn and really just hit the button for an extended trot, whereas now, I’m nurturing him around a bit.”

Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results: ‘This is her first attempt at four-star’

Five nations are represented among the top 10 in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S dressage results on Thursday.

Australia’s Sammi Birch is in fourth with Susan Lamb and Therese Miller’s Jutopia (27.9).

“This is her first attempt at four-star, so she hasn’t done that test in a competition before,” said Sammi, of the nine-year-old mare. “I’m thrilled with her, she’s a beautiful mare. I had a baby earlier in the year, and with the Covid pandemic, she’s probably a little greener than some of the others, but it’s very exciting to have her here at Blenheim.”

Mollie Summerland and her precocious talent Flow 7, who she owns with Paula Cloke and Mark Johns, are in provisional fifth on the same score as Sammi and Jutopia.

“He has so much ability on the flat and I think we’re just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of,” said Mollie. “I really do think he’ll go sub-20 In the future. He’s still so green and he’s not seen many atmospheres like this.

“He’s maturing all the time. I knew Charlie inside out, he would basically speak to me in the warm-up and tell me what he needed to do more or less of. Whereas Flow, it’s still a very unknown quantity. I wasn’t sure whether to do much more this morning, or whether to leave him and it’s just a case of building a relationship with him, learning how he ticks and what’s the best system for him.

“We’re trying different things at every event. At Jardy I actually undercooked him and then I think with the big screen and loud speakers, it wasn’t quite enough. But he’s coped really well in there today, so that shows how he has come on.”

Oliver Townend completes the top six with En Taro Des Vernier (29.1), owned by Sir John and Victoria Peace, and also holds ninth after day one with Sir John’s Caunton First Class (29.6).

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‘I’m such a perfectionist’: world champions score huge Blenheim lead with massive new personal best

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World champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir scored a new personal best of 20.5 to steal a significant lead in the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage results on the opening day (14 September). Their first phase score puts them 5.1 penalties ahead of Gemma Stevens and Jalapeño at the end of day one, with 44 combinations to come on Friday.

The pair arrived at Blenheim as former winners, having taken the title in 2021 before going on to land second place at Kentucky CCI5* and their world champion crown the following year.

Their 2023 season has had a mix of highs and hiccups. They picked up 20 penalties at Kentucky in April, landed a milestone win in the CCI4*-S SAP Cup at Aachen in June, and were part of the gold medal-winning British team at the European Eventing Championships in France last month while carrying 20 penalties for a late run-out on the cross-country.

They return to Blenheim with the intention of ending the season on a high.

“He came out of the Europeans so well,” said Yasmin. “We pondered for a little bit after that and thought, ‘It was at the beginning of August, all the other horses still have three more events to do, he has no one to go in the field with, and he ended up only running for about eight and a half minutes [in Haras].

“We decided that, actually, it would be really good for both of us to go out and just finish the season on a good note. I think more than anything, it’s about positivity. I want to come out and just have a nice time and enjoy it.”

There is another aim this week. With Paris 2024 less than a year away, the pair need one more CCI4*-L or CCI5* qualifying run to meet the minimum eligibility requirements if they are to be considered for the Olympics.

“We did have a chat about that after Haras, because obviously with our Kentucky and European [cross-country penalties], we could get that done and it would be nice to put to bed and not to think about it,” said Yasmin, who rides the 12-year-old Selle Français gelding for Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

“But actually, the qualification period doesn’t finish until next year. So we could have waited till the spring and done a four-long or five-star.”

She reiterated the decision-making process behind coming to Blenheim, and added: “Thinking about next year [the Olympics], obviously that has been a dream of mine since I’ve was tiny, running around on little ponies. But what will be will be. As long as we do our best and hopefully have some good results, there’s not very much else we can do.

“At the moment I’m just trying not to forget about it, as it’s always in the back of your mind, but I’m definitely not hell bent or going to go absolutely nuts. I really would like to have some good results and then hopefully we’re still in the mix.

“We’re just going to do our best, keep looking after him and keep him in tip-top condition.”

Their elegant test delivered on both Yasmin’s aims. Their scoresheet was peppered with eights and nines for this flashy gelding’s sublime performance between the white boards, capped with a 10 for their final halt.

“I’m always such a perfectionist, and I just want to try and be better at it all the time. He was really rideable and soft,” said Yasmin.

“I felt like I could just ask a little bit more from him than normal, because usually we’re a little bit on the edge of maybe a slight explosion.

“It always feels a little more fragile than it probably looks. But today, it didn’t feel fragile at all. It’s just a really great feeling. He must have been very happy and settled in there.”

Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results: Jalapeño delivers morning spice

Chris Stone’s stellar event mare Jalapeño and rider Gemma Stevens held the lunchtime lead after punching a score of 25.6 on the Blenheim leaderboard on Thursday morning.

Swimming and the water treadmill formed a significant part of this Chilli Morning daughter’s fitness routine in the build-up to Badminton 2023, where they finished sixth, and the team has stuck with that successful programme.

Gemma and the 14-year-old mare have Blenheim form, too, having finished fourth and seventh in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

“She is very established on the flat and she’s got the ability as we saw at Badminton to do a test in the low 20s. But she’s gone in there this morning and did a lovely test and tried really hard,” said Gemma, adding she felt it was a shame to be drawn so early.

“Since Badminton, she hasn’t done a huge amount, just a couple of open intermediates to keep her sweet and happy. We know she can jump around. So she doesn’t need to keep going out doing hundreds of events.”

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On delivered a typically smart performance to score 27.1 for provisional third, with the only noticeable blip coming when the 14-year-old gelding bobbed back into canter after their first halt.

This partnership, whose achievements include eighth at Burghley 2022, arrive at Blenheim on the back of an advanced win at Wellington, plus other strong national results this summer, following retiring at Badminton in May.

“He was a good boy,” said Pippa, explaining she has been careful not to do too much with Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s gelding. “I was happy enough with him – 27 is around his standard mark. He’s not the most impressive of movers, but he’s a good boy in his temperament. If anything, he was actually a bit brighter than normal.”

Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Loire hold fourth on 27.9 in the Blenheim Horse Trials Thursday dressage results. Kirsty was delighted with the 12-year-old mare, owned by her father John Johnston, Caroline Caines, Caroline Rees and Carole Somers, but was left kicking herself for adding extra flying changes on the centre line.

Germany’s Olympic gold medallist Julia Krajewski is in provisional fifth with Professor Bernd Heicke’s Ero De Cantraie, the nine-year-old with whom she won the German national champion title at Luhmühlen in June.

Tom Jackson completes the top six in the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage results after day one, piloting Fire Fly to a score of 30 for owner S.H.E Eventing AB.

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One held at first Blenheim trot-up, as fresh horses and a golf-themed outfit caught the eye

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Water complexes, accuracy questions and great big ditches: take a peek at the Blenheim cross-country course

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

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The Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country course is ready and waiting to be tackled by competitors.

David Evans returns as course-designer for the Oxfordshire event for a sixth year. He has designed both of the 2023 cross-country courses at Blenheim Horse Trials: the longer CCI4*-L and the short-format CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses.

In 2022, a new water complex was added, which also features in both of this year’s tracks. Take a peek at what horse and riders in the CCI4*-L can expect on Saturday (16 September)…

Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L cross-country course gallery

Further decoration and sponsor banners were set to added to some of these fences at the time of photographing

Fence 1: Flower Bed

Fence 2: The KBIS Big Log Table

Fence 3: Supsstuds Picnic Table

Fence 4abc: The Brookfield Bold Question

A big table on a related distance to a corner, lettered BC

There is also an alternative for the BC option of two separately lettered houses

Fence 5: Sporting Saint Flyer

Fence 6: Forrester’s Cabin

Fence 7ab: Stump To Stump

Fence 8 and fence 9ab: Noonans Treasure Chest Combination

Alternative at 9b

Fence 10: Ayr Equestrian Either Or

Riders can choose which side they jump here

Fence 11abc: Eco Voltz Rollercoaster

Terrain between 11a and 11b

11b

11c

Fence 12: Roll Top

Fence 13ab: Horse Rails Question

First lake crossing

Fence 14: Horse Rails Angled Brush

Fence 15abc: Log Drop, Brush Corner, Brush Wedge Out

Fence 16: British Horse Society Canal Turn

Fence 17abcde: Brush Oxer Double Log on the Mound, Double

Alternative for the cd elements

Fence 18: Bedmax Table

Fence 19abc: Rail, Ditch, Nose

A rail, followed by the ditch, with the arrowhead beyond to finish

Fence 20:BUCAS Leap of Faith

Second lake crossing

Fence 21: World Horse Welfare Flower Table

Fence 22ab: Picnic Table to Arrowhead

Fence 23: Morgan Brush Ditch

Fence 24ab: Stick Pile and House

Fence 25: Flower Tray with Brush

Finish line

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One held at first Blenheim trot-up, as fresh horses and a golf-themed outfit caught the eye

How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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One horse was held at the 2023 Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L first trot-up on Wednesday afternoon (13 September).

Selina Milnes’ ride Gelmer, owned by Mr & Mrs William Rucker, was sent to the holding box, and passed on re-presentation at the Speedi-Beet sponsored Blenheim Horse Trials first trot-up. All 93 horses presented before the CCI4*-L ground jury of Andrew Bennie, Judy Hancock and Angela Tucker were accepted to go forward to the first phase, which starts at 9am tomorrow (14 September).

Future Plans, the striking palomino who rider Louise Milne Home owns with Susie Wilks, US contender Cosy Green’s Highly Suspicious and Tom Rowland’s ride Dreamliner were asked to trot again and all given the nod of approval.

The late-summer sunshine was edged with the crisp freshness that comes in these early days of autumn. Plenty of horses were on their toes, perhaps picking up on the atmosphere and the sharpness to the air as they were presented in front of the house.

Finds PFB, partnered by Australia’s Sammi Birch, appeared particularly keen to get on with the job, as did Ibble Watson’s Aristoteles S Z and Harry Meade’s ride Et Hop Du Matz. Dreamliner, who is owned by Mark and Angela Chamberlayne, was keen to show the ground jury his canter, before being asked to go again in trot.

Blenheim Horse Trials trot-up: best dressed awards

Tom Grant (pictured above), who rides his own and Sophie Arnold’s Pencils Optimax in the CC4*-L, won the Hiho Silver prize for the best dressed man. Tom wore a sharp navy blazer with white chinos, a yellow tie, pale blue shirt, caramel pocket square, and aviator shades. Franky Reid-Warrilow was awarded the prize for the best dressed lady. Frankie, who rides the 12-year-old grey mare Dolley Phantom for Zoe Herbert, Mike and Jeanette Nuttall and Pegasus Arenas, teamed fuchsia-pink trousers with a white broiderie shirt, and pink and white headband.

French rider Gaspard Maksud caught attention and was awarded a special prize for his golf-themed outfit, complete with a putting green beret trimmed with a flag and bouncing golf ball.

The first trot-up featured plenty of colour at Blenheim Horse Trials, with electric blue a popular choice, as well as colourful blouses, silky purple dresses and brightly patterned trousers. Subtle sparkles, too, popped up among several riders, on clothing and trainers.

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How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024

British team pair seek to prove themselves again with entry to Blenheim Horse Trials

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Britain’s world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir are among the Blenheim Horse Trials entries for next week’s event (14-17 September), as they seek to prove themselves again after a run-out at the eventing European Championships last month.

Yasmin and The Sue Davies Fund’s Banzai have form at Blenheim Horse Trials as they won CCI4*-L in 2021. They join 99 other entries in this flagship class this year.

Olympic champion Julia Krajewski also has a horse in this class, the nine-year-old rising star Ero De Cantraie, who won Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4*-S in June.

Recent European double gold medallist and new world number one Ros Canter will ride the three-time CCI4*-S winner Izilot DHI in this class, as well as Rehy Royal Diamond, who was second to Izilot DHI at Blair Castle Horse Trials a few weeks ago. Ros also has the popular Dassett Cooley Dun in the CCI4*-L.

• Buy tickets to attend Blenheim

Last year’s Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old winner, the stallion Halo, returns to the Oxfordshire venue this time, stepping up to the CCI4*-L class with Piggy March.

A number of horses with five-star experience contest the CCI4*-L, including Billy Walk On (Pippa Funnell), Classic VI (Kirsty Chabert), Jalapeno (Gemma Stevens) and RSH Contend Or (Felicity Collins).

The Blenheim Horse Trials entries for the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S are headed by Caunton First Class and Cooley Rosalent (Oliver Townend), Flow 7 (Mollie Summerland) and MHS Brown Jack (Tom McEwen). There are 100 entries in this section, too.

“We are thrilled that so many great names are coming to Blenheim,” said event organiser Katrina Midgley of the new horse trials management team, Stable Events.

“It promises to be a cracking competition and, as is traditional, the place to see stars of the future – last year’s Blenheim winner, Malin Hansen-Hotopp on Carlitos Quidditch K, went on to make her German team debut and won a silver medal at the Europeans last month.”

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The new organisers of Blenheim Horse Trials hope to reinstate the grassroots eventers’ challenge and bring their expertise in running other outdoor events to the fixture.

Stable Events Ltd – a company comprising many of the team who ran the last game fair at Blenheim in 2014, and which now runs three other game fairs in England, Scotland and Wales – will take over as the Oxfordshire event’s new organisers for the 2023 fixture (14–17 September). They replace The Jockey Club, which ran the event in 2021 and 2022.

Katrina Midgley, features and content manager at Stable Events, has been appointed as event organiser. She has an equestrian background – she previously worked on advertising, sales and trade stands for Horse & Hound and its sister titles Country Life and The Field, her daughter evented to novice level and she is the district commissioner of the Enfield Chace branch of the Pony Club.

“I was delighted at the opportunity to work alongside Blenheim Palace and British Eventing to breathe new life in to the trials. I will be supported by Stable Events’ senior management team who have over 250 years’ event experience and are true experts in their field,” said Mrs Midgley, adding that Stable Events has had a keen eye on Blenheim Horse Trials for a number of years and saw the potential of the event prior to its term with The Jockey Club.

Mrs Midgley said Stable Events’ speciality is running events “usually in fields with little to no infrastructure” and outlined their knowledge in areas such as trade stands and traffic flow, plus the game fairs’ similar demographic audience to horse trials.

“We have meetings this week with well-known experts who will make sure the horse trials part runs smoothly,” she said, adding that key personel will be announced as soon as possible.

“Our expertise will be in developing the showground and attractions. The sport is the reason people come, but the overall visitor experience does not end there.”

Blenheim Horse Trials new organisers’ plans: grassroots and more

Mrs Midgley said the Blenheim Horse Trials new organisers are keen to bring back a grassroots element to the horse trials, potentially in the form of the eventers’ challenge, which used to run alongside the event.

“Riding Club, Pony Club and the grassroots are a valuable audience to this event and valuable to the future of the sport. So it’s a way of giving back a bit,” she said.

She would like to look at offering lakeside parking again, to bring the event a “festival feel”.

Stable Events also runs the LAPADA art, design and antiques fair in Berkeley Square, London, and Mrs Midgley says this event could be a potential partner for Blenheim.

“We could have an equestrian art pavilion at Blenheim Horse Trials – there’s lots of links and we can intertwine things that we can draw from our other events. These additions will enhance the event, while ensuring top-class equestrian sport is at its core,” she said.

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Blenheim Horse Trials will run in 2023, with new organisers confirmed and the fixture set to take its regular mid-September slot in the eventing calendar (14-17 September).

Stable Events Ltd – the company that ran the last Game Fair at the Oxfordshire venue in 2014, and which now runs three other Game Fairs in England, Scotland and Wales – will take over as Blenheim Horse Trials’ new organisers, replacing The Jockey Club, which put together the event in 2021 and 2022.

“British Eventing is delighted that Stable Events has been appointed to run the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials and excited that the event will go ahead in 2023. The Blenheim Palace event is a key date in the British Eventing [BE] calendar, providing a pathway event to the five-star level of the sport,” said Helen West, CEO of BE.

“We are particularly encouraged by initial conversations with the organisers around reinstating opportunities at Blenheim Palace for our grassroots members. There is real appetite from Stable Events to add value to the BE membership, with indications that free member parking will be provided, along with other membership discounts being explored. This means that Blenheim Palace will be a showcase for the whole sport, benefiting as many of our members as possible.”

Laura Collett, who won the eight- and nine-year-old championships at Blenheim Horse Trials in 2018 with London 52, who went on to win Badminton Horse Trials and an Olympic gold medal, said: “I am very pleased to hear someone has taken over the trials and excited to know it will be on the calendar again. It was a worrying time with The Jockey Club pulling out that we might lose a very significant event from the calendar. Blenheim is a fantastic event and one that has been a stepping stone for many future five-star winners, particularly from the eight- and nine-year-old championships.”

James Gower, managing director of Stable Events, said: “The Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials have a rich history and we’re committed to upholding that tradition and making this year’s event even more special.”

Blenheim Estates managing director Roy Cox added that he looks forward to working with Stable Events, “a company who know Blenheim Palace well”, and that there will be lots more news to come.

He said: “We are delighted to announce these dates, which continues over 30 years of this World Heritage Site providing a platform to our gold medal-winning athletes, aspiring competitors and amateurs alike, all in front of the many tens of thousands who come to enjoy such a great sport in such a great setting, making such special memories.”

Blenheim has hosted a CCI4*-L (formerly CCI3*) since 1990, with the CCI4*-S (formerly CIC3*) for eight- and nine-year-0lds added in 2009.

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THE Jockey Club has ended its agreement to run Blenheim Horse Trials two years into its five-year contract.

The 2022 event was the last year the British four-star ran under The Jockey Club banner, owing to the “current economic climate”. The Jockey Club confirmed to H&H that there was a break clause in the contract. The news is a blow for eventing. Riders had voiced strong support for The Jockey Club’s involvement in eventing and the opportunities it could bring, from both a sport and a business perspective.

British Eventing (BE) chief executive Helen West told H&H it is “really sad” that organising Blenheim has not worked out for The Jockey Club.

“We are concerned from BE’s perspective for the sport, because it is such a key fixture,” she said.

Ms West added that she has a call planned with Roy Cox, Blenheim Estate’s managing director, today (Tuesday, 8 November) to make a plan.

“I don’t want to lose it as a fixture and my understanding is that the palace doesn’t want to lose the event, they want to have it there,” she said.

The next step would be to find someone to run the event.

Ms West said she will speak to the palace first to make a plan, before any tender process, gathering expressions of interest or approaching those who put their names forward to run Blenheim previously. She added that any tender process would be transparent. The dates have already been submitted to the FEI calendar for 2023, and approved.

“We are keen to keep it and to find a way of doing so. There’s lots of options to explore,” she said, stressing the importance of the event.

“It’s important in terms of that pathway to five-star. We only have three CCI4*-Ls in the country. And that’s not to mention the eight- and nine-year-old championships, which is a key four-star short fixture for those horses. It’s a important fixture for us, for our calendar.”

Mr Cox said it has “been a pleasure” working with The Jockey Club over the past two years, which has “fostered enduring relationships, beyond the event itself”.

“I would like to thank everyone at The Jockey Club and all those connected to the event, for all their hard work getting the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials back to a world-class event after the pandemic,” he said. “While we are sad to say goodbye, we look forward to many more international horse trials on the estate.”

The Oxfordshire horse trials was run by BE prior to The Jockey Club. In August 2020, BE announced it would no longer be organising the event, which had already been cancelled that year owing to Covid. The reason given at the time was that the BE board reassessed the organisation structure of the event, and the decision was made that BE would “focus on the delivery of core sport”.

In December 2020, the trustees of Blenheim Palace announced that The Jockey Club had been awarded a five-year contract as Blenheim Horse Trials organisers, following a competitive tender process.

Ian Renton, The Jockey Club’s managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses West, said that the current economic climate is “unfortunately going to have an impact on us all”.

“We have therefore made the difficult decision to end our contract with the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials,” he added.

“We are proud to have led the way in eventing in Britain as we emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, but we now feel the time is right to concentrate on our core mission of acting for the long-term benefit of British horseracing, with our profits being reinvested into that sport.

“Going forward, The Jockey Club will continue to work with the wider equestrian world. With Aintree International Equestrian Centre, we are able to offer a world-class facility, and we will continue enthusiastically to support the invaluable work of Retraining of Racehorses across all of our venues.

“I’d like to thank the teams at Blenheim Palace and British Eventing for all their support. It’s a wonderful event and I wish the next organisers all the best.”

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Grade One winner Cyrname, once the highest-rated chaser in Britain, is thriving in his new career after racing and delighted fans when he appeared at Blenheim Horse Trials.

The former Paul Nicholls-trained 10-year-old gelding, owned by Samantha de la Hey, retired from racing this spring. He joined Charlotte Alexander, who has had the likes of Denman, Earthmover and Saphir Du Rheu in their post-racing careers.

“He is absolutely brilliant – very relaxed and chilled – and such a professional horse,” Charlotte told H&H.

Cyrname, known as “Cyril”, earned his place as Britain’s highest-rated chaser following his staggering 17-length victory in the 2019 Ascot Chase. It was an accolade he franked later that year, when bringing Altior’s 19-strong winning streak to an end in the Christy 1965 Chase at the same course.

His first significant public appearance since switching careers was at Blenheim Horse Trials, where he and Charlotte took part in the Thoroughbred Dressage demonstrations with Louise Robson.

Charlotte credited five-star event rider Louise Harwood for starting off “Cyril’s” retraining so well.

“I sent him to Louise, just to help me – he is quite strong and I knew he needed flatwork education – I have a full-time job alongside eventing two horses this summer, and it was important to give him the best start,” said Charlotte.

“Louise is wonderful and has a lovely yard in Herefordshire. She has been instrumental in getting him to where we are now, which is really just the beginning of starting to compete.”

Louise did a few combined training shows with him, which he loved and showed beautiful manners on the lorry.

“I took him to Lyneham cross-country schooling the other day and he was absolutely brilliant,” said Charlotte, adding she hopes he will go eventing and she thinks he will be a front-running lead horse team chasing.

“He didn’t look at anything – we jumped skinnies on turns and he went straight into the water.

“He went to the Berkeley Team Chase to do the novice and I took him to Blenheim on his own and he’s the sort that falls asleep tied up to the lorry. I’d thought I might need a nanny, but he was lovely.”

She added he led from around the fifth fence at the Berkeley (“and was marvellous”) and is heading to the Warwickshire this weekend.

Charlotte said Cyril “absolutely loves jumping” and the retraining and flatwork is preparing him mentally and physically for the change of pace he will now enjoy it at.

“I’m hoping to field master from him,” said Charlotte, who also field masters from Grade One winner now intermediate eventer Saphir Du Rheu.

“I’m sure he will hunt. He is strong, but not stupid, and is such a sweet horse – he loves being cuddled and I think he really enjoys having one-on-one attention.

“He is lovely, I’m very excited about his future and for what we can do.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now