‘I’m very lucky to be able to ride him’: Badminton first-timer impresses on cross-country day, rocketing him up the leaderboard

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Badminton Horse Trials cross-country David Doel
David Doel riding Galileo Nieuwmoed fat Badminton
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

First-timer David Doel put in a class round aboard Galileo Nieuwmoed in the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country, finishing just three seconds over the optimum time to sit in 11th place going into the final showjumping phase. The pair are on a score of 32.4.

“He’s a class horse and a lovely horse and I’m very lucky to be able to ride him. His owner Gillian Jonas has been a fantastic supporter of me,” said David after his round at the event, which is presented by Mars Equestrian. “He has a pretty cool gallop and he’s quite an enthusiast now – he used to take quite a lot of kicking but he was taking the bridle all the way today. I was really chuffed with the shape of his jump and how he kept jumping. We’ve done a lot of fitness work and Nick Turner has been instrumental in making sure that we do get him fit enough and it’s paid off.”

Gemma Redrup
Gemma Redrup
Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor

Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.