It was an exact repeat of the rider podium from 2023, with Ros Canter, Oliver Townend and Austin O’Connor taking first, second and third at the conclusion of the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials showjumping phase.
“It’s a very special result – if I was in a different era and these two [Ros and Oliver] weren’t around, I’d have won two Badmintons,” Austin said. “History will tell you I’m probably competing against two of the best event horses there have ever been.”
While the Irishman and his speed machine Colorado Blue (Salty), owned by The Salty Syndicate, benefited from the muddy conditions in 2023, this year they really stamped their class.
“I think Salty’s one of the best horses in the world, let alone in Ireland,” Austin added. “These horses are so consistent, no flashes in the pan. My lad is a bit older than the top two, but he doesn’t know that, just like me.”
They added just 0.4 of a showjumping time-fault to their career-best five-star dressage score of 30.8. Even with this improved dressage, the pair flew up the leaderboard from 20th in phase one courtesy of the Jaguar Mail-sired grey’s impeccable jumping performances.
Badminton final scores
Although the pair won Maryland in 2023, this was arguably their best ever performance, coming in an 80-strong highly competitive field.
“He’s an amazing horse and today was important because my jumping record hasn’t been bad, but it’s not been up to scratch,” said Austin, 50. “He’s not a bad jumper but he’s had an unlucky rail here and there, like at the Olympics and Burghley.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“But I knew in my heart of hearts he was still as good a jumper as ever, so it’s nice to put that straight.”
Badminton Horse Trials showjumping: “He’s getting better and better in his body”
Austin was nursing fourth place going into the showjumping arena, and Kelvin Bywater’s course was proving far from straightforward. Only five horses in the field jumped clear inside the time.
Harry Meade kept the pressure on the top five with his fault-free round aboard Cavalier Crystal, who jumped out of order from seventh to complete on 33.8. This meant Austin could not afford a single rail.
Austin’s clear in turn put the pressure on Gemma Stevens, whose bid for third unravelled when Chilli Knight lowered an uncharacteristic five fences. She slipped to 15th.
Austin marvelled at the way his “horse of a lifetime” seems to be still improving at this stage in his career.
“Has he ever jumped such a good round in his life? It’s brilliant,” he said. “I’ve said this spring, this horse is 16 and he’s getting better and better in his body. To be on the podium here is a dream but the most pleasing aspect for me was the way the horse jumped.”
Harry finished fourth on Cavalier Crystal, just 2.5pen adrift of Austin. Harry was also sixth on Superstition, with Emily King’s four faults on Valmy Biats lifting her from 11th to fifth.
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials
If you want to watch the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. This year, Badminton TV has teamed up with ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch Badminton – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £21.99. Go to clipmyhorse.tv/en_GB/badminton to subscribe or to activate your account as an existing Badminton TV subscriber. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. As part of Badminton TV, you can enjoy the documentary programme Legends and Legacy, a fly-on-the-wall insight into the 2024 event and preview of 2025.
Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound
To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 15 May.
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
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
