The 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials field was thinned by three at the first trot-up, with Paris 2024 Olympic individual medallist Shadow Man among those out of the competition.
A full field of 85 came before the Badminton ground jury of Xavier Le Sauce, Nick Burton and Robert Stevenson at this afternoon’s (7 May) veterinary inspection, and 82 will go forwards to the first phase.
E.A.R.L. Haras Des Châteaux’s Viens Du Mont, who finished 11th here in 2023 with French rider Luc Château, and Spano De Nazca, with whom Britain’s Georgia Bartlett claimed the best under-25 prize last year, were both sent to the holding box, but were not accepted on re-inspection.
British-based US rider Grace Taylor’s Badminton Horse Trials entry Game Changer, owned by Grace’s mother Ann, was also held, before being given the nod of approval on re-presentation.
Badminton final scores
The addition in recent years of Wednesday shopping, as well as the LeMieux Grassroots Championships, which finished shortly before the first trot-up for the CCI5* Badminton Horse Trials competitors, gives added buzz to the atmosphere on this day at Badminton.
Big crowds gathered in the warm May afternoon sunshine and many of these super-fit five-star horses were on their toes.
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Tom Rowland’s established campaigner Dreamliner, owned by breeders Mark and Angela Chamberlayne, cantered back towards the ground jury and was asked to trot again.
Oliver Townend’s 18-year-old four-time CCI5*-winning partner Ballaghmor Class, who is owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan, looked particularly fresh. So too did David Doel’s ride Galileo Nieuwmoed, who he owns with Mary Fox and Gillian Jonas and who was runner-up to Ballaghmor Class at Burghley in 2023.
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.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
