The latest Mars Badminton Horse Trials withdrawals for the event on 8-12 May include one of the favourites.
Piggy March has pulled out Brookfield Inocent, owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn. “Arthur” was the runner-up at Pau Horse Trials in 2020 and a European team gold and individual silver medallist in 2021, but he has not made it to a long-format event since then. Data analytics company EquiRatings had him as the favourite to win Badminton, with a 20% victory chance.
Bubby Upton has withdrawn Magic Roundabout, who belongs to her mother Rachel and the Zebedee Syndicate. The chestnut, who won the under-25 class at Bramham Horse Trials in 2023 with Bubby, was set to make his five-star debut and could have been competitive. Bubby will still ride at Badminton on Cola.
The third of the recent Badminton Horse Trials withdrawals comes from Andrew James and Celtic Morning Star, owned and bred by Michelle Harries. They would have been seeking a first completion at the event after retiring across country on their debut last year.
Badminton final scores
Piggy’s withdrawal leaves Ros Canter and the exciting young talent Izilot DHI in the spotlight as favourites for the event.
Assuming Oliver Townend withdraws Cooley Rosalent, who is expected to run at Kentucky Three-Day Event next week, double Grantham Cup winners Emily King and Valmy Biats become the second favourites behind Ros and “Isaac”.
Oliver and his seasoned five-star campaigner Ballaghmor Class will hold joint third place on EquiRatings’ prediction centre, alongside Tim Price and Vitali.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials
If you are interested in watching 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. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 via the website and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later. Find out more…
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 16 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
Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
