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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