Ros and “Walter”, owned by Michele and Archie Saul, were favourites coming into Badminton this year. But this is live sport, not a coronation. The emerging picture at the top of this star-studded leaderboard is shaping up to be a close fight between the world’s best.
Ros, reigning Burghley and European champion with this horse, was trending ahead of Tom in the early stages. Walter looks stronger in his body every time we see him and his effortless transitions – both between and within each pace – combined with his professionalism and quality meant it looked for a time that this test would go close to their five-star personal best of 22.
Then a slight stutter in the first flying change on the long side after the half-pass was met with fours across the board from the judges, and the marks dipped again for their final flying change, when he stepped together with his hind legs. Their final score of 25.3 is testament to the overall calibre of their work and puts them 2.9pen behind Tom (22.4) ahead of cross-country.
“I was really pleased with it,” said Ros. “His work was in line with what he’s doing at home now and he’s getting stronger all the time. I was delighted.
Badminton final scores
“I got a little bit distracted at the beginning as he started sneezing, which isn’t always a good sign, but he then settled and he was great.
“The changes have always been something he has struggled with a little bit, and I probably just didn’t help him quite enough in those. I thought he was a bit more established than he was, so that’s my fault – hand in the air for that one!”
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Ireland’s Ian Cassells showed considered test riding and elegant work with Master Point for a five-star personal best on his Badminton debut, and the second highest score of the morning so far. This 12-year-old gelding, owned by Brian and Bridget McGing, is so consistent in his frame. A blip in their final flying change prevented this test from breaking the 30 barrier, but their score of 30.7 still puts them at the business end of the leaderboard.
“He wouldn’t be the most extravagant mover – he’d be a little bit downhill, but he’s really blood, really sits and tries his hardest, sometimes a little bit too hard,” said Ian, who has completed Burghley, Luhmühlen and Pau on the road to Badminton.
“He was a little bit spooky at the camera down the end, but he really held his nerve and really allowed me to ride every stride, so I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Wills Oakden and the 2023 Blair CCI4*-L winner were first into the main arena on Friday morning. Their score of 34.4 puts them in mid-division at this half-way stage of the dressage.
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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.
