Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Cealy Tetley.
The MARS Badminton CCI5* field has whittled to 64 entries with a few more withdrawals this week including one top contender in Oliver Townend’s Cooley Rosalent. The 2024 Defender Kentucky champion had also proven to be a competitive force at Badminton, finishing second there behind Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo in 2025. The 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare owned by longtime Townend supporter Diane Ridgeon had been on great form for 2026, helping Oliver take a record-setting 17th win at Burnham Market in mid-April. In a social media post shared on Monday, Oliver’s team indicated that the mare should be right as rain in time for Defender Burghley later this year.
“It is with great disappointment that we announce that we have had to withdraw Cooley Rosalent from Badminton,” the post states. “We were hugely looking forward to being back at one of our favourite events and one where she has had great success. Thank you to Disy Ridgeon for her support in this decision and to our team and sponsors for always standing by us, we are all gutted, but she has a bright future ahead of her. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope to be back for Burghley.”
Cooley Rosalent had been right up there in the EquiRatings Prediction Centre stats ahead of this week’s competition start, but now defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo stand alone as 38% probability winners. The next-highest? Fellow Brit Bubby Upton with Cola, coming in at an 11% chance of the win, pre-competition. You can view the full EquiRatings Prediction Centre here, and don’t forget to set your Eventing Manager team! You can use code PCTD to join the Eventing Nation league, which will run all season long.
You can view the full Badminton entry list, which is up to date with withdrawals as they come in, here. We’ll also have our standard Form Guide and Ultimate Guide ready for your viewing this week, and you can get set up to watch if you’re not attending in person by purchasing a Badminton TV pass (or using your existing ClipMyHorse.TV membership).
MARS Badminton CCI5*: [Website] [Tickets] [Live Stream] [Entries] [Schedule] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [EN’s Coverage]
