Tim Price and Vitali leaped into the lead yesterday. Will they stay there? Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
And so we find ourselves on the final day of this year’s Badminton extravaganza. If you feel like the whole thing’s gone by in a flash, don’t fret – we’ve got your back. Here are all the links you need to catch up on the action thus far:
Dressage Day One:
▶️ Test-by-test blog
▶️ Morning round-up report
▶️ Afternoon round-up report
Dressage Day Two:
▶️ Test-by-test blog
▶️ Morning round-up report
▶️ Afternoon round-up report
Cross Country Day:
▶️ Round-by-round blog
▶️ Round-up report
If you want to follow along with the form as we jump our way through the finale, you’ll be in need of EN’s epic Form Guide, which you’ll find right here.
What a day’s sport we had yesterday. It was a great showing on the world stage and a fitting anniversary celebration for Badminton Horse Trials. In true cross country fashion, yesterday’s competition saw the leaderboard both shaken and stirred – with the speedier rounds making their cross country day climb and unlucky errors seeing a few of the favorites drop out of contention.
There’s an international flair to the top of the scoreboard at this point in the competition, but the margins are tight and we all know just how easily those poles can roll when the pressure’s on. Here’s how things look at the top as we head into the final phase:
1️⃣ 🇳🇿 Clawing his way from third to first with the fourth quickest time of the day – the only rider to have completed all seven of the world’s 5*s (plus the pop-up event at Bicton in 2021) – Tim Price and last year’s seventh place finisher Vitali have been in this position before. He may have joked about his show jumping form (three poles at each of their four 5* runs, and at Tokyo) in the leading rider interviews following the cross country yesterday, but he’s been doing his homework (well, Spain-work) and got in some very good practice on the Sunshine Tour over the winter. Will it all come good for them today? It wasn’t the record-breaking dressage performance we saw them deliver at Burghley last season, but it was mighty impressive nonetheless and slotted them into third place after the first phase on a score of 27.7. They were characteristically quick and brave across the country yesterday, one of few combinations to take on the tricky line out of the water at 17 to the big tree at 18 head on, and made it look easy. Just four time penalties to add for them, leaving them on a two-phase score of 31.7. He’s got three seconds in hand, but not a rail.
2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Just 1.3 points behind is 14-time 5* winner – ‘will-he-won’t-he’ William Fox-Pitt with Maryland runner-up Grafennacht. William lost a couple of seconds yesterday when he chose to take the longer route and circle before that – perhaps very influential, depending on what happens today – big tree with roots at 18, and still managed to come home with the second fastest round of the day, adding just 2.4 time penalties to his dressage score of 33, jumping him from eighth to second on the clubhouse leaderboard. They’ve got a rail but no more over third place coming into the final phase.
3️⃣ 🇮🇪 We love a leaderboard climb to the top on cross country day, and 5* rookie combination – and ‘amateur’ rider – Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint gave us just that. Streaking up 43 places with the fastest round of the day, just a single second over the optimum time, this combination sure have burst onto the 5* scene with a bang. They started off on a score of 36.8 in the dressage and come into today in a podium place alongside two of eventing’s big stars. They’re 4.2 points behind William and have only two seconds in hand over fourth place.
4️⃣ 🇬🇧 Putting their Badminton bad luck well and truly in the past, Emily King and Valmy Biats were also amongst the fastest around the track yesterday, adding just 8.8 time faults to their dressage score to come into today on 38. Her mom, who’s won Badminton twice, was delighted to see them through the finish flags, for Emily’s first Badminton completion in five starts. There’s just a pole and a handful of seconds between her and the top of the podium – might we see a second-generation win here this afternoon?
5️⃣ 🇮🇪 Irish speed demon Sarah Ennis flew ‘round the course yesterday with Grantstown Jackson and put down the third quickest time of the day, hopping 37 places up the leaderboard as a result. They’re just 2 points behind Emily going into the show jumping and there’s not a fence separating her from the podium.
There are just three poles and a few seconds separating the top-10 (which doesn’t make us think of Vitali’s show jumping record one bit, not at all), and zero fences between 6th and 10th place, just two seconds. We all know eventing’s a sport in which anything can happen and it sure is going to be exciting to see just how Badminton 2024 plays out as the top-20 competitors take to the ring for the final phase of this awesome event. One thing we do know is that the poles were a-flying in the first session of jumping, with no clears in 17 rounds and only three inside the time. It’s all to play for this afternoon!
🇺🇲 If you’re following the North American camp, best of the US after cross country is Grace Taylor and Game Changer who are currently sitting in 17th, up from 31st after the first phase. They jumped clear across the country, adding 19.2 time penalties to their dressage score of 34.5 and go into today on 54.6. Another clear cross country round for the States came courtesy of Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl who were 24th following yesterday’s competition and jumped earlier on. They completed their Badminton on a score of 73. Cosby Green and Copper Beach also delivered a clear round yesterday, finishing up in 29th going into today. They also had their round in the first session and complete on a score of 102.1. Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSFl did not have the day Boyd would have wanted yesterday – there was an unlucky crossing of tracks added to a glance off, resulting in 60 penalties, which Boyd freely admitted were totally errors on his part and “Thomas was a champion”. Boyd is going for a completion in all seven of the world’s 5*s this week, a feat only achieved by one other rider, Tim Price. He jumped earlier today and has, in fact, achieved this elite challenge. They finished on a score of 122.6.
🇨🇦 Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit have been flying the Maple Leaf this week, making their characteristic climb up the cross country leaderboard yesterday to hop from 67th to 30th. An unlucky 11 penalties for activating a frangible device kept them from leaping even higher. They go into the final phase on a score of 72.9, jumping in this morning’s session and completing their Badminton on 98.1.
Click here for the full scoreboard.
Based on EquiRatings’ stats, William’s favorite for the win this afternoon, and there’s no doubt that he would be a popular winner at what he’s teasing may be his last Badminton, 35 years after his first. Tim is second-favorite, surely due to that show jumping form, but if it’s come good at the right time – as Tim hopes it has – then he’ll be a no less popular winner. The stats say that the champion is sitting somewhere in the top-5, but as we know, it’s not over ‘til the final horse has passed through the finish line.
I’ll be bringing you live updates of every round, so keep this page refreshed, and watch this space! If you’re catching up with this later and are the type to like things in order, scroll ⬇️ and read ⬆️. If going backwards is more your jam, have at it, although, spoiler alert – I will be revealing the winner.
Click here for all of ENs Badminton content.
US peeps – I know today is not so much of a dragging yourself/jumping excitedly of bed because it’s Badminton kind of start time, but total props to those Stateside ENers who’ve been here for All. Of. It. And everyone, really. Eventing respect to all.
Let’s find out who’ll win Badminton 2024.
Eyes on, and go eventing.
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