Movers, Shakers, and Heart Horses: Team EN Makes Their Picks for Badminton

As is tradition, it’s time for our writers at EN to make their picks for the MARS Badminton Horse Trials. Do we know what we’re talking about? Most likely not, but it’s a fun game to play when the week is still young. Who would you pick for each category? Keep reading to see our selections!

Tilly Berendt

WINNER: 

Oh god, look, whoever I name in this inevitably ends up not winning so let’s skip to the next one and not talk about someone whose name sounds like Schmavid Schmoel at all, shall we? Thanks for understanding.

TOP FOREIGN ENTRY: 

For the purposes of this piece, I’m going to consider just entries that aren’t based in the UK as ‘foreign’, mostly because otherwise I’d have way too many difficult decisions to make, and I’m all about an easy life. So, with that key fact about me in mind, you’ll have to take it on the chin that I’m also going to give you two horses here. Rules were made to be broken and all that! I think – I hope – this’ll be a great week for Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg, who overcame a bit of a period of turbulence to finish ninth at Burghley last year. I also think Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Cartania could do really well; this is a cool, gritty mare who finished fifteenth here last year in incredibly tough conditions. With slightly better ones this year, I’d love to see her crack the top ten.

TOP DEBUTANTE HORSE OR RIDER:

I really like the look of Feloupe, the debutant partner of Irish representative Georgie Goss. She’s a lovely type on the flat, even if her very-low-30s scores don’t tend to reflect what she’s capable of, but if she can throw down a personal best here this week — and you’d be surprised how many horses do their PB here in this buzzy atmosphere – then I reckon she’ll make herself known as a real one to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing her navigate this step up, and while I don’t necessarily think they’ll trouble the leaders this week, I do think they’ll impress and lay a very good foundation for competitive bids at future five-stars.

TOP MARE:

You know what would be cool as hell in an anniversary year for Badminton? A win for someone who is stitched right into the fabric of the sport – someone like, perhaps, William Fox-Pitt, whose game Grafennacht. She was second at Maryland last year and fourteenth here, and she only landed that far down the leaderboard because of her uncharacteristic three rails on Sunday – a symptom of the kind of weariness that conditions like that lend on a final day. This year, she’s stronger and more mature, and at twelve, is coming into her prime, and I think we’ll see the very best of her, which would be so fitting for this big occasion. There have been murmurings that this might be William’s last Badminton; if that’s the case, I’d like to see him go out on the highest of highs. Maybe that feeling will even convince him to stick around for a while longer.

SPOILER ALERT:

This is the year that Emily King‘s Badminton demons are well and truly banished. She’s on great form with Valmy Biats, and she’s due some good karma after showing excellent horsemanship last year and pulling up a fit and competitive horse before he looked even remotely weary. I hope the universe gives her the week she deserves.

HEART HORSE: 

For me, it’s always Tom Crisp‘s feisty little homebred Liberty and Glory, who I adore partly because I adore the Crisp family, who are just great people with a real get-stuck-in sort of attitude, and partly because I love her, for all her opinions and quirks and that extraordinary jumping ability. I bore everyone to tears in the mixed zone at every five-star reliving how livid she was the one time I rode her, and how desperately she wanted to put me on the floor from the very second I put my foot in the stirrup, and if you’re really lucky, I’ll bore you, too, with a terrible arena mirror selfie from that day. Maybe. Anyway, after last year’s incredible round up until that unfortunate premature finish, in which Tom showed what a truly good sport he is, I suspect I won’t be alone in having this one as my heart horse for whom I wish only the very best of things.

Cheg Darlington

WINNER:

I’m listening to my heart and my head in equal measure (and ignoring EquiRatings’ favorite for the win) and saying that David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed will be incredibly popular Badminton winners. I’ve followed this horse since he was one of the cheapest in Eventing Manager (due to not having much in the way of stats, not because he wasn’t good) and no one knew how to pronounce his name. This guy is a finish on his dressage specialist, a feat he achieved at each of his five international runs last season – including at Kentucky and Burghley, where he was runner-up. Will he be leading after the dressage? No. But there’s a very high probability that he won’t add a scrap to his low-30s first phase score across the rest of the competition. He’s proved he can be quick and clear over the toughest tracks in the world, and that he can come out on the final day showing absolutely zero sign that he’s galloped for 11 and a half minutes, navigating complex and enormous fences the day before. What a treat it must be to be sat on a horse like that. David says he wasn’t at all sure about ‘Galileo’ when he first got him, but boy oh boy he must be delighted to have been so wrong. This is a combination I would love to see take the trophy here, and an elusive spot on the very exclusive Team GB Olympic team.

TOP FOREIGN ENTRY:

I’ve got a couple of Kiwis for this one (obviously eventer extraordinaire Tim Price and record-breaker Vitali are on everyone’s radar) but, keeping to form, I’m going to continue to buck the trend and plump for Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier. This lady has 16 Badminton completions on her card and three Armada Dishes on her shelf. Some of my favorite eventing memories are of Caroline and the late, great Lenamore showing the world what this sport’s all about as they galloped and jumped and made it all look like so much fun. ‘Cav’ has proven she can go sub-30 in the first phase at 5*, putting down a 27.4 here last year and a 29 at Maryland last fall, where she finished 6th. She’s proven she can jump ‘round a 5* cross country track clear, which she did on her debut at the level at Pau in 2022 to finish 5th. She won’t be the fastest on Saturday, but she’ll be very far from the slowest. She’s amongst the most reliable show jumpers in the field and Caroline is tied with Tom McEwen for most clears on the final day at Badminton of those who are competing this week. All this form is talking to me and saying they’re in for a great week.

TOP DEBUTANTE HORSE OR RIDER:

I’m going with a rookie pair for this one, Ireland’s Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint. This is a combination that’s likely not to be on the radar of anyone but the most tenacious of eventing followers – Lucy’s a one-horse rider who, up until last year, competed almost solely in Ireland. They made themselves known when they finished 4th in the 4*-L at Blair Castle at the end of last season, jumping clear around the famously meaty track, which will stand them in very good stead as they set off from the Badminton start box. This whole top-level eventing lark is in her blood, with her grandad competing at both the British 5* offerings and her cousin completing Badminton four times. And as for speed, bravery, fortitude and grit, well that’s in her genes too – English Grand National winner Robert Powell is another of her cousins. There’s something to be said for the relationship she must have with RCA Patron Saint, being the only horse she competes. We all know this sport is just as much about partnership as it is about any of the other facets, and Lucy’s brought this gelding up through the levels over the last six years. That’s got to give her confidence as they face their biggest challenge to date.

TOP MARE:

Well, there are quite a few very nice mares in the field this year: some up-and-comers I’m sure will be making their mark in the not too distant future, some super speedy ladies who are obviously channeling their inner Classic Moet, and plenty of quality. I’m going with one who came out at the top level last season, immediately proved her mettle amongst the big guns and stamped her place on the podium – Harry Meade’s Cavalier Crystal. She made her 5* debut at Burghley in the fall, and added just 5.2 cross country time penalties to her dressage score to finish 3rd. If that’s not a mare squealing that she’s arrived, I don’t know what is. She’s completed in all of her 21 FEI starts and has had cross country jumping penalties just once, way back in 2017. Add to that the fact she didn’t have a single show jumping pole between 2021 and 2024, and you’ll find yourself with one of the most reliable jumpers in the field, both out on course and in the ring. Her rider’s not too shabby either. The youngest person ever to receive an Armada Dish in 2009, he now has another on his shelf, with twelve Badminton completions and six top-20 finishes on his card. He’s also World No. 5.

SPOILER ALERT:

I’m going back to looking outside the box and putting my X on Luc Chateau’s Viens Du Mont to deliver a spoiler performance at Badminton this year. Will he be in contention after the first phase? Almost certainly not. We can expect a high-30s dressage score, maybe even a hoof (or two) in the 40s. But boy is he a cross country machine. He’s super quick with far more inside the times on his record than penalties, and has been clear in each of his 21 FEI runs bar one – Burghley last season, which was surely a blip. He proved he’s good to go in any ground conditions when he took 11th place at the wet ‘n’ wild edition of Badminton last year and he very nearly finished on his dressage on his 5* debut at Pau in 2022, but for a pesky show jumping pole; he ended up top-10. Dressage winner? No. Leaderboard climber? Hell yeah.

HEART HORSE:

Without a second thought my pick here is for sure Francis Whittington’s DHI Purple Rain. Not only do I think that this is the most beautiful horse in the world, with the best barn name, but everything about this extravagant gelding says, my name is ‘Prince’ and ‘baby, I’m a star’! This guy was ridiculously impressive in the tough going out on last year’s cross country course, eating up the ground and looking to love every single second of it. You’d have been forgiven for thinking that his flamboyant action would have taken its toll, but nope, not at all. He rose to the challenge and for me, was the one to watch of the day. He is delightfully (for the viewer, not so much for Francis, who does a masterful job with this difficult gelding) unpredictable in the dressage, where he can get hot, hot, hot. But when his mind’s in the game he can deliver the goods, and he’s just oozing with potential, that’s plain to see. Let’s hope it’s more ‘let’s work’ than ‘let’s go crazy’ when he canters up the center line. Watch out for him in the First Horse Inspection for the horse that’s most likely to send the judges and photographers scuttling. He sure is a sight to behold regardless of how he’s behaving – I’m a total sucker for a shiny black horse – so I’ll end this on an appropriate note and say, ‘U got the look’, Prince – ‘nothing compares 2 u’.

Diana Gilbertson

WINNER:

Well, I was kind of putting all of my eggs into the Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class basket, but obviously that won’t be a thing now. Sooooo instead, I’m going to go with who I desperately WANT to win, and who I know CAN win, if he just keeps his bloody feet up on the final day. Yeah, you guessed it, I’m going for Mr Tim Price and Viatli. Dressage: great (see Burghley 2023 for confirmation – smashed that record), cross country: equally impressive (romped home through the quagmire here last year to move up 7 places overnight), showjumping: naaaaat so good. He CAN jump clear – and has done every time out this season, as well as a fair few times last – but he also has a frustrating habit of knocking three rails, and has done in every one of his 5* starts so far…and at the Tokyo Olympics. But if anyone can fix that slight issue, it’s Tim Price. If the winter trip to Spain for the Sunshine Tour pays off, and Vitali really is cured this time, then my wishes will definitely come true, because if it wasn’t for that slight flaw, this horse would have been a multiple 5* winner by now. So, please, I beseech you, keep all available limbs crossed for this guy on Sunday. Lord knows they both deserve the win.

TOP FOREIGN ENTRY:

I mean, Tim Price is from New Zealand so I have kind of already answered this one, but I feel like that’s a bit of a cop out, so I am going to plump for another Kiwi (they’re my fave), and say Double Olympian and all round legend, Caroline Powell with Greenacres Special Cavalier. This will be the second start for ‘Cav,’ who I also held high hopes for after her sparkling 5* debut at Pau in 2022, where she finished 5th. Sadly, the diabolical conditions meant that she, along with so many others, had a less than ideal cross country round. Although they crossed the finish line, they did so with 40 jumping penalties, and so ended up in 16th place, which is still not too shabby for your first Badminton. They returned to top form in October though, finishing up in 6th place in Maryland. Thus, my faith has been restored, and I reckon these two could finish comfortably within the top 10.

TOP DEBUTANTE HORSE OR RIDER:
There are SO MANY to choose from here – personal faves include Lucy Latta from Ireland, Holly Richardson, who made her 5* debut in fine style last summer with the lionhearted Bally Louis and Helen Bates and Carpe Diem who also their 5* debut last year, at Pau. BUT I think, on this occasion, it is Cosby Green and Copper Beach who deserve the shout out. Back for another year with Team Price, this US superstar smashed it at her first 5* in Pau, finishing in 16th place with Buck Davidson’s former ride Copper Beach, and now they’re lining up at their first Badminton. Cosby has been hard at work with her Kiwi mentors during the ‘off season,’ joining them on the Spanish Show Jumping Tour, and no doubt we will see the fruits of her labours this week. Flying the flag for Team USA, I have every faith that Cosby and ‘Sean’ will land another top 20 result at their first Badminton – seriously, this girl is ONE. TO. WATCH.

TOP MARE:

Again, I am torn – this time between Cavalier Crystal, who Harry Meade piloted to 3rd place at Burghley last year, and Graffenacht, runner up in Maryland. The latter is the one who takes my vote here, I think, purely because she managed to make it home safely here last year, despite the never-ending mud. Yes, she dropped 3 rails on the final day, but my guess is she was nothing short of EXHAUSTED and did not bring her A game. Hopefully, she will not have to contend with such horrendous conditions this year, and she and William Fox-Pitt will earn themselves yet another 5* podium place. Oh, I do hope so!

SPOILER ALERT:
….Continuing where I left off in the previous category, my spoiler alert is that William Fox-Pitt is this year’s Badminton winner. That would make a third Badminton title, and a fifteenth 5* win for this living legend, extending his record of the most 5* wins. Oh pleeeeasssse let this happen – I am manifesting to the MAX for this. Please, do join me.

HEART HORSE:

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Carpe Diem, or Demon as Helen Bates calls him. They made their 5* debut at Pau last year, and in fine style, too, with a double clear, but this guy and his rider captured my heart lonnnng before then. His little face when he clears those jumps with miiiiiles to spare, oh it’s just the best. This is a horse who just loves his job, and I can’t wait to see this utter dream team tackle their first Badminton together. He also happens to be one of the top 10 showjumpers in the field (thank EquiRatings for that little nugget) so I’m quietly hopeful for another great finish for these two. Also, fun fact:he’s missing a tooth, so his OTHER stable name is Diego, after the Saber-toothed Tiger from Ice Age. I said it was a fun fact, not a useful one…

Sally Spickard

WINNER:

I’m tossing my hat in this week for Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, who finished on a sub-30 in their 5* debut at Pau last fall. The one chink in the armor, so to speak, and if there even is one, really, is that “Isaac” can be on the sharper, spookier side. Indeed, this has been the pair’s undoing in the past, and Badminton is certainly its own beast in terms of atmosphere. This could see Ros start on a slightly higher score than the 11-year-old gelding might otherwise be capable of, but I worry less about the starting score at an event like Badminton. The real chops will be tested on Eric Winter’s grueling cross country and also in the show jumping on grass come Sunday. But Izilot DHI has performed in intense environments before, and he’s got the competitive results to back up his potential as a Badminton winner. Ros hoisted the Badminton trophy in 2023 after piloting Lordships Graffalo to a win on a score of 35.3, and the next nearest finisher was on a score of over 50 penalty points. While the going this year is sure to be much better, and perhaps we’ll see fewer time penalties on Saturday than we did in 2023, if Ros and Isaac can manage a 30 or better to start the weekend, they’ll be in a good position to make good on their jumping prowess, which also features an extensive clear FEI show jumping record at the 4* and 5* levels.

TOP FOREIGN ENTRY:

I’ve been a big fan of SAP Talisman, the entry of EquiRatings’ co-founder and top championship rider Sam Watson for Ireland, ever since we saw him really step up to the occasion at the 2021 FEI European Championships in Switzerland. What. A. Horse. Now, show jumping would be this horse’s “weakness” on paper — he did lower a handful that week at Avenches as well as a few at Burghley, his first 5*, last year. But if you want to indulge my obsession, just watch this pair on cross country Saturday. This is a horse that’s just made to do the task at the biggest events in the world, and while you could argue that those efforts make it difficult for him to clean up on Sundays, if we know Sam at all we know he will have been making the necessary tweaks to his training to put down his best possible result this weekend.

TOP DEBUTANTE HORSE OR RIDER:

I’m hopping aboard the Lucy Latta train here as I’ve found her story to be quite relateable — she’s just got the one horse competing, which presents its own form of challenges in terms of mileage and experience, and she spends her days working in brand management, which is also respectable in that it precludes a rider from spending all hours possible in the tack. It’s a testament that a special horse, proper time management, and dedication can earn your ticket to the big show, and what a story it would be if Lucy and RCA Patron Saint or “Paddy” can show the world what’s possible this weekend. Besides, anyone that picks Badminton as their 5* debut (I mean let’s be honest: I’m not sure WHICH 5* I would pick in her shoes, and I’m frankly glad it’s a decision I don’t have to make) deserves respect in my book.

TOP MARE:

Grafennacht certainly has my heart this week, and it’s a bonus that she happens to be in the experienced hands of none other than William Fox-Pitt. William used Badminton last year as a finding excursion, collecting a decent amount of time and a handful of rails in a massive effort, then followed that up with a podium finish at the Maryland 5 Star in the fall. “Lillie” will be approaching this third 5* with much experience and strength gained in the intervening months. She’s had a sensible run-up to Badminton, romping around some Advanced and Intermediate tracks to tick all the boxes and put the finishing touches on. We can expect to see a fit mare and a competitive rider looking to one-up that second place at Maryland, and they well could do it I believe.

SPOILER ALERT:

Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift could easily have slid into my pick for winner here, as I feel they’ve been knocking on the door of a major result for a couple years now. This pair finished fifth at Badminton last year in horrendous conditions, finishing otherwise on their dressage mark after some time (which was basically a given last year) on cross country. And don’t forget they were also runners-up at Burghley the year prior. We wrote in our Form Guide that this pair is a big unsung and under the radar, which can often be preferable to generating a ton of buzz and attention that can get distracting. But you heard it here first: a podium or even a win is far from a long shot here this weekend.

HEART HORSE:

Got to root a bit for the home crowd and while I would happily put in any of the North Americans here, I’m going to give my “heart horse” nod to Palm Crescent and Meghan O’Donoghue. “Palmer” has become a seasoned 5* horse under Meghan’s tutelage, and it’s a similar story to Lucy Latta in that Meghan doesn’t have a huge string of horses to pilot (through no fault of her own, let’s get this woman some more horses, stat!), meaning much of her time is spent competing Palm Crescent and honing his fitness and care to its absolute peak. Meghan’s been quite emotional, understandably so, about ticking off a major lifetime goal for herself with this first start at Badminton — she did compete at Burghley with her famous former OTTB partner, Pirate, but Badminton has eluded her to this point. So here’s to the classic Thoroughbred, which we also see in Jessica Phoenix’s Wabbit as another North American example, and the absolute athleticism they will display come Saturday. Of course, one shouldn’t count out this pair as potential leaderboard climbers for a competitive finish this weekend. If they can finish close to or on what should be a low or mid-30s dressage mark, it won’t be out of question for them to be in the victory gallop come Sunday.

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