Dressage leaders Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo. Photo by Sophie Robins/Girl in the Field.
EN’s classic full report will be with you just as soon as our boots on the ground have wrangled all the action into a readable format, until then, here’s a rapid update of what went down in the dressage phase at MARS Badminton.
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
It’s a smorgasbord of 5* champions and nationalities at the top of the board after the first phase.
1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Leader in the clubhouse is reigning champion Ros Canter and Lordship’s Graffalo on a score of 23.7.
2️⃣ 🇺🇸 Dropping just one place after leading the first day is Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl on a score of 28.1.
3️⃣ 🇧🇪 Rounding out the rolling podium is Luhmühlen 2024 winners Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hooney d’Arville on a score of 28.6.
4️⃣ 🇨🇭 Just 0.1 off the podium placings as we head into tomorrow’s cross country is Maryland 2025 winners Felix Vogg and Cartania on a score of 28.7.
5️⃣ 🇳🇿 And within striking distance is 2024 Badminton winners Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier on a score of 28.9.
You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.
THE UNDERDOGS:
🔼 It’s no secret that Jesse Campbell and Cooley Lafitte had a dressage disaster at Badminton last year (check out Jesse’s YouTube channel for a debrief of that test), so Jesse was very pleased with his score of 38 this time around.
⏩ A sub-30 score despite a mistake isn’t a bad showing at all, with Wills Oakden and Keep It Cooley putting down a PB of 29.4 in spite of a misunderstanding in the trot work dropping their scores right down after they’d been trending in the lead (at that point in proceedings). This horse is amongst the fastest in the field for cross country and is one to watch, both at Badminton this year and in the future.
‼️ Rookie horses exceeding expectations (based on EquiRatings stats) include:
- Tom Jackson’s United 36 who landed on his 6RA of 32.2 (we would usually expect the score to creep up with a step up in level).
- Michael Owen’s Monbeg Darwin who shaved almost two marks off his 6RA to sit on 34.3.
- Marcio Carvalho Jorge’s Royal Encounter who rose to the occasion with the Queen watching on and went sub-30 with a score of 29.2.
THE CROSS COUNTRY MACHINES:
❗ Gemma Stevens was disappointed with her test with Chilli Knight, saying herself that she went off in a sulk afterwards. There were some uncharacteristic errors, including a whoopsie in the medium canter that landed them 4s across the board. They’re off the pace on a score of 34 but were clear inside the time on cross country day last year, so expect a leaderboard climb tomorrow.
0️⃣ Another rider who didn’t have the round he wanted in the dressage phase was Harry Meade with his third ride Cavalier Crystal. The mare scored 33.8 last year and 30.5 at Burghley, but it was 34.6 today. She finished on her dressage score twelve months ago, however, ending up in 3rd place, so it’s all to play for tomorrow for this pair.
🔺 Alex Bragg and Quindiva are proven climbers, improving their 48th place after dressage in 2024 to make it onto the podium at the end of the event. They start out this year on a score of 39 in 49th place.
⚡ Max Warburton’s Deerpairc Revelry tends to be workmanlike on the flat, correct and consistent but not so flashy for the big scores. They sit in a big bunch of scores around the 30-31 mark on 31.8 but are expected to set themselves apart tomorrow with a super speedy cross country round.
🪜 Eventing surely isn’t a dressage competition and other combinations we can expect to be in the ascendency on cross country day include:
- Tom Bird and Cowling Hot Gossip (45.1).
- Holly Richardson and Ballyneety Silver Service (41.2).
- Arne Bergendahl and Luthien NRW (38.8).
- Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre (37.5).
- Cosby Green and Jos Ufo de Quidam (34.9).
THE STATS:
Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and 10 combinations cracked that barrier at Badminton this year.
The judging has generally been received as a little harsh, but consistently so across the field. It was particularly noticeable in the case of Ros Canter and Lordship’s Graffalo perhaps, despite scoring two 9s for their halt at C (from the judges at H and B) and another one for the second flying change (from the judge at B), there was the feeling that perhaps there was room for a bit more generosity overall, with an argument for some of the 7s to come in at 7.5 and the 7.5s to push to 8s, maybe. Nevertheless, they went into the lead with a superb score of 23.7.
Scores for individual movements came in across the board, with 0.5 the lowest to 9 at the top end. The judges tended to use the range of scores available to them – where a movement dropped marks, they were straight back to rewarding when things in the ring improved.
There were (satisfyingly) nine 9s handed out in total, primarily for the halts.
🇺🇸 American girls Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl held the overnight lead on Thursday after an elegant performance secured them a PB of 28.1. They scored the only 9 of the first day (from the judge at H) for their final flying change.
Alongside Ros and Tiana, the other combinations with 9s in their scores include:
- Emily King and Valmy Biats – from the C judge for their entry, halt and salute.
- Nadja Minder and Toblerone – from the H judge for their entry, halt and salute, and from both the C and B judges for their final halt, impressively from the head on and side on view.
- Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hooney d’Arville – from the H judge for their final halt.
- Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier – from the B judge for their second flying change.
➖ Four combinations picked up deductions to their score, most notably Aistis Vitkauskas and Commander VG who had a tricky time in the ring and picked up a deduction of 6 points, not least for halting early on the center line at the end of the test.
And there you have it.
Eyes on EN for the full report coming soon.
Go eventing!
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