A Very Muddy Badminton Draws to a Close
Thursday, 11 May 2023

World no.1 Tim Price was philosophical about his seventh-place finish at the Badminton Horse Trials, but confident there was plenty more to come from Vitali.
“Clear rounds win prizes,” he said after their showjumping round saw three rails drop and slip off the podium on a score of 63.1 penalty points.

“I was obviously disappointed with three on the floor. It was costly.”

But he felt Vitali, who placed third at Burghley last year, had actually jumped a lot better than he had before at 5* level. The rails came at fences three and five a and b, and Tim said he thought it was going to be a long way home from that point.

“He tried really hard from that point all the way home and jumped better than he had before at this level. You have to take the positives and appreciate what these horses do for us, where they have come from and hopefully where they are going.”

He felt Vitali had some more “proper results” coming. “I am excited to keep trying to bring the best out of him.”

Vitali had scored 27.1 in the dressage for 11th =, moving up to fourth after adding 24-time penalties in a very influential cross country test, before slipping to seventh after the technical showjumping.

The day belonged to 2018 world champ Ros Canter (GBR) and Lordships Graffalo, who led from the start and gave a real masterclass in calmness under pressure with their 35.3-penalty point effort. Their 15-penalty point margin over runner-up Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class, who finished on 50.3, is the most convincing Badminton victory in the modern era. Ros is one of only five riders in history to win both a Badminton title and World Championship crown.

Dan Jocelyn was the next best for the Kiwis, finishing in 21st place aboard Blackthorn Cruise and 25th on Cooley One To Many. Lauren Innes and Global Fision M squeezed in between his two mounts in 24th.

Hollie Swain was still buzzing about Solo’s cross country round. “It will be a round that I will remember forever. I am absolutely delighted to come out with a completion on the first time (at Badminton),” she said.

Caroline Powell’s rather promising-looking Greenacres Special Cavalier lost a shoe in the showjumping but still finished the event.

Muzi Pottinger and Just Kidding were eliminated in the cross country after parting company and will now re-route to the Luhmuhlen 5* next month, while Tim Price opted to withdraw Coup de Coeur Dudevin before the cross country which saw just 30 or the original 64 starters complete.

Badminton 2023 will no doubt be remembered for the mud. “I have never seen such mud here,” said Tim Price. “Buggies and cars are stuck everywhere. The truck took an hour and a half to get out with two tractors. They are using diggers and all sorts in the lorry park to get people out of their muddy holes and they haven’t even started on the campsite across the road where there are thousands of horse boxes and caravans marooned until the tractors come and tow them out.”

The horse details –
Vitali – owned by Joe and Alexander Giannamore and Tim Price
Coup de Coeur Dudevin – owned by Jean-Louis Stauffer
Solo – owned by John and Janette Bodenham and Emily Botsaris
Global Fision M – owned by the Innes Family Syndicate
Greenacres Special Cavalier – owned by Chris Mann
Cooley One to Many – owned by Lucy and Sophie Allison, Franki Clapham and Carole King
Blackthorne Cruise – owned by Panda Christie and Dan Jocelyn
Just Kidding – owned by the Pottinger Family

For full results, head to https://www.badminton-horse.co.uk/final-results-2023/