The stands begin to fill for the first session of the dressage
As the sun shone upon day one of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse trials, the big names came out to play. Some fantastic dressage was on display, demonstrating the beautiful partnerships and absolute time and effort that goes into competing at the top. With another day of dressage still to come, the scores are already close. Just 4.8 penalties separate first and tenth place.
Andrew Nicholson and Avebury set the bar high early
Our Aussie boys have done us proud. First out was Sam Griffiths and Happy Times who performed a beautiful test. Their extended trot was so impressive it earned them a nine from one judge, contributing to a fantastic penalty score of 43.3. “He’s quite an experienced campaigner now and I made a few mistakes on him and so I gave away a few points,” Sam said. That being said, the pair will still head into the cross country phase with a decent score. “He’s on good form and hopefully his dressage marks will hold.” The Badminton old timers shot to the lead, overtaking the much anticipated trio of Nicholson, Fox-Pitt and Jung. These three currently lie in 3rd, =4th (Aoife Clark shares the same penalty as William) and 6th place respectively.
Interview with Sam Griffiths after dressage
Happy with that - Sam Griffiths and Happy Times complete a lovely test
Chris Burton and Holstein Park Leilani entered the ring a couple of hours later with a purpose in their stride. “She’s a lovely old horse and I’m so happy to be riding her,” Chris said. Their canter work was fantastic, reflecting every bit of their wealth of experience and time in the spotlight. Chris and Leilani narrowly edged Sam and Happy out of the lead with a score of 43.0 that has left them as leaders after the first day of competition. “I’m thrilled because I was aiming to go below 45.0 and to be on 43.0 and be in the lead at Badminton is fantastic.”
Interview with Chris Burton after dressage
Chris and Leilani perform a stunning test
With some top riders still to come on the second day of dressage tomorrow, there is no guessing how the leader board will look on Saturday night. Fox-Pitt, Nicholson and Jung still have their second (and arguably better) rides tomorrow. As does Mary King, Caroline Powell, Mark Todd and of course Sam Griffiths and Paul Tapner. The scores may well change and with such classy combinations to enter the ring, it would not be surprising to see the scores drop even lower.
William Fox-Pitt sits in =4th with Oslo
Murray Lamperd and Under the Clocks are set to make their Badminton debut tomorrow and they are raring to go. I met with Murray today as he made the most of the extensive trade village and got some final bits and pieces for tomorrow’s test. Under the Clocks has well and truly settled into the English life and he is especially happy now his shipment (a whole crate of Mitavite feed!) has arrived. “He’s magnificent, he’s just feeling fantastic,” Murray said. The busy crowds and exciting atmosphere have taken some getting used to but the pair have put the time in to adjust to their surroundings. “The 24 hours extra is a bonus for me, that’s for sure.”
Under the Clocks has settled in well to Badminton life
Looking ahead to Sunday’s cross country, Murray admits that it will be a test. “The second half seems to really lift up a notch.” The course certainly is quite demanding and he believes it is not one to take for granted. “There’s nothing here that is particularly saying it can’t be done but there are definitely a few alert fences for me and for Ninja.” For now though, the focus is on tomorrow’s test, enjoying the event with his family and perhaps the odd kick of the footy. Evidently Sam Griffiths also keeps a Sherrin (Aussie rules football for those who don’t know) in his lorry but never has anyone to kick it with. It’s only a matter of time before these Victorian eventers plant a ball through Badminton House..
