New Zealand rider Tim Price and Vitali followed up their strong dressage performance to lie in number one spot heading in to the final day.
Changes at the top of the leaderboard following Badminton Cross-Country Day
By Equestrian Life
The influential cross-country day at Badminton Horse Trials has come to a close, with a new leader rising at the top heading into the final day of competition.
New Zealand rider Tim Price and Vitali followed up their strong third place dressage performance with a masterfull clear cross-country, just adding 4 time penalties, to place them in number one before tomorrow.
Tim, who is no stranger to winning 5* events, has yet to add Badminton Horse Trials to his repertoire, so all eyes will be on this combination come tomorrow.
Tim shared on his plan for tomorrow ‘I think he is the all-round event horse who hasn’t showed it in all three phases yet but he will. He gave everything he had today – he was just class and his show jumping has been good recently. I think I’ve got a bit of a plan in place. He’s buzzing with fitness and wellness so hopefully that will help tomorrow, but I’m just going to enjoy it for today.’
Veteran William Fox-Pitt, who shared after Cross-Country that this may be his last Badminton, rose from eighth to second on mare Graffenacht. Taking just one long route out of the Cross Country and adding 2.4 time, William shared of his round:
‘I was trying very hard. She is an amazing mare, just fabulous. She always says yes.
I am very lucky: I’m 55, I’ve had an amazing time here at Badminton. This is my 26th completion which means I am slotting in nicely behind Andrew [Nicholson] and Toddy [Sir Mark Todd] in completions and I am happy to be in that slot. I probably ought to grow up and get a new habit.’
27 year old Irish first-timer Lucy Lata rounds out the top three onboard RCA Patron Saint, following the quickest round of the day with just 0.4 time penalties. The result saw a monumental rise from forty sixth place, and highlights how influential time was on course.
‘He is truly one of the great cross-country horses out there. He actually isn’t that fast [despite being only one second over time] but he doesn’t pull, he lets me go smoothly to the fences, doesn’t waste time and has the heart of a lion. He doesn’t have two extra gears like a racehorse but he stays galloping. He gave it to me everywhere. He was just unbelievable.’
Not meant to be
Unfortunately for overnight leader Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, Cross Country day was not meant to be. The pair headed in to cross-country day with a 2 penalty lead, however activated the frangible device early at the Mars Badminton Lake (fence number 10). A distracted Izilot DHI, who Ros shared is still inexperienced at this level, unfortunately ran past the final element. It was here, after representing over the long route, that Ros decided to retire.
Aussies on course
Australian Sammi Birch and Finduss PFB were out on course early, with the combination jumping clear and adding 28.4 time penalties to their total score. Following horse inspection in the morning, the combination will be set to jump in the morning round of showjumping, starting from 11.30am local time.
Fellow Australian William Levett and Huberthus AC made the call to retire on course, cutting short their Badminton weekend.
Sunday’s Schedule
The final horse inspection will take place on Sunday morning local time from 8.30am (5.30pm AEST). The morning session of the showjumping will begin from 11.30am local time (8.30pm AEST), with the top 20 riders after cross-country jumping in the afternoon, starting at around 2.55pm (11.55pm AEST).
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