Journal
Badminton 2018
by Pamela Glover-Cox, SportsQuest International, LLC
Day Four
After breakfast at the hotel, we had a smooth and easy commute to Badminton. Compared to the frenzy that surrounded the cross country phase, the traffic on this final day of competition was very light.
The atmosphere in the media center was relaxed in anticipation of the final phase of the competition – showjumping. We checked in, worked on a few projects, collected our schedules for the day and headed to the main arena.
The morning session showcased the horses not ranked in the top twenty after cross country. Only one horse in the morning session, Smart Time ridden by Dani Evans (GB), managed to negotiate the demanding track without incurring time or jumping penalties. The effort moved the pair from 27th after Cross Country to 17th at the end of the competition.
In between the morning and afternoon sessions, the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Plymouth entertained the audience.
The afternoon session showcased the top twenty horse and rider combinations going into the showjumping phase.
The winner was Jonelle Price1(NZ), who turned in a clean round (albeit with several ‘hard rubs’) aboard Classic Moet - a 15-year-old British-bred mare owned by Trisha Rickards. Having only recently returned to top flight competition, after maternity leave, Price's success at Badminton was somewhat unexpected. She and her husband, Tim (a fellow Olympian), are the proud parents of a son, Otis, born last August. She is the first female rider to win the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy in eleven years (Lucinda Fredericks (AUS) was victorious in 2007).
After incurring 8 faults with Ballaghmor Class (placed 2nd after Cross Country), Oliver Townend’s clear round on Cooley SRS kept the 2017 Burghley and 2018 Kentucky champion in second place – just shy of completing the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. With one rail down, Britain’s Rosalind Canter retained third place with Allstar B.
After the traditional parade of the Duke of Beaufort’s Hounds, the awards were presented by the Princess Royal, HRH Princess Anne.
In 1971, Princess Anne won the individual title at the European Eventing Chamionships, held at Burghley (UK). She was fifth that year at Badminton. In 1976, she participated in the Olympic Games - riding at Bromont (Quebec, Canada) as a member of the British Eventing Team. That team included current Badminton Horse Trials Director, Hugh Thomas.
For the first time, interviews with the top three riders at the end of each day’s competition were conducted in full public view – incorporating questions asked from the audience and posed via social media.
Jonelle Price described her winning in these words: “Dreams” “Come” “True”
After the final press conference, as the weekend drew to a close, the vendors focused on packing up - while the remaining patrons scurried to get the last of the many good deals. I was among them, making a last minute purchase from representatives of the Original Muck Boot Company.
The horse trials organizers would later announce a record 185,000 visitors over the run of the event.
My husband and I returned to the Old Royal Ship for one last excellent meal – completing the weekend with salmon and vegetables – and of course a delicious dessert.
We returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Upon rising the next morning, we had a final Full English Breakfast, returned the rental car and took the bus back to London's Heathrow Airport. We will greatly miss Bristol - clearly a city on the move.
From Terminal 5, we boarded our preferred long haul airliner, the Airbus A380 - where we sat in comfort on the upper level. We had a relaxing flight home to Northern California.
We are already laying plans to return to Badminton next year - the dates are May 1 - 5, 2019...
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We would like to thank the following for making our visit enjoyable, informative and a great success:
Hugh Thomas, Director, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
Julian Seaman, Media Director, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
Mitsubishi Motors Press Office
Lynne Hutchinson, Freelance journalist
Shannon Brinkman, Shannon Brinkman Photography
Helen Johnson-Greening and the Staff of the Old Royal Ship, Luckington, UK
The Staff of Soto Soto, Bath, UK
The Staff of the ibis Bristol Temple Meads Hotel
National Express Coaches
Budget Car Hire Bristol Central
American Airlines Ground Staff in San Francisco, Chicago and London
British Airways Ground Staff in London and San Francisco
The Flight Crews of American Airlines Flights AA2419 and AA90
The Flight Crew of British Airways Flight 287
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1Editor's Note: In June, Jonelle Price won a second 2018 major, being victorious at the Luhmühlen CCI**** in Germany with a second mare, Faerie Dianimo.
Introduction/Day One
Day Two
Day Three