Badminton draw revealed: find out who’s the pathfinder and when your favourite starts
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Tom Jackson will be the pathfinder, as the Mars Badminton Horse Trials draw is revealed for the event next month (8-12 May).
Tom will start as number one on Farndon, with his British squad horse from last year, Capels Hollow Drift, near the end of the draw as number 80.
The favourites, Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, are number 53 so – with 82 horses drawn – are likely to do their dressage on Friday morning.
Oliver Townend still has three horses in the Badminton Horse Trials draw, but he double-entered so only two can start. Cooley Rosalent has landed in the USA to run in the Kentucky Three-Day Event this week, so it seems extremely unlikely she will start at Badminton. That means the world number one will ride Tregilder as number nine (although his participation has to be in some doubt as he has only had one open intermediate run this year) and Ballaghmor Class, his best shot at a second victory here, as number 78.
Kirsty Chabert double-entered Classic VI and Opposition Heraldik Girl and both appear on the draw (numbers 43 and 44) but Classic VI is also in the USA so it looks as though Opposition Heraldik Girl has the Badminton call-up.
Harry Meade’s three horses are numbers four (Cavalier Crystal), 40 (Away Cruising) and 82 (Red Kite), the final horse in the competition. Harry will be the first rider since Lorna Clarke in 1970 to start Badminton on three mounts.
Assuming Oliver withdraws Cooley Rosalent, data analytics company EquiRatings currently have Ros as the favourite, then Oliver on Ballaghmor Class, then Tim Price on Vitali (number 64).
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