‘If it’s not her day, it’s not her day’: Gemma Stevens on the Badminton podium after cross-country – but not with her top ride after dressage

Mars Badminton Horse Trials title contender Jalapeno is out of the competition – while her jockey Gemma Stevens remains very much in the hunt with her Bicton five-star winner Chilli Knight.

Veteran mare Jalapeno, sixth here in 2024, held third place after dressage on a score of 24.7, but walked home after picking up early cross-country penalties.

Gemma and the 17-year-old set off well across country, but struggled to make the turn to the second of the Agria Corners (fences 6 and 7) and Jalapeno ran past. Gemma re-presented and the horse jumped it beautifully on the second time of asking, before Gemma put her hand up to retire.

“Jala is an old lady and if it’s not her day, it’s not her day,” said Gemma. “If she doesn’t want to do something, she’s not going to do it. She started brilliantly, was galloping along, I was spot on at the first one [of those corners], then she just said, ‘No, not my day’. So I brought her round and jumped it, gave her a pat and walked away. There is always another day.”

Gemma has kept hold of her spot on the podium – just with a different horse. Chilli Knight (29.5), who zipped round first thing this morning and held the provisional lead for much of the day, is now in third ahead of the showjumping.

“My absolute aim [with him] was to be fast, clear and inside the time,” said Gemma. “He is a fast little horse and so genuine. If he sees a jump with flags on, he will take me to it. He is the biggest trier you can ever imagine. I’m unbelievably proud of him and he’s come out of it smiling his little head off.”

Two more clears inside the time for Harry Meade

Harry Meade repeated his Kentucky feat of piloting two horses home inside the time across country. Riding the Oppermans’ Cavalier Crystal, he secured his fourth fault-free CCI5* round from four starts across the British and US five-stars.

“I think the common denominator is the team work at home,” said Harry, who is in seventh with the mare (33.8) and also partnered Superstition home clear earlier (fifth, 31.8).

“To produce a number of horses and have them all really fit, it takes a really great team. We know how to get horses fit, but they’re absolutely devoted to the horses. My aim is just to do the horses justice when we get here.

“I was delighted with Cavalier Crystal. We’ve had her since she was a five-year-old. She’s been third at Burghley twice, but she’s never actually run across country here, and I was just hoping I could try and give her the best ride I could.”

Harry said that when the mare was younger, he “never thought she would be a five-star horse”, adding that while she was a very good jumper, she “wasn’t that scopey”.

“She felt limited. She’s definitely not limited now,” he said.

“The other thing is that when you would want her to move up on a distance to a fence – when you saw a good galloping [distance] – she would get there faster, but she would still be off the fence, as she wouldn’t lengthen her stride.

“Something she’s [since] learnt, through running in a relaxed, slow way, is to not quicken the turnover of foot-fall, but to lengthen her stride and be able to move up and stand off fences.”

A class Badminton cross-country round by Vitali

Tim Price and Vitali concluded the action, sweetening their disappointing dressage with a typically solid cross-country jumping performance to join the top-10 (eighth, 33.8). Tim was delighted with the 15-year-old gelding, while slightly scratching his head about the 3.2 time-penalties.

“He’s a fast horse and he ran for me – after Huntsman’s Close, he put his head low, his ears back and galloped,” said Tim.

“The time is tight; it was a fun ride, but I guess his ground speed was just not as fast as it can be. That’s fine. It’s still a good, fast round and I’m really happy it was tidy, clean and right on the job.”

At the end of cross-country day, Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent have retained their dressage lead (22.3), with Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo now in second (25.3). Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, who finished on the Badminton podium in 2023, are a significant major climber – leaping from 20th after dressage to hold fourth (30.8).

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