‘It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and it feels incredible’: rider jumps clear at Badminton two years after losing top horse

Two years ago, Rosie Bradley-Hole (née Fry) made her Badminton debut on True Blue Too, an 11-year-old with an exciting future ahead. But just a couple of months later the horse had a fatal accident in the warm-up at Burgham. At the Mars Badminton Horse Trials this week, Rosie made an emotional return to the five-star, this time with 12-year-old Cevin Z mare Romantic, and produced a brilliant clear round to go into the final day’s showjumping in the top 20.

Rosie took on Romantic, who had been produced by Izzy Taylor up to three-star, in 2021. The mare has been key in rekindling Rosie’s zest for the sport.

“She means everything to me,” Rosie says. “I haven’t had her from the beginning which is unusual for me, but she came into my life when I really needed one, and she picked me up and made me want to do it again, because I was thinking I didn’t. She has made me hungry again.”

Rosie picked up a 20pen in 2022, to finish 47th, and this clear round was significant.

“I’m really emotional because I was last here two years ago and then we lost him [True Blue Too],” she says. “It’s amazing to be back here and jump clear – it’s all I’ve ever wanted, and it feels incredible.

“I knew she could do it; I just hoped we could put it together. She tried her heart out for me. She looks for the flags and just wants to do it. She’s actually relatively inexperienced as she’s only done one four-star long and this is her first five-star, so to go and do that is amazing.”

It was a well-judged round by the 33-year-old rider, who clocked 18.4 time-faults, but the horse finished in good heart.

“She got tired – she’s a big girl and it was hot,” says Rosie, whose brother is National Hunt trainer Harry Fry. “She probably needs another year to get the fitness. I’m lucky to use my brother’s gallops and she’s been up there a lot. But she also goes to the water treadmill once a week because I don’t want to gallop the legs off her as she is a big girl and not full blood.

“She started life as a hunter, so she’s learned it all from hunting. And I started life as a hunter, too! So I’m pleased we put it all together.”

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