‘Unorthodox’ Badminton preparation pays dividends for top British combination

World number three Harry Meade and Superstition have powered up the Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country leaderboard in the early stages of Saturday’s competition.

The pair, who were 23rd after dressage, were the second combination to come home with a clean sheet of time and jumping penalties, following Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight’s blazing round earlier.

Harry and the 16-year-old gelding flew across Badminton’s turf with such confidence. They took the inside line through the Ineos Grenadier Sunken Road (12ab) and were well up on the clock by the time they left the Vicarage ditch area over the LeMieux Eyelash Brushes.

Superstition, owned by his rider and Mandy Gray, showed clever footwork through the Mayston Equestrian Sunken Road (21ab), popping off the step and displaying exceptional adjustability to stitch in a neat, short stride before the arrowhead.

“It was his first run since crossing the finish line at Burghley in the autumn,” said Harry, adding Superstition had an “unorthodox” build-up to Badminton.

“I reckoned I could do all the prep he needed at home and on the gallops. I think a lot of people thought that I’d entered him and wasn’t ever planning on running him because he hadn’t been entered anywhere else, but he felt great.”

He added: “It was the right thing. He didn’t feel remotely rusty, he was absolutely on it, and finished bang on the time.”

Harry said he “loved” the question at the Mars Lake (fences 9 and 10abc) this year, adding it felt like a throw-back to fences at the lake in the 80s and 90s, and said the course surprised him by how big it rode.

“I was slightly underwhelmed when I walked it, but there were a lot of big efforts, and it kept them reaching [for] the back rail,” said Harry. “Then when you came to a technical question, the shape of [the horse’s] jump had been distorted into that very forward shape that then made the technical balance questions harder for them to concertina to and to keep adjusting like that. It was a great course.”

Bubby Upton and Cola had a dream ride, with her mother Rachel’s 15-year-old gelding still showing bounding scope right to the end of Eric Winter’s five-star course.

“He was just sensational, what a horse. I couldn’t be more lucky to be sat on a horse like that. I’ve known him for nine years and he’s a fighter through and through. It’s just the best feeling ever to come back to that roaring crowd,” said Bubby.

“I know him inside out and positivity is definitely best with him. I’ve been learning with him at five-star and I’ve made a few mistakes along the way and let him down, so I’m pleased to do him justice today – he deserved that. He’s a class horse through and through and I’m glad I was able to show the world what a horse he is today.”

Former winner Jonelle Price has also pinged up the Badminton Horse Trials standings with her 2022 Pau champion Grappa Nera.

Jonelle and the 14-year-old took the left-handed hedge at the first element of Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay (fence 14ab) and had a sticky moment of the hedge in the water (14b), but put it behind them to come home clear with 11.6 jumping penalties.

“It didn’t quite work as smoothly as I had envisaged, but that’s where the mare shows her true grit,” said Jonelle, reflecting on her ride through that fence.

Elsewhere in this chunk of riders, Alex Hua Tian made an extraordinary save being pitched out of the saddle at the Stride Copse Rails (fence 13), then opting to walk home from the Vicarage Ditch area.

Tom Rowland also opted to save Quintilius for another day after picking up 20 penalties at the Agria Corners. The pair jumped the first nicely, then added an extra stride to the second and found themselves on an unachievable distance. Tom stayed on, and then put his hand up to retire.

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