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| Mark Todd & NZB Land Vision |
If someone was to write the ideal fairytale ending to this year’s Badminton Horse Trials, it would be a carbon copy of the historic scenes which we saw unfolding before our eyes this afternoon. My tip at the start of the week was that a man on a grey horse would win, but I was leaving my options open with Oliver Townend and Ashdale Cruisemaster, Andrew Nicholson and Avebury, and eventual champions Mark Todd and NZB Land Vision all falling into that category.
Oliver was the hard luck story while Mark was the tear jerker, regaining his crown some thirty-one years after capturing the first of his four Badminton titles. Andrew, who groomed for Mark all those years ago in 1980, summed up the competition. He showed that brilliance wasn’t enough to win the World’s Greatest event this year. Despite performing two dressage tests in the forties, steering both horses clear and inside the time cross country, a rail lowered on the final day meant that he was only rewarded with 10th place on the aforementioned Avebury, and 12th onboard WEG bronze medallist Nereo who had two uncharacteristic rails in this afternoon’s show jumping. Any horse and rider in that top ten this year performed exceptionally. How fitting that the most talented man to ever sit on an event horse topped the pile.
