Badminton

[FitToBeTied]

Here is something interesting. Of the the 13 pairs that scored under 30 on dressage, only 7 completed.

Rider/Horse Dressage Final Placing

|Oliver Townend COOLEY ROSALENT| 21.1 2
|Tom McEwen JL DUBLIN| 22.4 9
|Gemma Stevens JALAPENO| 24.7 RET
|Rosalind Canter LORDSHIPS GRAFFALO 25.3 1
|Emily King VALMY BIATS 27.3 5
|Tom Woodward LOW MOOR LUCKY 27.9 |RET|
|Fiona Kashel CREEVAGH SILVER DE HAAR 28.4 35
|Yasmin Ingham REHY DJ 29.1 WD
|Oliver Townend BALLAGHMOR CLASS 29.3 WD
|Gemma StevensCHILLI KNIGHT 29.5 15
|Georgie Goss FELOUPE 29.6 28
|Felix Vogg CARTANIA 29.7 EL
|Samantha Lissington LORD SEEKONIG 29.9 RET

[punchy]

The grand slam was discontinued this year due to lack of sponsorship.

But agree that Ros’s record is super impressive and glad to see it.

[charger75]

It is fascinating to listen to Harry, and I wanted to go back and watch that interview again – can you remember approximately where it was (how many hours into the XC coverage)? I actually thought maybe they interviewed him twice, but now it’s all blurring together after yesterday! He was also quoted a lot in EN, but I wanted to watch the interview again. Thanks!

[FitToBeTied]

@punchy

The grand slam was discontinued this year due to lack of sponsorship.

One of those things that drive’s me nuts. A grand slam is four events, not three. It should be called the triple crown of eventing. In terms of sports, the term for a grand slam was first used in tennis in 1933. It was referring to winning the Wimbledon, French Open, US Open and Australian Open. The term triple crown was first used in 1923 in reference to the KY Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Baseball uses it for winning the batting title, HR’s and RBI’s.

It’s a personal thing but it makes me twitchy to hear the grand slam of eventing. To me it shows ignorance of sports history.

[kenyarider]

I thought Ros Canter handled that blindside from the reporter about her flag very well. And then she won!!!

[sami-joe]

Can’t believe I found it. It’s at 1:05:24.
He’s brilliant.

Edit: It’s actually at 5:41:17. Sorry. I didn’t check my work the first time.

[Larksmom]

I have just found a 25 minute summary of xc from Saturday on YT!

[sami-joe]

Darn it! Just listened to it.
Wrong interview. That was after his first go. He must have dropped his pearls of wisdom after the second.
Headed off to find that one.
ETA: It starts at 5:41:17.

Rider philosophy 101 w/ Harry Meade, “Always assume it’s about to go wrong.”

[Djones]

I was thinking it was soon after CC on his second horse, Superstition, right?

[charger75]

Thanks so much for the effort! You’re a five-star Harry Meade fan. I thought there were two interviews, but didn’t trust my memory.

[sami-joe]

Yes, it’s the one after five hours have gone by. I’m thinking he may have been one of the few who was interviewed more than once on the day.
Word on the street is he is an affable and polite dude, yes, @Willesdon?

[Willesdon]

@sami-joe Harry Meade is a hard working pro rider, bringing multiple horses up through the levels, and he is an old fashioned gentleman, invariably polite and considerate when at shows. He grew up immersed in horses and sport in a very horsey part of the country. He is gradually gaining a higher profile but he certainly doesn’t push for media coverage: that is more of a necessity when doing well in competitions. He is a good commentator too, usually with interesting insights. I’ve heard one grumpy comment about him not allowing his grooms to ride his top horses but that is about it, down on the street. 4 horses in the top 10 at two 5*s within a 2 week period is hugely impressive!

[kenyarider]

Here’s his own bio if anyone cares. http://www.harrymeade.com/about/harry/

[Larksmom]

I got to see his dad ride at Kentucky in '78.

[charger75]

In addition to what it says in this bio, Harry also suffered a head injury a few years ago when he fell and was dragged while his foot was caught in the stirrup.

Harry Meade’s return to competition after head injury: ‘I’m stripping...

Obviously, he made a full recovery, and it’s always fascinating to hear his opinions and analyses. He is also known for some pretty colorful trousers on the jog strip, although I believe he has said that he is color-blind, and his wife and daughter select his outfits.

[MHM]

Does anyone know what happened to Kylie Roddy on cross country day?

I stumbled across a couple of her videos of the course walk, which were really interesting to see. So I wondered where she ran into a problem.

[Marigold]

@MHM

Does anyone know what happened to Kylie Roddy on cross country day?

Got to a bit of an off distance to the haywain at the bottom of Savill’s Staircase and got popped out of the tack on landing - definitely a heartbreaker ending the day at fence 4, but I’m sure they’ll be back.

[MHM]

Thanks very much.

[Marigold]

It’s been a pretty quiet thread, which sadly I think is indicative of a very good weekend - I wish we would celebrate the good ones like we unpack the bad ones. So many incredible moments I couldn’t name them all, but a few:

1. The legend that is Ballaghmor Class posting his 13th jumping clear out of 13 runs at the level - a record that is unmatched and I can’t imagine will be challenged anytime soon. What an incredible horse to witness. Barely looked like he considered it worth getting out of bed until the lake, and then came home at 18 years old just bouncing through the quarry and over those gates before taking off to the main arena in full flight. Beautiful to watch.
2. Walter and Ros are not even playing the same game as everyone else. I’m not sure how it’s possible to make 5* look that boring, but it is well and truly witchcraft. We are witnessing history and it’s an honour.
3. Speaking of young horses (Walter only being 13 year old), Team GB is locked and fully loaded for the better part of the next decade between him and Cooley Rosalent at just 11. I’m scared.
4. Incredible to see Austin and Salty add a very solid dressage test and a strong show jumping round to their always-exceptional cross country and land on the podium in a ridiculously competitive field, proving they can hang with the best of them even without drastic cross-country conditions.
5. A comment for Harry Meade. I don’t know what he puts on his Wheaties but I want some. The man must have had a clock surgically implanted in his brain.
6. For all the reasons above, I felt the cream really rose to the top. The horses that finished at the business end of the order were all true three-phase event horses that demonstrated beautiful training and lifetime partnerships with their riders. They did our sport proud in front of the world this weekend.
7. A final comment for Eric Winter. I haven’t always loved his courses, but this one looked amazing on paper and rode even better. Problems spread throughout, testing traditional cross country riding while keeping people and horses safe with modern technology, and rewarding the combinations that did their homework and showed up fit and trained without being punishing to those who did not. Can’t ask for better.

The only negative thing I have to say is about the flag penalties - that rule just doesn’t work in its current implementation. I think we ultimately landed on the right answers at Badminton, but the current execution is bad for the fans, tough on the riders, and has the potential to impact the competition (Oliver almost headed out on Rosalent without knowing whether he was trying to stay ahead of 25.3 or 29.5, which is the difference of more than a rail). Something needs to change, there.

[JenJ]

Great Post.

Other feelgood stories:

First timer Katie Magee who finished 11th. She said in an interview, that it has taken her 20 years to be able to ride at Badminton.
Tayla Mason who got in from the waiting list on the Monday, and her family booked last minute tickets from NZ to watch her compete and finish 19th.