A shame Ballaghmor Class didn’t complete, slightly dampens the 13/13. Hopefully he will run a fall 5*
Outstanding post - thank you! 
You covered everything beautifully, and were incredibly spot on.
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I thought the dressage judging was erratic on the second day. They’d give 1s for late flying changes for example, then 6s for angled canters in the half pass. Made for very confusing following.
I love Ballaghmor Class but feel he’s starting to feel being 18 years old. I didn’t think his dressage was fluent as he has been. No shade, just realistic. I don’t like Oliver’s attitude, I find him quite arrogant. Talented yes, but arrogant.
Harry Meade is a delight to watch, as is Ros Canter.
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Have you seen this?
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1102440088579851&id=100064416114790
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I am not English but I think he comes across that way because of his bearing and his accent. Harry Meade sounds upper class (which he is) but Oliver sounds like he was the butcher’s son. However, he may be arrogant but top athlete have to have a lot of self confidence which rubs some of us the wrong way. We like our heroes to be humble or at least sound humble. Think about the difference between the reaction Karl Cook gets in contrast to McLain Ward.
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Another good thing about this Badminton was 13 nations with runners. The Irish, in particular, had a big contingent running which shows the depth that is now developing in their sport. It was good that Belgium was prominent too.
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Yes, I meant to say this, thank you! When the Olympics were stepped back in cross country difficulty it was with an eye to increasing the number of flags, but I think we worried it would mean a reduced importance on the top of the sport. Instead, we are now starting to see some nations outside of the Big 6 coming through to 5* as a way to give themselves an advantage at championships, and this weekend we saw very competent, professional performances from Belgium, Japan, and Brazil (as well as Ireland as always, who technically aren’t Big 6 either).
Alex Hua Tian encountered some bad luck for China but looked good otherwise, and Felix Vogg should be right there for Switzerland if he can improve his conditioning plan as well. It’s exciting, and hopefully encouraging to those up and comers behind them.
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@axl Apparently traditional dress for high days and holidays, such as weddings, and he felt his first time at Badminton was definitely a high point! Lovely.
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I’m excited to see him there! I remember his Olympics debut and I am rooting for him to continue to rise.
I was happy for the Japanese rider, he had a good cross country round and won Best Dressed at the trot up. I wish I could find that photo.
I thought Ballaghmor Class looked a little rough on the cross country. He smacked his hinds hard a few times. I wasn’t surprised that he was withdrawn from the holding box (though I have no idea if his hinds had anything to do with it.)
In my opinion McLain Ward blew any notion of having class, by being publicly catty about Karl Cook this year.
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look back about 3 posts, it is there!
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No. The Japanese rider won wearing a British outfit. I think the photo up thread is the rider from China.
ETA I am wrong, the photo up thread is Ryuzo Kitajima of Japan, it was from the first horse inspection. In the final trot up he was wearing a very dapper suit and hat. He looked great both times.
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I selfishly hope that Lordship Graffalos success along with that of some others lately will lead to a resurgence in Trak breeding for sport of the old type because I love them. i also think that the dressage judging needs to be a lot more consistent if so much will depend on it in the end.
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Make no mistake, I am a huge Karl Cook fan. Never have fallen for the Ward charm. Just using that as an example that popped into mind.
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You were correct about the photo. I edited my post. 
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Just chiming in to say that that is Kitajima Ryuzo above in his ceremonial hakama - traditional Japanese dress (not Chinese). Most grooms wear them but then change into a Western suit after the ceremony. Kitajima must have done the same thing and worn both Japanese and Western wear. Hakama are actually super flattering on men of all types/sizes/ages IMO.
There is a women’s version of hakama that all the girls wear for graduations and whatnot instead of a more traditional kimono with obi, etc. (which they do wear for the next milestone, Coming of Age Day).
Our daughter wears hakama at school occasionally. Very pretty and more forgiving than a kimono. I spent a whole day once in kimono, even having to do an airport run to pick up a friend. The big challenge is you cannot sit back in a chair or taxi with the obi so it can be a bit awkward navigating modern life with cars and chairs all day. 
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I edited my post, correcting my mistake, before you posted.
The ladies in your post look lovely, just beautiful!
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Strange fact about Harry Meade (and I am a big fan of his) - it was his 22nd birthday party where Prince Harry donned the infamous Nazi costume. It’s mentioned in the Crown! (And was widely reported at the time).
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