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In 77 years of Badminton history, no horse had gone beyond two victories. "Walter" has now gone one better - adding 2026 to his wins in 2023 and 2025, and standing alone at the top of a list that includes legends like Supreme Rock, Sir Wattie, and Great Ovation.
The victory is also the fifth CCI5* win of Lordships Graffalo's career (excluding Worlds and Olympics), moving him clear of Willingapark Clifford and Ballaghmor Class &mdash; both of whom finished on four &mdash; to become the most successful five-star horse the sport has ever seen.
From harmony in the dressage, to bravery across country, to delivering once again when it mattered most in the showjumping, this was a performance that captured everything great about eventing. That it came just 15 weeks after the birth of Ros' second child only adds to the remarkable nature of what was achieved.
Skill. Horsemanship. Resilience. Greatness.

History Made: Lordships Graffalo becomes Badminton's first three-time Champion

Ros Canter &amp; Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;did it again! They went clear inside the time to maintain their lead and head into the showjumping with a 94% win chance. But this is about more than just a win.&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;is chasing history: a third Badminton title that would make him the first horse ever to win the event three times. No horse has done it. Walter just might.
The cross-country ran almost exactly to script. Of 59 starters, 33 went clear - a rate of 56%, right in line with our pre-event expectation. The average time fault tally across the field was 7.2 penalties, again where we expected it. Seven combinations went inside the time for a rate of 12%, each collecting the full 60 Eventing Manager points:
<ul>
<li>
Ros Canter &amp;&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo: 80 points total on EM, 94% win chance heading into Sunday.
</li>
<li>
Harry Meade &amp;&nbsp;Annaghmore Valoner: Sitting second overnight on 74 EM points. His seventh Badminton clear inside the time in the modern era, bettered only by Andrew Nicholson's eleven.
</li>
<li>
Sarah Bullimore &amp; Corimiro: Move into third on 72 EM points. The homebred ten-year-old has been one of the stories of the week. Bullimore put it simply:&nbsp;"He is the reason that I am still doing it and the reason I get out of bed in the morning. He is an absolute pleasure to ride in every phase."
</li>
<li>
Katie Magee &amp; Treworra: In fourth place, they are likely to set improve on their finishing position at Badminton last year (11th).
</li>
<li>
Gaspard Maksud &amp; Zaragoza: 12th overnight and the first French rider inside the time at Badminton in ten years.
</li>
<li>
Tayla Mason &amp; Centennial: A huge result for this pair to sit in 14th going into showjumping.
</li>
<li>
Holly Richardson &amp; Ballyneety Silver Service: Backing up their Bramham 4*L form where they were inside the time, this pair sit 23rd overnight.
</li>
</ul>
Ros and Walter go into Sunday not even needing a clear round (6.6 penalty margin) to make history... although they are 5/5 clear jumping from their five 5* starts. Second through sixth are within a rail of each other. One phase remains.

94% chance at history

Ros Canter &amp; Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;head into cross-country day with a 4.4-penalty lead: the largest leading margin after dressage at Badminton on record.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/d1006aba-2fa6-4018-8393-feb14677da3e.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Badminton Graphics 2026 (21)">
Their score of 23.7 earns a full 20 points in Eventing Manager and puts them 4.4 ahead of overnight leader&nbsp;Tiana Coudray &amp; Cancaras Girl&nbsp;in second. It is only the second time Ros and Walter have led after dressage at a five-star. The first was Badminton 2023 which became their first CCI5* win together.
Tiana Coudray &amp;&nbsp;Cancaras Girl&nbsp;hold second on 28.1 - their international personal best, and Tiana's best five-star test in 15 years, set on day one.
Third is&nbsp;Lara de Liedekerke-Meier &amp; Hooney D'Arville on 28.6. A five-star personal best for the Belgian, and more than three marks better than their previous best together at Luhmuhlen which made Lara the first-ever Belgian rider to win a 5*.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/74c54e39-ded5-41df-a885-1250e5c33445.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Badminton Graphics 2026 (11)">
In sixth is&nbsp;Marcio Carvalho &amp; Jorge &amp;&nbsp;Royal Encounter&nbsp;on 29.2 - the best dressage test by a Brazilian rider at Badminton in the modern era, and the joint third best five-star dressage score by a Brazilian in the history of the sport.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/44a9c25a-cd62-402a-98a1-a1d090fe1a26.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Badminton Graphics 2026 (8)">
Will Rawlin &amp; Ballycoog Breaker Boy&nbsp;sit seventh on 29.3, their second consecutive sub-30 test at five-star and Will's best ever test at Badminton.
Wills Oakden &amp; Keep It Cooley&nbsp;had a good day to score a 29.4. It is a five-star personal best by more than five penalties.
With 61 results in, the field average sits at 35.0 against an average 6RA of 33.7, 1.3 penalties behind the average.&nbsp;Cross-country day is next.&nbsp;

Everything you need to know from dressage day two

Tiana Coudray &amp; Cancaras Girl&nbsp;head the overnight standings at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials CCI5*-L.
Their score of 28.1 is an international personal best for&nbsp;Cancaras Girl, and for Tiana it is her best five-star test in 15 years. It beats their 6RA of 32.8 by 4.6 penalties &mdash; the biggest positive swing in the field on day one &mdash; and earns a full 16 points for the managers who backed them.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/2299a08f-2679-4a43-be06-6d625b22b9e5.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Badminton Graphics 2026 (1)">
Second overnight is&nbsp;Will Rawlin &amp; Ballycoog Breaker Boy&nbsp;on 29.3. It is the horse's second consecutive sub-30 test at five-star, just a touch above their personal best of 28.8, and Will's best ever test at Badminton. A top-10 dressage score for the horse at any level.
Third is&nbsp;Bubby Upton &amp;&nbsp;Cola&nbsp;on 29.8. A couple of marks back from where they might have hoped, but still a solid score to start the week. It is Bubby's ninth sub-30 test at five-star from 14 starts at the level.
Further down, we have TWO Irish combinations inside the top-five.&nbsp;Georgie Goss &amp; Feloupe&nbsp;sit fourth with a strong 30.8 while&nbsp;Lucy Latta &amp; RCA Patron Saint sit fifth on 31.9.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/f2e47c00-1924-41d2-8e44-c63714aacbe0.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Red Mills Eventing 2026 (5)">
With 31 results in, the average score sits at 36.1 against an average 6RA of 34.5, meaning collectively the field is underperforming its benchmark by 1.6 penalties. Against that backdrop, a 4.6 improvement from the leader is a serious outlier.

Who had a good day at Badminton? Dressage day one reviewed 

The 2026 Badminton Fan Guide is now live. Here are a few curated highlights but you can&nbsp;<a href="https://equiratings.info/badminton2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access the full visual guide here.</a>
<h1>Schedule</h1>
DRESSAGE Thurs May 7th - 10:00 am Fri May 8th - 10:00 am
CROSS COUNTRY Sat May 9th - 11:30 am
SHOW JUMPING Sun May 10th - 11:30 am (1st group) | 2:45 pm (top 20)
<h1>Livestream</h1>
Live streaming of all three phases is on&nbsp;BadmintonTV, powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. A year-long BadmintonTV subscription costs &pound;22.99 and you do NOT need a ClipMyHorse subscription. Once you're a BadmintonTV subscriber, you simply log into ClipMyHorse using your BadmintonTV credentials. NOTE: If you already have a ClipMyHorse subscription, you do not need to buy BadmintonTV on top of that. You can view all Badminton content with your CMH subscription.
<h1 class="text-text-100 mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold">What to Watch</h1>
Can Lordships Graffalo make history (again)? - A third Badminton win would be&nbsp;unprecedented; no horse has ever claimed the Badminton title three times (dating all the way back to the event's start in 1949). Lordships Graffalo already made history at Burghley last year by becoming the first-ever horse to win both Badminton (2023, 2025) and Burghley (2024, 2025)&nbsp;twice.
RCA Patron Saint's speed threat - Lucy Latta &amp; "Paddy" top the speed rankings. At Badminton 2024, they were the single fastest pair of the day and it earned them second place after they were initially in 43rd after dressage. Watch for this pair to make a similar climb up the leaderboard come Saturday evening.
The dressage battle - Lordship Graffalo's 6RA of 23.6 gives him a significant edge over the rest of the field, but the Badminton winner has come from as far back as 25th after dressage.
The cross country factor&nbsp;- Only 6% of starters have gone clear inside the time over the last 10 Badmintons. Expect big leaderboard swings on Saturday.
Falco's show jumping streak - Tim Price's Falco hasn't knocked a rail in 15 consecutive international SJ rounds. If he's in contention going into Sunday, watch out.
The show jumping factor - In each of the last five years, just two of the overnight top five kept all the rails up on the final day. In 2024, Caroline Powell &amp; Greenacres Special Cavalier showed that a clear SJ round can catapult you up the leaderboard; the pair came from 6th after XC to win that year.
Five-star first-timer to watch - With Tom Jackson, United 36 makes more than one top-10 list among this year's field.
<h1>Top Contenders</h1>
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Lordships Graffalo - Ros Canter</h4>
The strong favourite. Winner of Badminton 2023 &amp; 2025 and Burghley 2024 &amp; 2025 - the only horse ever to win both twice. Best dressage 6RA in the field (23.6). Has made the five-star time at Badminton and Burghley multiple times. The one to beat.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">RCA Patron Saint - Lucy Latta</h4>
Tops the speed rankings with a TSP of 97% and was the single fastest horse at Badminton 2024. Finished 2nd that year.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Falco - Tim Price</h4>
Previous CCI5* winner (Pau 2021). Strong dressage (6RA 27.9) and the longest active SJ streak in the field: 15 rounds without a rail. A well-rounded threat across all three phases.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Greenacres Special Cavalier - Caroline Powell</h4>
Badminton 2024 winner. Proven ability to deliver in the jumping phases, particularly on Sundays; he is the highest-rated showjumper in the field.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Hooney d'Arville - Lara de Liedekerke-Meier</h4>
Luhm&uuml;hlen 2024 winner. Solid dressage (6RA 28.8) and five-star experience &mdash; a dark horse for the podium.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Cartania - Felix Vogg</h4>
Maryland 2025 winner and the wildcard of the field. 6RA of 30.0 suggests dressage may cost him, but a strong cross country could bring him right into contention.
<h1 class="text-text-100 mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold">Key EquiRatings Stats</h1>
6RA (Dressage Rating): The average of a horse's last 6 FEI dressage scores. Lower = better. Lordships Graffalo's 23.6 is comfortably the best in the field, with the next-best (Corimiro, 27.6) nearly 4 points behind.
XCJ Clear Rate: Just 51% of starters have jumped cross country clear over the last 10 Badmintons, and only 6% have gone clear inside the time. The average clear round still finishes 41 seconds (16.4 penalties) over the time.&nbsp;
Top Speed Percentage: Measures how many opponents a horse has been faster than on it's three fastest XC runs (of his last 10). A TSP of 96&ndash;97% means a horse was faster than nearly all of his rivals over those three runs.
SJ Clear Rate: Only 14% of combinations showjump clear at Badminton (clear &amp; inside the time). In some years it's been as low as 0% (2014). A clear SJ round is a major differentiator on the final day.
Dressage-to-podium range: The winner has come from as far back as 25th after dressage, and podium finishers have come from 48th. Leading after dressage is no guarantee &mdash; only 3 of the last 10 winners were overnight leaders.
<h1 class="text-text-100 mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold">FAQ</h1>
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Who is the favourite?</h4>
Lordships Graffalo and Ros Canter are the clear pre-event favourites based on EquiRatings predictions. They hold the best dressage rating in the field, have made the five-star time at Badminton and Burghley multiple times, and arrive with four consecutive five-star wins behind them.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">What does the EquiRatings Prediction Centre say?</h4>
EquiRatings' pre-event predictions place Lordships Graffalo &amp; Ros Canter at the top of the win chances. Predictions are updated after each day of competition&nbsp;(dressage day 1, dressage day 2, cross country), so you can see the picture shift as the competition unfolds.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Which combinations are strongest across country?</h4>
Annaghmore Valoner (Harry Meade), RCA Patron Saint (Lucy Latta), Lordships Graffalo (Ros Canter) and five-star first-timer United 36 (Tom Jackson) feature among this year's highest-rated XC horses. The full lists with ratings are detailed in the <a href="https://equiratings.info/badminton2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full Fan Guide</a>.
<h4 class="text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold">Where can I view the full guide?</h4>
The full visual Fan Guide is accessible right here &darr; or at news.equiratings.com &rarr; Form Guides.&nbsp;
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;"><a style="display: inline-block; background-color: #ffbc49; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; padding: 14px 28px; border-radius: 6px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://equiratings.info/badminton2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2026 Badminton Fan Guide</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;"><a href="https://equiratings.info/badminton2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/d93da827-a720-4757-82b0-d07a737a7013.png?width=756&amp;height=945" alt="Badminton Fan Guide 2026 Promo"></a></div>

Magazine cover for the 2026 Badminton fan guide. Features a photo of the bay horse Lordships Graffalo and Ros Canter during a Badminton horse inspection

2026 MARS Badminton Fan Guide - the Contenders, the Stats, the Stories.

Ros Canter is back in the saddle. Just weeks after giving birth, the reigning Badminton and Burghley champion has returned to riding and she's already got her sights set on May.
<div style="max-width: 540px; margin: 1rem auto;"><iframe src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVeHRRejGt4/embed" width="100%" height="510" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<div style="max-width: 540px; margin: 0 auto; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ros_canter_eventing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ros_canter_eventing</a> We are back! Let the road to Badminton commence...
</div>
After completing the 'Double Double' in 2025 &mdash; becoming the first horse to win both Badminton and Burghley twice &mdash; Ros Canter and&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo return with history in their sights. Six combinations have won Badminton twice. None has ever won it three times.
&nbsp;<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/86267dcf-a227-4fe7-9912-744b0ad2c1ad.png?width=1188&amp;height=1052" alt="Zp H Ar Combinations Which Have Won Badminton Twice ">
A third Badminton title would be unprecedented. But if the numbers tell us anything, it's that breaking this record won't come easy. This is one of the most gruelling competitions in&nbsp; thesport, and to win it you have to beat the most elite combinations in the world.
&nbsp;
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How Hard Is It to Win Badminton 5*?</h2>
Badminton consistently attracts the most competitive fields in the sport. Using Elo field strength (calculated by averaging the Elo ratings of the top 25 horses entered), Badminton appears four times in the top 10 strongest five-star competitions on record.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/a37d29f4-f170-479b-af84-46961ed58f41.png?width=1816&amp;height=1626" alt="Y0 O7t the Top 10 Strongest Five Star Fields on Record ">
The 2025 edition ranked as the third-strongest competition in history with an Elo field strength of 719, behind only the 2022 Pratoni World Championships (730) and the 2024 Paris Olympics (720). That's the field Lordships Graffalo or &lsquo;Walter&rsquo; to his friends conquered to secure his second Badminton title.
While the 2025 edition ranks among the strongest fields in history, Ros and Walter&rsquo;s 2023 victory was against the fifth highest-rated Badminton field on record. With this victory they achieved the highest HPR recorded at Badminton (111) since records began in 2008.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/8be6db90-d33f-46dc-9f04-d2ad3033ec42.png?width=1548&amp;height=976" alt="Kz N L2 the Top 5 Strongest Badminton Fields on Record (1)">
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<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Who Might Come to Challenge Ros Canter at Badminton?</h2>
Harry Meade has every reason to return. The British rider campaigned five horses at five-star level in 2025 and earned world number one points for his fourth and sixth place finishes at Badminton last year. With that kind of string depth, Meade has the ammunition to mount a serious challenge and he'll be gunning to defend those rankings.
Oliver Townend may come back to avenge his 2025 heartbreak. A single showjumping pole dropped him to second place and handed Canter the win. Townend holds the joint-most Badminton starts since 2008 with 20 appearances (tied with William Fox-Pitt), and while his string is smaller than usual, it's hard to imagine him sitting out an event this significant. Cooley Rosalent is likely his mount, and with a World Championship spot to secure through selection, Townend has plenty of motivation.
Tim Price has had a horse at Badminton every year since 2014, and fresh off his Pau five-star win with Jarillo in October, he's very likely to return with multiple rides again.
Caroline Powell, the 2023 Badminton winner, is another frequent starter with 16 appearances since 2008. After a breakthrough performance with High Time at Burghley 2025 (eighth place), she may look to better last year's Badminton result and prove that 2023 wasn't a one-off.
And then there's Cassie Sanger, the young American who was the best-placed first-timer at Burghley 2025 with Redfield Fyre. Based with Ros Canter in England, she is gaining experience at the biggest events while she's on this side of the Atlantic.
&nbsp;
<hr>
&nbsp;
The names on the entry list may change, but the calibre never does.&nbsp; Badminton consistently draws the sport's best riders on their best horses and 2026 will be no different.&nbsp;
Whether Lordships Graffalo can make history depends not just on his own brilliance, but on how he measures up against what is shaping up to be one of the strongest fields ever assembled.&nbsp;
Only eight weeks to go.
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<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">Stay in the Loop on All Things Eventing</h2>
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Can Lordships Graffalo Do What No Horse Has Done Before?

With dressage done and dusted, we head into cross-country Saturday at Badminton with a leaderboard stacked with talent, tight margins, and more than a few storylines brewing. The first phase gave us a glimpse &mdash; but this is Badminton, and once the start box beeps, everything can change.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<hr>
<h3 data-start="423" data-end="780">&nbsp;</h3>
<h2>Prediction Centre Win, Podium and Top 10 Chances After Dressage</h2>
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<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/53e89dd2-d9b5-4340-b4d9-07e551797230.bin?width=null&amp;height=null" alt="Png (1)"></a>
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<hr>
<h3 class="" data-start="1141" data-end="1175">&nbsp;</h3>
<h2 data-start="1141" data-end="1175">Changes in Prediction Centre Chances After Dressage</h2>
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<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/0750c8f8-fb73-4f93-a5cc-593492d82045.png?width=810&amp;height=411" alt="Image (2)"></a>
<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/ab247653-0e0b-4d1d-bc44-6702e16210c7.png?width=802&amp;height=187" alt="Image (3)"></a>
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<hr>
<h2 data-start="792" data-end="1080">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 data-start="792" data-end="1080">What to expect tomorrow</h2>
Cross-country day at Badminton is never easy&mdash;and Saturday&rsquo;s going to be a serious test. In the last ten years, none of the winners have had a jumping penalty on cross-country, and only four have made the time.
With an 8% clear-inside-time rate and 81 starters this year, that&rsquo;s only six who might do it. It&rsquo;s the day that makes or breaks a Badminton result&mdash;and it&rsquo;s set to be a big one for course designer Eric Winter too, who sees his 500th starter head out on one of his Badminton tracks tomorrow. Expect bold questions, tough turns, and big moves.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/327950a3-4368-4d77-96c3-31cb3b229739.png?width=565&amp;height=643" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 09 181930">
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/ac965e57-d8cf-4de5-8750-b6f8e7ff9d3e.png?width=577&amp;height=633" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 09 181909">
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<hr>
<h2> Metrics Explained</h2>
When it comes to cross-country analysis, a few key metrics give real insight into performance&mdash;and they help us look beyond just clear rounds or penalties.&nbsp;
XCJ10&nbsp;shows a horse&rsquo;s clear jumping rate across its last 10 international cross-country runs, revealing consistency over time.
Avg XCJ10&nbsp;provides crucial course context, showing how tough those tracks were for everyone.
Adj XCJ10 then measures how a horse&rsquo;s clear rate compares to those course averages&mdash;positive means above the standard, negative means below.&nbsp;
TSP (Top Speed Percentage)&nbsp;shows the percentage of opponents a horse has outrun on its fastest days, highlighting speed and competitiveness.
At EquiRatings, we use these metrics because the sport is more than just "yes" or "no" on the scoreboard. Every course, every round, and every competitor brings different challenges&mdash;and smart stats give fans, riders, and selectors a much deeper understanding of performance and potential.
<hr>
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>The Most Reliable Cross Country Horses&nbsp;</h2>
According to their adjusted cross country jumping (XCJ) clear rate
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/6cc1867a-26f6-4e19-bfb0-2fd2b656822d.png?width=678&amp;height=745" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 09 194531">
&nbsp;
<hr>
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>The Fastest Cross Country Horses</h2>
Based on the Top Speed Percentage
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/b0116d10-9a88-424b-8b16-b83f642c4b60.png?width=460&amp;height=763" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 09 194338">
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<hr>
<h2 data-start="90" data-end="184">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 data-start="90" data-end="184">Galileo Nieuwmoed &amp; David Doel</h2>
This is the only combination in the field to appear on both the fastest and most reliable cross-country lists.
XCJ10: 100%&emsp;&emsp;Avg XCJ10: 57%&emsp;&emsp;Adj XCJ10: +43%&emsp;&emsp;TSP: 97
After finishing 6th on their Badminton debut in 2022, David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed return as one of the most consistently impressive combinations in the field. They were 2nd at Burghley in 2023 and closed out 2024 with a 3rd at Maryland. This combination are certainly ones to watch going into cross country day.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/2065710d-438b-49fb-a9c3-f38c1b32a804.jpg?width=undefined&amp;height=undefined" alt="Xc David Doel Galileonieuwmoed 5"> 
&nbsp;
Dressage is done &mdash; now it&rsquo;s time for the real test. 81 starters, one tough track, and everything still up for grabs. Cross-country day at Badminton is finally here.
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<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">&nbsp;</h2>
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<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">📣&nbsp;Stay in the Loop on All Things Eventing</h2>
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What you need to know before Badminton Cross Country....

The highest-rated Badminton field and&nbsp;the highest-rated five-star field are both records that began in 2010 and are both about to be usurped by this year's Badminton starting line-up. In fact, Badminton 2025 is set to boast a field-strength rating higher than every Olympic Games on record, and is set to become the second highest-rated competition on record behind the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni Del Vivaro.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/a937a1f3-e3a6-4a38-88fd-38283eb0cd76.png?width=379&amp;height=411" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 07 132427">
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<h2>The Rating</h2>
Field strength is the average Elo rating of the Top 25 rated horses in a competition. It indicates the quality and the depth of a field of competitors. While the Elo rating measures quality and consistency&nbsp;of performance, the metric will generally favour the older horses who have had more time to build their rating. The highest Elo in the field belongs to&nbsp;Ballaghmor Class&nbsp;(890) who few will dispute is a five-star great. However, his younger adversary&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;(865) is lower rated on the Elo but far more highly rated on the <a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EquiRatings Prediction Centre.</a> This tells us that the body of work produced by Ballaghmor Class is still greater, and he shows no apparent decline, but the expected performance of Lordships Graffalo should still be superior based on his recent form and current metrics.
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<h2>Other Key Competitors</h2>
JL Dublin (835) takes the third spot on Elo rating and is arguably the best horse currently in the sport&nbsp;yet to win a five-star.&nbsp;Galileo Nieuwmoed&nbsp;(793) and&nbsp;Vitali&nbsp;(783) are proven five-star specialists with excellent cross-country form. The former tends to climb after phase one, whereas the later has been the pace-setter who has slipped on the final day. If either can squeeze improvement in their weaker phase and maintain the strength of their other two, then they are also going in search of a major title.
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<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/6946b04c-b11f-4599-a958-c3059f1ad3cd.png?width=381&amp;height=631" alt="Screenshot 2025 05 07 132516">
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<h2>Eloflation</h2>
Badminton 2025 is set to record a field strength of 724. Given that the Elo was first applied to the sport of eventing in 2008 from a blanket standing start (assuming all horses were neutral performers) it does take a significant amount of time to build. La Biosthetique Sam FBW for example, made his championship debut in 2009 and some of his early career wasn't recorded by the Elo. In addition, many of the established horses that he beat in his career were not rated as highly as they should have been as they also put many of their best performances on record before 2008. Therefore, there is a small trend of Elo inflation which becomes less and less as time goes by.
The next highest five-star on the field strength rating is Badminton 2022 (711). Eloflation does not account for this difference, so Badminton is comfortably the top-rated five-star this decade.
In 2017, Badminton recorded a field strength of 703.&nbsp;And in 2013, the figure was&nbsp;694. BOTH of these competitions are certainly victims of Eloflation and it becomes a debate as to which of Badminton 2013, 2017 and 2025 is REALLY the strongest field of horses ever assembled at a five-star.
This analyst's opinion is 2013. Nicholson and Fox-Pitt were BOTH double-handed AND they were both going for a Grand Slam. Jung and Auffarth were both riding championship gold medalists. Paget took the win on a five-star great. The quality in behind these headliners was there in bulk as well.
The facts say the best on the record, but our feeling is that it's VERY close.
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Ros Canter, Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend Headshots

Why Badminton 2025 Might Be the Greatest Five-Star Ever

In 2015, 19-year-old Emily King made headlines with a fourth-place finish at Pau aboard Brookleigh - still the only teenager to break into the top five of a CCI5*-L since 2008. A decade later, that milestone continues to turn heads.
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&ldquo;I feel lucky to have had a result like that early on in my career as it was like dangling a carrot in front of me of what could be achievable if I kept striving for the best.&rdquo;
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<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/5c0920c7-e335-4795-9067-973fca4cdf0c.png?width=1900&amp;height=1172" alt="Y T3fm Cci5 L Completions by Teenage Riders Since 2008 ">
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That early result didn&rsquo;t just spark attention &mdash; it fast-tracked King into Olympic conversations. She was long-listed for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, gaining a rare look behind the curtain at elite team preparation.
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&ldquo;Off the back of that I was put on the Rio Olympics longlist, which was a dream come true &mdash; it was fascinating being exposed to the intricate behind-the-scenes team training and attention to detail. Opportunities like this, off the ack of Brook's results, made me more hungry to reach the top of the sport.&rdquo;
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That hunger has fuelled a steady but impressive climb. Over the years, King has built a reputation for resilience, polish, and ambition. Her record of 20 CCI4* and 5* starts before the age of 20 still ties her for the most prolific teenage event rider in the modern era.
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&ldquo;That result drove me to work as hard as possible, train my horses as well as possible and strive to be the best I possibly can be as a horsewoman.&rdquo;
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<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/391c721f-ae10-4614-8608-45562a1ee29e.png?width=1380&amp;height=1142" alt="T R8 Ge Nbsp Riders With the Most Cci4 and 5 Starts as a Teenager Since 2008 ">
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<h2 data-start="1270" data-end="1297">Current Form &amp; Rankings</h2>
Now, ten years on from her Pau breakout, Emily King sits firmly among the sport&rsquo;s elite. She&rsquo;s currently ranked 24th in the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings &mdash; a career high.
This season, she&rsquo;s campaigned two horses at 4* level &mdash; Jackpot and the ever-reliable Valmy Biats, a combination that continues to impress on the biggest stages.
Together, Emily and Valmy Biats have:
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<li data-start="520" data-end="568">Finished in the Top 10 at Pau CCI5* (2022)</li>
<li data-start="520" data-end="568">Delivered a&nbsp;Top 5 finish at Badminton CCI5* (2024)</li>
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Their consistency and class didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed &mdash; the pair were long-listed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, recognition of their form and potential at the highest level of the sport.
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<h2 data-start="0" data-end="42">What is next?</h2>
Next week, Emily is headed back to Badminton.
Emily and Valmy Biats return to the CCI5*-L at Badminton next week &mdash; and they aren&rsquo;t just on the start list, they&rsquo;re near the top of the <a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EquiRatings Prediction Centre.</a> With a 10% win chance and 29% chance of a podium finish, they sit second only to Olympic gold medallist and 2x five-star winner Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo.
Behind them? Olympic rider Tom McEwen and travelling reserve Yasmin Ingham.
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<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/badminton_5l_2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/c9c61d53-b756-462d-8473-d49060baf3f6.png?width=919&amp;height=805" alt="Screenshot 2025 04 30 161345"></a>
<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">&nbsp;</h2>
<hr>
<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 data-start="150" data-end="200">📣 Stay in the Loop on All Things Eventing</h2>
Get the latest predictions, key stats, and storylines delivered where you want them.
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MARS Badminton Horse Trials