Badminton 2000 - Course map

The bad weather leading up to the event prompted the ground jury and course builder, Hugh Thomas, to withdraw four fences from the course. However, by Saturday, only the ground in front of the fourth element of the steps to arrowheads combination was still unacceptable, and the second arrowhead was removed completely. The other fences to be removed were a Hay Rack (Fence 12), which would have been jumped just before the horses descended the steps, and the first two walls of the four-wall complex at Tom Smiths Walls (Fence 24)

Also, on the advice of the rider representative, Ian Stark, three fences on the steeplechase were widened. Last year, the steeplechase took it's toll on the horses before they even set out on the cross country as some of the flights have to be jumped twice and, after six hundred hooves, the ground in front and behind them was pretty boggy. Other measures introduced to address welfare and safety issues included an extra ten minute halt during phase C, the roads and tracks. Phase C had also been reduced to 8.8 kilometres.

Nearly all the riders walked the course at least three times and most felt it was a vast improvement on last year's very twisty track. "It may look easier than last year but there are a lot of questions of accuracy", said Ian Stark. Charlotte Bathe who was giving The Irish One his first taste of Badminton said "It is a fair track and Hugh (Thomas) has done a great job. There are lots of places to make a mistake and a big cheer went up in the stables when the second arrowhead was removed from the Steps to Sydney, but I still think that it may be the most influential fence."

Cross-country day proved to be a warm day blessed with hazy sunshine - a photographer's delight! Pathfinders Leslie Law and Shear H20 didn't put a foot wrong although they took the alternative route at the Pipin Bank (having fallen there taking the direct route last year) and the slightly longer route at the final element of the Beer Garden (Fence 27, part C). This route was to prove the most popular as the smaller, round table called for a high degree of accuracy and an expensive run-out or, worse still, a tip-up, were quite a possibility. Lesley came home within the optimum time and was to remain in the lead for the majority of the day.

Pathfinders Leslie Law and Shear H2O - the pair led for most of the day

Faults were incurred fairly evenly around the course and the biggest surprises were those who faulted. Andrew Nicholson's first ride, Whitmonday, refused at the second element of the Shogun Sporting Turn, a seemingly innocuous angled Bullfinch preceded by an open ditch. This fence was also to be the undoing of Andrew Hoy and Darien Powers. Lulled into a momentary lapse of concentration by Powers' magnificent natural jump and sense of rhythm, Andrew neglected to set his horse up for the second element and the grey seemed totally unaware of what was expected of him. Despite their glance-off the pair still finished within the optimum time and fell to eighth place behind fellow Australian Matt Ryan and Kibah Sandstone.

With Oscar, Chris Bartle's problems began at the Charisma Pond. Two refusals at the rounded fence situated, for the first time, in the middle of the pond, were followed by a fall and retirement at The Beer Garden. Word Perfect II fared better, completing with just one run out at the Pinin Bank, Fence seventeen. A run out at the same fence for Lesley Law and Matt Butler was quickly followed by a second refusal and retirement at The Vicarage Vee (Fence 19).

Australian Matt Ryan negotiates the Pheasant Feeders on Kibah Sandstone

Blyth Tait and Chesterfield suffered an horrific looking fall at the Pheasant Feeders (Fences 6 and 7). Chesterfield seemed to change his mind coming into the first of the angled fences and, rather than put in a short stride, proceeded to launch himself at the obstacle from an impossible distance hitting the fence with his chest. Both horse and rider were catapulted over the fence but, fortunately, Blyth was thrown clear. Still in some discomfort from the broken leg he sustained in a fall at Burghley last year, Blyth appeared quite shocked by the incident and took no further part in proceedings.

Another seemingly innocuous combination, the Pheasant Feeders, claimed only one other victim, Andrea Morris and Street Party. Tom Smith's Walls proved a more formidable challenge. Nearly everybody took the two walls at an angle rather than risk the single wall at its corner, yet even the two walls took their toll.

Rudolphe Scherer gave Bambi de Brière an impossible task at the second wall having overshot his line. His 20 faults for the refusal were added to 24.4 time faults and the Frenchman slid twenty-six places.

Continues........

Click Here or send an email to nextissue@thejoyofhorses.com to be notified when the next issue of the magazine is published