THE entries for this year’s CCI5*-L MARS Badminton Horse Trials, which will be held from May 6th-10th at the Gloucestershire estate, have been released. A total of 11 nations will be represented by the current list of 81 entries, 12 of which are Irish. Among them are two previous winning combinations in the form of Ros Canter with Lordships Graffalo and Caroline Powell with Greenacres Special Cavalier.
The Irish entries are as follows: Alice Copithorne with Fort Arthur Little Dolly, Austin O’Connor with both Colorado Blue and Sixmilewater, Georgie Goss with Feloupe, Lucy Latta with RCA Patron Saint, Ian Cassells with Master Point, Joseph Murphy with Belline Fighting Spirit, Michael Ryan with Claragh Mountain, Padraig McCarthy with Lady Ophelia, Sam Watson with Ballyneety Rocketman, Sarah Ennis with Grantstown Jackson and Susie Berry with Clever Trick.
Of these, both Lucy Latta with RCA Patron Saint and Austin O’Connor with Colorado Blue have made it to Badminton’s podium before, the former having been second on her debut in 2024, while the latter combination was third in both 2023 and 2025. Ian Cassells was the next best Irish finisher to O’Connor last year, having placed 13th, and he says: “’Duke’ is in great form, he feels and looks better than ever. We’re heading to Thoresby as our prep run, and hoping all goes to plan.” Latta is also heading to Thoresby, as well as Barbury, for her prep runs, and she says: “’Paddy’ is in great form and I’m really excited to be going back to Badminton this year.”
Goss, Murphy, Watson, Ennis and Berry also completed with their respective rides last year, while Michael Ryan and Austin O’Connor are both in line for their second Armada dishes, should each of them reach 10 completions at this year’s event. Alice Copithorne will be the only Irish Badminton debutante this year, and she says: “I’m really looking forward to it. Dolly’s prep has been going very well so far. She took the step up to five-star with ease last year and we hope she will take this with ease as well.”
Hot competition
Other five-star winning combinations in the field include Lara de Liederkerke Meier and Hooney d’Arville, who became the first Belgian pair to win a CCI5*-L at Lumuhlen in 2024; Tim Price and Falco, who won Pau in 2021; Felix Vogg and Cartania, the most recent five-star winners in the field having topped the leader board at Maryland last year; and Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent, one of six Cooley horses in the field, who won Kentucky in 2024.
Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight are another five-star winning pair in the field (Bicton, 2021), while Sarah Bullimore with her home-bred Corimiro, Emily King with Valmy Biats and previous Pau-winner Caroline Harris with Cooley Mosstown also look promising for the host nation. The crowd will no doubt look forward to seeing the diminutive former point-to-pointer Public Address run across country with Tom Strawson, as well as the expressive Frenchman Gaspard Maksud and his brave mare Zaragoza.
The entry list will likely diminish prior to the event, not least because world number one Harry Meade has five horses entered, all of whom have previously finished in the top 10 at five-star level. David Doel is also triple-handed, but has stated his intention to take Galileo Nieuwmoed to Kentucky if logistics allow, and both Joseph Murphy and Austin O’Connor hold double Kentucky and Badminton entries, with Belline Fighting Spirit and Colorado Blue respectively. Padraig McCarthy’s team silver medal-winning partner at last year’s European Championships, Pomp ‘n’ Circumstance, is also on the list to make the trip stateside.
Were O’Connor to bring ‘Salty’ to Kentucky, he would avoid facing both Canter and Townend on the two horses who bettered him at Badminton last year and, given that their last trip to the US resulted in a historic five-star victory, this event could prove a very exciting debut for the Irish pair. Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L takes place from April 23rd-26th.