Cross-country day is complete at the 2026 Mars Badminton Horse Trials (9 May), and what a day it was, with fabulous horse and rider combinations, and superb weather.

There were 59 starters today and 45 of those completed the Eric Winter-designed track over 32 fences. Thirty-five competitors jumped clear with seven finishing inside the optimum time.

Here, we give you a run down of the top 10 after today’s cross-country action…

1. Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo

Reigning Badminton and Burghley champions, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo (pictured top), put in a textbook round of jumping, making the track look like child’s play.

Ros was competing just 15 weeks after giving birth to her second child and her and Walter never looked to be in a hurry around the course, but finished comfortably within the optimum time – they were the fastest round of the day, stopping the clock on 11min17sec, 13 seconds inside the time.

“I just feel so unbelievably lucky to have a horse who allows me to come out and do this level when I’m maybe not at my best, believing that I can do it because I’m on him,” said Ros, whose daughter Seneh was born on 24 January.

They hold the lead on their 23.7 dressage and are a whopping 6.6 penalties ahead of their nearest rivals.

2. Harry Meade and Annaghmore Valoner

Harry and the second of his three rides, Annaghmore Valoner, were another pair to finish inside the time and this mare really impressed on her way around.

They have climbed from 11th after the first phase to second and go into tomorrow on their 30.3 dressage.

“She was easy peasy – I love her,” said Harry. “I’ve always had a real soft spot for her, and I know this sounds a bit weird, but she’s the only horse that I would happily inhale her exhale – that’s how much I love her and I wouldn’t even say that about my wife!

“She was always highly strung, nervous, insecure, lacking confidence and slightly erratic, and she’s done plenty of lobbing around events to get her breathing relaxed and it’s really paid off. It’s just a shame the time wasn’t 30 seconds tighter today!”

3. Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro

Sarah and this wonderful home-bred 10-year-old put in a fabulous round of jumping to complete on their 32.1 dressage. They have risen into third place from overnight 19th.

“He has such scope and such range and power. You can probably tell I’m a little bit rose-tinted about him, but there’s also a lot of other people that really quite like him too,” said Sarah. “My husband knows he’s lower in the pecking order than him.”

4. Katie Magee and Treworra

Katie and the lovely 12-year-old Treworra finished 11th on their Badminton debut last year and they are set to better that performance following a clear round inside the time today to go into tomorrow on their 33.3 dressage (which had left them in 26th).

“He was just brilliant every step of the way,” said Katie. “He was with me, looking for the flags, and I wouldn’t want to be riding any other horse.

“I even got to enjoy it!”

5. Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint

Ireland’s Lucy Latta is no stranger to Badminton having finished second here on RCA Patron Saint in 2024.

The 29-year-old, who recently decided to take a career break from her full-time job working in marketing for a well-known soft drinks company, jumped a beautiful round with RCA Patron Saint today to pick up two-time faults, promoting them from 18th after the dressage into equal fifth on 33.9.

“He’s an incredible cross-country horse and I’m so lucky to be sat on him,” said Lucy. “He really lives for days like this at these big events on the Saturday.

“I’m actually a little bit frustrated with my self about the time-faults as he was full of running at the end, but I just needed to take the time at one or two points to fill his lungs. But he was incredible.”

5. Tim Price and Falco

New Zealand’s Tim Price is recovering from a recently broken collarbone and subsequent surgery, but he had a good round with 17-year-old Falco today.

They were 10th after the dressage and added four time-faults to their first phase score of 33.9 and finished bang on the same time as Lucy Latta, meaning they are in equal fifth.

“That was a super round – he has been quite a good four-and-a-half star horse before now, but he was fantastic today and jumped super and looked after me a couple of times,” said Tim.

7. Will Rawlin and Ballycoog Breaker Boy

Will and “William” have maintained seventh place after the dressage after jumping clear across country, adding 5.6 time-faults to their first phase score of 29.3.

“He pulls out the bag for me – he’s such a champ and I’m so lucky to ride a horse like him,” said Will. “He loves to perform on a stage like this.

“He’s not the biggest jumper over the fences, so I know it doesn’t always look pretty, but he will always just keep on galloping.

“We were really on our minute markers, but he just got tired in the last 30 seconds. He’s got so much trust in me and I have got so much trust in him, we have a great partnership and support each other where we can.”

8. Lara De Liedekerke-Meier and Hooney D’Arville

Belgium’s Lara De Liedekerke-Meier and her wonderful home-bred mare, “Hooney”, were another to make Eric Winter’s Badminton track look easy. They picked up 6.4 time-faults to drop from third after the dressage into eighth on a score of 35.

“We had a scary moment at fence two when I had a forward shot and she drifted to the left and took out the decor on the jump,” said Lara. “I thought ‘oh no! This is going to end early’, but after that she was great. I rode my horse and not the results today.

“The course felt a little bit like the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, but everything was in front of you and I think the track was good today.”

9. Tom Jackson and United 36

Tom and United 36, a 10-year-old gelding who is tackling his first five-star, put in a great clear round for 3.2 time-faults towards the start of cross-country day. They have climbed 11 places into ninth and sit on a score of 35.4.

“It’s quite unbelievable for him to be here as this time last year, he hadn’t even done a CCI4*-L,” explained Tom. “But he just ate the course up today and made it feel like he’d been doing it for years.”

10. Aaron Millar and Friendship VDL

Aaron Millar and the lovely 16-year-old Friendship VDL put in a classy cross-country performance to stop the clock just one second over the time, adding .4 of a penalty to their 35.5 dressage to rocket them from 36th into equal 10th.

“I owe this all to my horse,” said Aaron. “He has only done two open intermediates this year – which was the plan – but I’ve always believed in him but it was just a case of getting him here.”

10. Felix Vogg and Cartania

Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and the feisty 15-year-old mare Cartania had a few worrying moments while tackling today’s cross-country, but they finished clear jumping with 7.2 time-faults to slip from fourth after the dressage into equal 10th.

“She was a handful today and it was a lot of work,” said Felix. “I tried to prepare but she has her own opinion.”

Images by Tim Wilkinson

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