I THINK this is a fantastic track. It features a lot of the iconic Badminton fences and the flow works really well. There are some nice fences to get horses and riders into their rhythm, and the early combinations set them up for the first intense question at Huntsman’s Close.
The course is reversed this year - this gives competitors more time on the flat, which will help them settle into a rhythm. The way designer Eric Winter has shaped the course, with more fences in the Vicarage Vee area and missing out the staircase, means that riders will probably not be turning as much towards the end of the course.
★ MARS BADMINTON preview
Hopefully, that will be in horses’ favour, without taking away the complexity and intensity of the questions.
I’ve givep one nine out of 10 rating, for the LeMieux Eyelash Brushes. Before horses get to part a, they will see the whole picture, making it clear for them. It’s only once you get over the ditch, you realise how intense that angle is to the final element, which took me a little by surprise.
There isn’t much wiggle room if horses were to jump off their line or paddle over the ditch, so riders need to make sure they stay true to the line and then
