‘I’m just enjoying the moment’
Badminton, presented by Mars Equestrian, Glos
LAURA COLLETT topped a “whirlwind 18 months” when she and London 52 led from start to finish to add a first Badminton victory to their first five-star win at Pau in the autumn of 2020 and Olympic team gold last year.
“Crossing the finish line in Tokyo was unbelievable, but with the crowds here – I wouldn’t say it tops Tokyo, but it’s on a par,” she said after her clear cross-country round inside the time.
Huge crowds flocked to this sunny Badminton as eventing fans starved of the event since 2019 packed out the grounds; 180,000 attended over the four days. With advance ticketing only this year, Saturday was sold out three days ahead.
“This horse is a show-off and he’s hated not having crowds,” added Laura. “His best rounds have been with an audience and this tops any crowd anywhere in the world, and he just loved it.”
Some might say this Badminton win was written into Laura’s
