"BADMINTON prospect” is seen on numerous for sale ads – but over the past 14 years, we’ve become accustomed to checking whether this refers to an equine athlete destined for the five-star competition or the grassroots. Either will be worth their weight in sticky pound notes to the right rider.
The grassroots championships moved from Aston-le-Walls to Badminton for the 2010 event, giving the country’s best BE90 and BE100 combinations a run at one of the most prestigious venues in Britain.
Hugh Thomas, then Badminton’s event director, said: “To be able to host the championships for the grassroots riders alongside our international event will be quite a challenge but we very much look forward to making them feel part of our Badminton family.”
The event was sponsored by Badminton’s headline supporter Mitsubishi Motors – and was for a while rebranded the Mitsubishi Motors Cup, with winners given a car for a year – while more recently Voltaire Design has taken on the title sponsorship.
Event organiser Ollie Bush says that not a great deal has changed
