Top contenders are among the latest Badminton Horse Trials withdrawals as the clock ticks down to the 2023 event.
Leading US combination Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus will not be starting at the Gloucestershire five-star, presented by Mars Equestrian.
Lauren and the 16-year-old gelding, owned by Jaqueline Mars, were part of the US silver medal-winning team at the 2022 World Eventing Championships in Pratoni.
Vermiculus, known as “Bug”, would have been among the favourites for a top result at Badminton. He has a remarkable cross-country record, having jumped clear on his last 18 starts, and is an established five-star contender.
The pair’s results at CCI5* include fourth at Luhmühlen in 2022, ninth at Burghley and the Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2019, and fifth at Kentucky in 2018.
David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed, sixth at Badminton last year, have withdrawn. It has been known for a while that the pair were planning a trip to Kentucky this spring and are now officially off the Badminton startlist.
The duo, who were fourth at Pau CCI5* in October, have won two four-stars since their Badminton debut last year. Gillian Jonas’s 12-year-old gelding has passed the first horse inspection at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and is due into the dressage arena with David at 3.23pm local time (8.23pm British time) tomorrow (Friday, 28 April).
Last year’s Luhmühlen runners-up Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI are another combination to have officially withdrawn from Badminton because they are contesting Kentucky. Kirsty and the 14-year-old mare, owned by Carole Somers, John Johnston and Kate Ward, will start their first US five-star campaign at 3.20pm local time (8.20pm British time) today (Thursday, 27 April).
Britain’s Emilie Chandler and her 2019 Blair Castle-winning ride Gortfadda Diamond, owned by Maria Doel, are also among the latest Badminton Horse Trials withdrawals. The pair have form at five-star, having finished sixth at Luhmühlen in 2021.
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials
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