LeMieux Grassroots Championship Riders at Badminton Horse Trials Produce Strong Wins
Badminton Horse Trials delivered a standout day for grassroots eventing yesterday as the LeMieux Championships were decided across BE100 and BE90. With the pressure on in the final phases, two riders kept their nerve and turned early leads into championship titles.
BE100: Untouchable Hendry shows her worth
In the BE100 final, Philippa Hendry held on to her overnight advantage to win with Flyer Des Coupeaux on 24.8, after setting the standard in the first phase with an exceptional 19.8 dressage. A clear cross-country round kept her on track, and although a single pole fell in the showjumping, it was enough to secure the eventing championship.
“It feels amazing, I’m over the moon with the horse,” said Philippa of her 11-year-old French gelding. “The course was beautiful and rode really well, and all those years of hard work paid off.”
The result was the culmination of years of work for the partnership, with Hendry having owned Flyer Des Coupeaux since he was three and produced him through the levels.
“It’s been a long road,” she explained, referencing early challenges including his dislike of water and a cleft palate that required surgery. “Due to his respiratory issues, and me being 61 now, we’re happy staying at this level and in our comfort zone. I don’t want to push him while he’s enjoying himself.”
Hendry also credited her support team for helping her deliver when it mattered most.
“My dressage trainer Rob Wayne came up yesterday to help before my test, and Kylie Roddy warmed me up for today’s jumping. I’m just so happy to have made them proud and show that the hard work all these years has paid off.”
Last year’s BE90 champion Emily Proud finished runner-up in the BE100 final with BallyJ Ed on 27.1, while Ollie Rowlands and Project Pony’s Loughan Silver Shadow took third, finishing on their dressage score of 29.
BE90: Jessett leads from the front
In the BE90 Grassroots Championship, Holly Jessett also led from the front to take the title aboard Lombard Lad. Adding nothing to her dressage score of 27.1, a composed and confident performance across both jumping phases sealed the deal for the pair.
“It feels pretty amazing – I can’t put it into words,” said Holly, who has partnered the 13-year-old Irish gelding for seven years. “This is our third time here. We’ve been doing BE100’s for the past year so he’s quite confident at that level but when we get to the regionals he has a bit of a problem going cross-country. We’ve worked really hard over the winter doing lots of dressage and show jumping, and he’s been going really well this season.”
Her father, Howard, highlighted the emotional significance of the result.
“It means everything. We’ve been coming for many years, including with my daughter Becky, and it’s great that the hard work has paid off. There’s always that little bit of doubt with him cross-country, but he’s aced it today.”
Natasha Bailey finished second with Wild Confetti on 28.3, while Olivia Turner and Odin Van De Koolhof took third on the same score of 28.3.
Attention now turns to the top level at Badminton, with dressage for the CCI5* getting underway today, marking the start of the competition for the event’s headline international title.
