‘I owe it to him to make the right decision’: defending champion withdrawn from Badminton
Defending Badminton Horse Trials champion London 52 has been withdrawn from this year’s event, his rider Laura Collett was “absolutely gutted” to announce.
Laura confirmed today (18 April) that the 14-year-old would not defend his title at the 2023 CCI5*, presented by Mars Equestrian (4-8 May).
H&H reported yesterday that London 52 had suffered a setback in his training so could not run at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials on Sunday (16 April) as planned, but that Laura intended to run him at Kelsall Hill this Saturday instead.
“He struck into himself last week and was very sore,” Laura said today. “Thankfully with some special shoes from @greigelliott he is now sound and back in work but he has missed all his prep runs… after many sleepless nights I’ve decided that it’s just not meant to be this year.
“London 52 owes me absolutely nothing and I owe it to him to make the right decision and I know deep down that this is the right decision even though it’s heartbreaking.”
Laura said the main thing is that London is fine, and she will now reroute to Luhmühlen in June.
“I am so grateful to have the memories from our Badminton win last year and hopefully Dacapo can repeat what London 52 did last year,” she said.
Laura was 78th in the Badminton draw, made yesterday, on 14-year-old Dacapo, with whom she won the Burnham Market CSI4*-S last weekend, leading from the start.
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials
If you are interested in watching Badminton Horse Trials live from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.
You might also be interested in:
Upright gates and a ‘thumping great bullfinch’: Badminton unveils new-look cross-country course for 2023
Full Badminton Horse Trials draw: find out when your favourite will start
Badminton favourite alters build-up plans owing to small setback
*Badminton special offer* 6 issues of Horse & Hound magazine for just £6
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.