On May 7, 2017 Andrew Nicholson (NZL) won Badminton Horse Trials on board the 17 year old chestnut, Nereo. It was his 37th completion of the event.
The six-time Olympian had achieved 8 five-star wins, including winning Burghley five times, but the coveted top spot at Badminton had so far eluded him.
Heading into the final Show Jumping phase Andrew and Nereo were in third place, behind Michael Jung (GER) piloting the record breaking La Biosthetique-Sam FBW and Ingrid Kilmke (GER) and her Championship star Horseware Hale Bob. There were just 0.8 penalties between them.
A stunning clear from Andrew and Nereo really put the pressure on Michael and Ingrid and put the crowd on tenterhooks. As we watched with bated breath, Sam hit the back rail of the sixth fence and they dropped below Andrew. We doubt anyone would have been upset to see Michael and Sam win again, they were one of the greatest partnerships this sport has ever seen. Nor would we have denied Ingrid, who would have become the first woman in 10 years to win at Badminton, however Bobby clipped the same rail as Sam and then had a stop at the treble, sealing the win for Andrew.
It was one of the most climactic finals we have ever witnessed and we took home more than just the glee from Andrew’s sweet victory. It was the camaraderie shown by Andrew’s peers, particularly Ingrid, that made us tear up the most. It was truly one of the best days in our sport.
