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Lucinda Fredericks and Headley Brittania won the Mitsubishi Badminton CCI****, having led from start to finish. They had one rail in the Show Jumping for a final score of 39.6. This pair also won the Land Rover Burghley CCI**** last fall, while Clayton Fredericks, Lucinda's husband, won the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** with Ben Along Time to complete the sweep of Eventing's Triple Crown for this husband and wife pair and for Australia. (Lucinda and Headley Britannia are pictured at the right. Photo courtesy of Robert Futh.)

Headley Britannia became the first mare to win Badminton since 1953 - a fifty four year span. Second place went to Germany's Andres Dibowski also riding a mare - FRH Serve Well. This pair were the only ones in the top seven after Cross Country to Show Jump double clear and thus rise from fourth place to second. Their final score was 41.6.

America's Kim Severson and Winsome Adante, second after Dressage and second after Cross Country, pulled two rails in the Show Jumping to drop to third place on a score of 43.8. (Kim and Winsome Adante are pictured at the left below. Photo courtesy of Robert Futh.)

Forty-three year old Australian Matt Ryan claimed the fourth spot with Bonza Katoomba, having jumped a double clear Show Jumping round to move from eighth place after Cross Country.

Lord Killinghurst, ridden by New Zealand's Andrew Nicholson, completed his seventh Badminton having finished 16th, 9th, 3rd, 7th, 5th, 4th and finally 5th again.

Sarah Cohen was the highest placed Brit with Hide and Seek II, in ninth place on 49.4.

Jeanette Brakewell and Over To You, many times the "path finders" for the British Team in International competitions, placed fourteenth at the age of nineteen.

The Top Ten Finishers at the Mitsubishi Badminton Horse Trials:

1. Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), Headley Britannia - 39.6 (4 faults SJ)
2. Andreas Dibowski (GER), FRH Serve Well - 41.6 (DCSJ)
3. Kim Severson (USA), Winsome Adante - 43.8 (8 faults SJ) (Kim and Winsome Adante are pictured at the right at the Final Veterinary Inspection 0n Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of Robert Futh.)
4. Matt Ryan (AUS), Bonza Katoomba - 46.2 (DCSJ)
5. Andrew Nicholson (NZL), Lord Killinghurst - 46.2(DCSJ)
6. Hinrich Romeike (GER), Marius Voigt-Logistik -47.6 (8 faults SJ)
7. Joe Meyer (NZL), Snip - 48.2 (DCSJ)
8. Andrew Nicholson (NZL), Henry Tankerville - 49.2 (4 faults SJ)
9. Sarah Cohen (GBR), Hide And Seek II - 49.4 (4 faults SJ)
10. Peter Thompson (GER), The Ghost of Hamish - 49.4 (DCSJ)

Other Americans:

15. Gina Miles (USA), McKinlaigh - 53.6 (DCSJ) (Gina and McKinlaigh are pictured at the center below at the Final Veterinary Inspection on Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of Robert Futh.)
36. Jan Byyny (USA), Task Force - 84.8 (DCSJ)

There were thirty-eight finishers from seventy-seven starters.

Fourteen horses Show Jumped double clears from thirty-eight finishers.

Final Veterinary Inspection, Sunday May 6th.

Thirty-nine horses were presented. Only one did not pass - Piggy French's What a Performance, who had been in eighteenth place after Cross Country.

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Badminton Horse Trials Won by Australia's Lucinda Fredericks; America's Kim Severson Finishes in Third

Edited Press Release

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“I can’t believe it—to lead from the front and win—it’s unreal,” said an emotional Lucinda Fredericks after winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials with Headley Britannia. After the second-placed American pair of Kim Severson and Winsome Adante (Dan) took two poles out, Fredericks' mare—the first to win Badminton for 56 years—had two fences in hand. Despite some heart-stopping moments, Fredericks remained at the top of the leaderboard and won her second four-star event, which produced a special Burghley/Badminton back-to-back.

”The pressure got to me,” admitted British born and bred Fredericks who now rides for Australia. “I knew she’d be difficult today, and I had a few lucky moments out there, but so what? She jumped, and that’s what counts.”

A clear round brought the German combination of Andreas Dibowski and the mare FRH Serve Well, who were fourth after a clear round in cross-country, up to second place to produce another unique Badminton result—never before have mares taken the one-two. The daughter of Hanoverian sire Sherlock Holmes added nothing to her dressage score.

The dream was so near for American Badminton first-timers Severson and Winsome Adande, but it ended several places away after Dan dropped two poles in the final treble. The eight faults dropped them one place to finish in third place.

Australian Matt Ryan and Bonza Katoomba, 18th after dressage, found themselves moving up 12 places into fourth after the good-looking British-bred produced a clean sheet over the fences.

Lord Killinghurst ridden by Andrew Nicholson, who now has the unique record of 26 Badminton completions under his belt, once again found himself in the top six moving up to fifth above Hinrich Romeike and Marius Voight-Logistik, while New Zealand's Joe Meyer on Snip found themselves finishing in seventh. Nicholson also brought the 11-year-old Henry Tankerville, who like the winner was sired by the British stallion Jumbo, to eighth place.

In a cosmopolitan result Sarah Cohen and Hide and Seek II were the best of British in ninth, while British veterans Jeanette Brakewell and Over to You ended a particularly emotional and final Badminton in 14th place and put themselves in the record books for the greatest number of completions, seven, for one combination.

Other Americans that finished were Gina Miles aboard McKinlaigh in 15th and Jan Byyny aboard Task Force in 36th. This was the first Badminton Horse Trials for both Miles and Byyny.

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