12-03-2026 Jan Perrins
For someone who topped the British Eventing leaderboard as the rider with the most cross-country clears in 2025, experiencing two uncharacteristic falls with his top horse, Galileo Nieuwmoed, at both Badminton and Burghley could easily have been difficult to recover from. But leading Wiltshire event rider David Doel is very...
Read more12-05-2025 Jan Perrins
Ros Canter and the stunning Lordship Graffalo claimed their second MARS Badminton Horse Trials title with a flawless round in the final showjumping phase, cementing the horse's status as one of the best eventers in the world. Canter now joins a select group of just five riders to have won...
Read more07-05-2025 Jan Perrins
The world’s greatest three-day event riders are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which is just about to get underway (Wednesday 7 May).
Read more27-03-2025 Jan Perrins
The Barbury Castle estate saw a welcome return to British Eventing at the weekend with three days of competition, showcasing some of our top riders, including Laura Collett, David Doel, Tim and Jonelle Price, Tom McEwen to name just a few.
Read more19-03-2025 Jan Perrins
Badminton 2025 is nearly here, taking place in early May beytween 7 - 11th. One difference for this year - all tickets must be bought in advance as there won't be any tickets sold on the gate this year. There is the 'early bird' advance ticket discount available, but that...
Read more16-05-2024 Jan Perrins
New Zealander Caroline Powell pulled off a shock victory at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials at the weekend, after Tim Price and Vitali and William Fox Pitt and Grafennacht, who were in first and second respectively, had a number of fences down in the showjumping.
Read more07-05-2024 Jan Perrins
Will Rawlin describes himself as “absolutely fine” as he faces his first ever appearance at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which begin on Wednesday. The 30-year-old first timer, based at Rockley, said he is not overthinking the competition, regarded by many in the sport as the pinnacle in the eventing calendar,...
Read more06-03-2024 Jan Perrins
David Doel’s past two seasons, with his star horse Galileo Nieuwmoed, are the stuff that most event riders can only dream of. A sixth place at his debut Badminton Horse Trials, eighth at Kentucky and runner up at Burghley are the highlights - but for him this is not quite...
Read more10-09-2023
Three former successful racehorses, stabled and trained now at Overton Manor Farm (and owned by the White family) in Wroughton have qualified for the Horse of the Year Show at Birmingham’s NEC in October. Trained by the ladies who will be riding them, the three horses will be competing in the...
Read more04-05-2023 Jan Perrins
When Greta Mason drives through the famous Badminton gates for her debut appearance this week it will be a culmination of a three-year plan. Greta and her 16.1hh gelding Cooley for Sure (Murphy) moved to base themselves with former Badminton winner Rodney Powell at his Bishopstone yard in 2020, with a...
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Eventing fans - and eventing hopefuls - were glued to Twitter at nine o'clock last Wednesday evening as the chosen competitors for fifth leg of the 2017 Event Rider Masters (ERM) CIC series were announced to the world - one by one and in reverse order.
Newbury Racecourse has announced that the 60th Hennessy Gold Cup, won in such memorable style by Native River (November 26), was the last running of the historic race with its Hennessy label.
The 2015 Hennessy Gold Cup was won by local hero Smad Place - trained at Barbury Castle by Alan King. Smad Place is one of only six greys to have won the Hennessy. This year after a fine ride by Wayne Hutchinson, Smad Place came home in seventh place out of the nineteen horses that went to post.
The first three Hennessy Gold Cups took place at Cheltenham, from 1957 to 1959, with the initial contest won by the legendary Mandarin, owned by Peggy Hennessy, a member of the Hennessy family.
From 1960 onwards, the race has been run at Newbury and has established itself as one of the most valuable, significant and popular events in the steeplechasing calendar.
Confirming the news, Dominic Burke, Chairman of Newbury Racecourse said: "For anyone with even a passing interest in Jump racing, The Hennessy Gold Cup has been a race that has captured the imagination."
"It has helped to identify future stars, confirmed existing champions and produced as much emotion and excitement as almost any other race in the calendar."
"We are enormously grateful to several generations of the Hennessy family and the company's management team for their wonderful support of such a special
event, but everything comes to an end at some point and it is fitting that the sponsorship is drawing to a close after such a thrilling race to mark the 60th Hennessy
Gold Cup as the highlight of two wonderful days of top class Jump racing last month."
Smad Place & Wayne Hutchinson leave the parade ring for the last running of the Hennessy Gold Cup - Newbury racecourse, 26 November 2016On behalf of Moët Hennessy UK, Managing Director Jo Thornton added: "Hennessy has enjoyed 60 wonderful years of sponsoring The Hennessy Gold Cup."
"Over the decades, the race has been won by many extraordinary and courageous horses, jockeys and trainers.”
"We are enormously grateful to the Directors and team at Newbury Racecourse, who have always delivered racing of the highest quality, at one of the UK's most iconic racecourses.”
“Hennessy are proud to have worked with Newbury in creating such an important and enjoyable day in the racing calendar. We wish them every continued success."
Watch this space to find out who will pick up the sponsorship of this prestigious race.
Next Sunday (December 4), the equestrian tradition created by Nigel Bunter at the Barbury Castle Estate comes alive again with the first point-to-point of the season.
And it will be a season which changes the face of point-to-pointing with a new international fixture welcoming horses and riders from Ireland - a first for point-to-pointing in the UK which has till now forbidden entries by overseas riders or horses.
But the first meeting of Barbury's four fixtures for 2016-2017 brings six races organised by the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association (PPORA) on December 4.
The racecard will start with the Dodson & Horrell PPORA Club Members race for novice riders at 12 noon.
This will be followed by the Jockey Club Mares Maiden, a Mixed Open, the PPORA Club Members Conditions race, the Connolly's Red Mills Intermediate race and finally the PPORA Club Members Maiden for four, five and six year-olds.
And, of course, there will be the usual local stalls, food and a bar - and the Barbury landscape to marvel at.
The highlight of the Barbury season will be the first fully international point-to-point meeting to be held in the United Kingdom: the Barbury International Point-to-point on Saturday, January 14. It is being staged by the Barbury International Racing Club which is chaired by Nigel Bunter.
It will be one of the most valuable Point-to-Point events in the UK or Ireland, with prize money of £5,750. The card will include a three mile six furlong Veterans Chase and a three mile Mixed Open, both with prize funds of £1,000. No race will run at less than £750.
The opening race is for Maiden four, five & six year-olds over two miles and four furlongs. A corresponding Maiden race for mares & fillies follows, and there is a third Open Maiden later in the card, and a novice riders’ race.
The day concludes with a point-to-point bumper over two miles - the first time a bumper has been staged at a point-to-point course.
Nigel Bunter The meeting is the brainchild of point-to-point enthusiast and racehorse owner Nigel Bunter, who has spent the last few months selling the Barbury Castle Estate.
Nigel Bunter is delighted with the response to this initiative: “We wanted to do something to stimulate pointing in the UK, and with the advice and support of many folk, including Ronnie Bartlett, Richard Fuller, Richard Pugh and David Minton, together with the Point-to-Point Authority, we arrived at this unique set of races.”
With the Select sale at Cheltenham two weeks afterwards, it is expected that a strong contingent of quality Irish runners will make the trip. Stabling is provided on the Barbury Estate for runners travelling long distances for the meeting.
Many more Irish pointing horses than British ones graduate to race under National Hunt rules. As Highflyer Bloodstock's David Minton puts it: “Point-to-point in Ireland is 80 per cent business, 20 per cent fun. While in the UK point-to-pointing is 80 per cent fun, 20 per cent business."
"Bringing these two contrasting approaches together affords us an excellent opportunity both to stimulate the UK market for point-to-point horses for sale, and to encourage owners and riders to see this as a route to bring on young horses of their own.”
Laura Thomas, who trains 20 Pointers at nearby Hackpen Farm, uses the Barbury gallops, and always supports the meetings there: "The range of races at the International meeting can help to stimulate the commercial development of our sport and narrow the price differential between point-to-point horses brought on in the UK versus their Irish counterparts."
"I’m particularly keen to support the bumper, which gives young horses an introduction to racing without the complication of jumping as well.”
Now that Penny and Nigel Bunter have sold the estate and both the equestrian events and Alan King's tenancy are assured, local fans and comeptitors can breathe a sigh relief - and look forward to Barbury's equestrian future.
It is not hard to guess the highlight of Chelsea Pearce's 2016 eventing season. She was selected to go to Italy with the Great Britain team for the European Junior Championships held at Montelibretti near Rome.
Six riders and their horses travelled to the Championshops. Chelsea, who is based near Marlborough, competed as an individual and finished the competition as the highest placed British rider.
As Jump racing gets into full swing, there's less than four weeks until Newbury Racecourse's 2016/17 season starts with a new fixture on Thursday, November 3: the bet365 Festival Preview meeting.
Newbury has always started its jump season on the last weekend of November with the three-day festival - recently sponsored as the bet365 Festival - that includes on the last day the ever-popular Hennessy Gold Cup. This new meeting will feature a seven-race card worth over £75,000 in prize money with the premier attraction of the Whitley Stud Mares' Novices' Hurdle, run over two miles for £20,000.
Despite the Barbury Castle Estate's change of ownership, the Barbury International Horse Trials will be going ahead this year - and they will be under new management. The dates for the 2017 event are confirmed as 6-9 July.
The four-day trials will be run by the Event Rider Masters (ERM) organisation which last year started a revolution in the sport of eventing - bringing to it much bigger prize money, live streamed television coverage and some Formula One-type excitement.
It was the first day of Newbury Racecourse's jump season (November 3) and the inauguration of a new fixture for the course - the bet365 Festival Preview Day. And making a mark on the seven race card was Barbury Castle trainer Alan King.
With stable jockey Wayne Hutchinson aboard, six-year-old Dusky Legend was an impressive winner of the £20,000 Whitley Stud Mares' Novices Hurdle which saw eight runners cover the two mile course.
Claire Perry with Anne Dunham Claire Perry MP was delighted to meet Anne Dunham, equestrian Paralympian at a reception to honour Team GB's Paralympian heroes in Westminster.
Anne, aged 68 and Team GB’s oldest Paralympian, lives in Worton (just south of Devizes) and won three Paralympic dressage medals in Rio with her horse LJT Lucas Normark. She has now won 10 Paralympic medals over five different games.
Anne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27 - shortly after her daughter Amber was born. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 30.
In Rio she was entered in four events and won gold with the British team (alongside Sophie Christiansen, Natasha Baker and Sophie Wells.) And she won silver medals in the Equestrian Individual Championship test - Grade 1A and in the Equestrian Individual Freestyle Test - Grade 1A.
Thumbs up from George Baker as he returns Quest for More to the parade ringIt was the Saturday of the Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe meeting - and as a warm-up to the ninety-fifth running of the world famous Arc the day brought great racing and a stunning win for the Roger Charlton trained six year-old Quest for More.
The trainer was at home in Beckhampton - and according to the Racing Post he was shouting at the television coverage of the fifth race of the afternoon, the Qatar Prix de Cadran - a race with prize money totalling €300,000.
