Winners Roll Call

Most wins

Lucinda Green

Lucinda Green (nee Prior-Palmer) – 6 Wins
1973 (Be Fair)1976 (Wide Awake)1977 (George)1979 (Kildare)1983 (Regal Realm)

1984 (Beagle Bay)

Captain Mark Phillips – 4 Wins
1971 & 1972 (Great Ovation)1974 (The Queen’s horseColumbus)1981 (Lincoln)

Winners From the Southern Hemisphere: (6)

  • Bill Roycroft (Australia) on Our Solo (1960)
  • Laurie Morgan (Australia) on Salad Days (1961)
  • Mark Todd (New Zealand) on Southern Comfort III (1980)
  • Mark Todd (New Zealand) on Horton Point (1994)
  • Mark Todd (New Zealand) on Bertie Blunt (1996)
  • Lucinda Fredericks (Australia) on Headley Britannia (2007)
  • Mark Todd (New Zealand) on NZB Land Vision (2011)
  • Jonathan Paget (New Zealand) on Clifton Promise (2013)

Winners From The United States: (2)

  • Bruce Davidson on Eagle Lion (1995)
  • David O’Connor on Custom Made (1997)

Winners From Mainland Europe: (2)

  • Captain Hans Schwarzenbach (Switzerland) on Vae Victis (1951)
  • Nicolas Touzaint (France) on Hildago De L’Ile (2008)

First Winning Female Rider:

  • Margaret Hough on Bambi V (1954)

Winning Mares: (4)

  • Emily Little, ridden by Captain Mark Darley, in 1952
  • Bambi V, ridden by Margaret Hough, in 1954
  • Peggoty, ridden by Captain Martin Whiteley, winner of Little Badminton in 1960
  • Headley Britannia, ridden by Lucinda Fredericks in 2007

Shelia Wilcox

Winners – Great & Small, Young & Old and Grey!

  • In 1988, Ian Stark became the only rider to date to gain first and second places with Sir Wattie, first, and Glenburnie, second.
  • Sheila Willcox (Mrs. J. Waddington) is the only rider to have achieved a hat-trick of wins with High and Mighty in 1957 and 1958, and on Airs and Graces in 1959. She almost set up a remarkable four-timer when, in 1956 on High and Mighty, she was runner up to Colonel Frank Weldon on Kilbarry. She did win a fourth Badminton title winning Little Badminton on Glenamoy in 1964.
  • The smallest horses Our Solo (Australia) in 1960, and Our Nobby, ridden by Jane Bullen (now Mrs. Tim Holderness-Roddam) in 1968. Both were 15 hh.
  • The biggest horses to take the Badminton title have been Durlas Eile, Major E.A. Boylan (Ireland) in 1965, Columbus, Captain Mark Phillips in 1974, Custom Made, David O’Connor (USA) and Word Perfect II, Christ Bartle in 1998. All were 17 hh.
  • The youngest rider to win at Badminton is Richard Walker, aged 18 and 247 days, when he rode Pasha to win in 1969.
  • The youngest horse winning at Badminton was the five year-old Golden Willow, ridden by John Shedden in the very first year of the competition. Nowadays 7 years is the minimum age for all competing horses.
  • The oldest rider to win at Badminton is Andrew Hoy in 2006 aged 47.
  • The oldest horse to win the Championship is Lynn Bevan’s Horton Point, 16 years, ridden by Mark Todd (New Zealand) in 1994.
  • Three grey horses have been successful since the start of the event – Columbus, Captain Mark Phillips, in 1974, Beagle Bay, Lucinda Green, in 1984, and Welton Houdini, Ginny Leng, in 1993.

Rolling On!

  • Merry Sovereign, ridden by Clarissa Strachan, is the only horse to have completed the Badminton course six times in successive years, 1976 – 1981.
  • Completed Badminton the most times – Andrew Nicholson (NZL) is the holder of this record having ridden the course on 26 occassions. Previously Lorna Clarke held the record with 22 times. Lorna retired after the 1992 event.
  • Riding three horses in the same competition at Badminton has been achieved twice. Bill Roycroft (Australia) rode Eldorado, Stoney Crossing and Avatar in 1965. Roycroft was second on Eldorado and sixth on Stoney Crossing which, the previous month was third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup behind Arkle and Mill House. Five years later in 1970, Lorna Sutherland, now Lorna Clarke, also rode three horses on the same day – Popadom, Gypsy Flame and The Dark Horse. Riders are now restricted to riding no more than two horses in the same competition.