Ian Cassells was third in to the arena this morning riding Master Point. “It’s amazing to be here. Master Point is not the most extravagant and can be a bit downhill but he tried his hardest and allowed me to ride him.”

Kate Rocher-Smith admits it is a surprise for her to have a horse at this level, because her business is about producing and selling on. Dassett Select was bought as a four-year-old to sell on but my mum fell in love with him and bought him. “That was good for where he’s at, it’s a brilliant mark for him. He’s naturally a hot horse and took a deep breath as he went up the centre line, which is progress. He’ll probably be very keen over the first few fences tomorrow, before he settles down.”

Wouter De Cleene is another of this year’s amateur riders – he earns his living as a manager with the Belgian road construction company VMB Aannemingen. He has a good eventing pedigree; his uncle Dirk van Miegham was the first Belgian to finish Badminton, and numerous relations have participated in Belgian and European Championships. Riding Quintera, he scored 38.1.

Based near Shipston on Stour, Tom Bird and Cowling Hot Gossip completed Burghley last year. ‘Jasper’ is the first horse that Tom backed (when he was 15), with the aim to produce him up to intermediate level and gain some mileage. “The fact that he is here is a huge win!”

Jack Pinkney posted a score of 39.9 on Rehy Revelation. “We knew the flying changes were a work in progress – and they are expensive – but I am pleased with the rest of the test. He is a cool horse, and if I can get him there, he should jump round the cross-country tomorrow. It’s all up to me.”

Katie Magee was riding Trewarra. “I am 43, so it has taken me longer than most people to get to my first Badminton – I have been watching for years and this feels like a real box ticked. The cross-country looks as big as I expected it to be, but I have a good old-fashioned cross-country horse. He is big – over 17.2hh – and three-quarter thoroughbred so I am hoping it will suit him.”

In to the afternoon and first in was Irish rider Patrick Whelan with Ikoon Lan (pictured). “I was very pleased. I’ve done better, he’s done better work, but obviously it’s hard to reproduce it in there. But to get that score, at my first Badminton, yeah, I’m delighted. Ikoon Lan is a character. I had a few rears in the warm up but if he didn’t do that I’d think he was sick. When on his back he’s quite spicy, but a child could handle him on the ground.”

Tayla Mason was only accepted from the wait list at the beginningof this week. She brought her hombred Centennial. “I was mostly pleased. He hasn’t seen an arena like that before and was quite nervous outside the ring, but he came back to me, though there were a couple of costly mistakes. Me and my mum do a lot of breeding in New Zealand – mum is over here so she is over the moon. It makes this even more special.”

Nicolai Aldinger said of Timo “He really concentrated. My riding of the flying change was not the best but it’s amazing to be here. It’s an amazing atmosphere, I can’t wait to be out on the cross-country tomorrow.”

The last of this year’s first timers in front of the Ground Jury was New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington, riding Lord Seekonig. They performed a great test to post a sub-30 score.