DREAM START FOR YOUNG LAURA COLLETT AT BADMINTON - OPENER FOR HSBC FEI CLASSICS™

April 22, 2025

Laura Collett (GBR) made a dream start to her debut at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™, when heading several more experienced riders at the end of the first day of Dressage.

Collett, 21, is renowned for having a cool head and a tidy style – she was a successful rider of show ponies as a child - and she presented a neat and pleasing picture on the 12-year-old Dutch-bred Rayef, the horse on which she won Junior and Young Rider European titles in 2007 and 2009.

“That’s his best test ever,” said a delighted Collett on learning of her score of 36.5 penalties, which gives her a 3.3 lead over Germany’s Marina Köhncke. “Yogi Briesner (trainer) told me to ride as if I was at home. Rayef didn’t make any mistakes and he was soft and attentive. It was nice to sit on.

“My whole life has been about getting to Badminton, so to be here for the first time on such a good horse feels amazing.”

Collett bought the 12-year-old gelding, of unknown breeding, with the proceeds from selling her Pony team gold medallist, Noble Springbok, and he is now owned by Jason Houghton. Rayef spent 2010 on the sidelines due to a minor tendon injury, and Collett made her CCI4* debut at Burghley on Ginger May Killinghurst, finishing 30th.

German riders had a good day and are lying second, fourth and fifth. Marina Köhncke (nee Loheit) led the Dressage at Badminton way back in 1994 on Sundancer, and was ecstatic at being back in the limelight, with a good score of 39.8 on the attractive mare Calma Schelly, a 12-year-old by Chambertin.

“I’m still shaking,” exclaimed Köhncke. “It’s unbelievable to be back riding here again. I never thought I could do another 4-star after having two children. I took Calma Schelly to Burghley and she seemed a little shocked by it, but she’s trained so well over the winter and is such a wonderful horse that I decided to come to Badminton.”

Susanna Bordone (ITA) is in third place on the Australian-bred Carrera despite the judges, Anne-Mette Binder (DEN), Sue Stewart (GBR) and Christian Landolt (SUI) having to award her two penalties for an error of course after she added an extra loop to the serpentine movement.
Bordone commented: “For Carrera, the Dressage is the easiest part, so we’ll have to see what happens. She is only half-bred so isn’t the fastest across country and I have to take tight lines on her which can lead to mistakes. My husband is a racehorse trainer, so we have done some work on her speed and fitness, but she is 15 now and we’ll have to see.”

The 38 riders who have completed their Dressage tests all know that results could change, with riders of the calibre of Britons Mary King, Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt, and New Zealanders Mark Todd, Caroline Powell and Andrew Nicholson on their second horses, plus such noted Dressage experts as Ruth Edge (GBR) and Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), still to come.

Riders have been assessing Hugh Thomas’s Cross-Country course, where it will be interesting to see how some of last year’s most testing accuracy fences, such as the HSBC FEI Classics™ Corral (fences 7-8), the Colt Pond (14ab) and the open corners at the HS1 Farmyard (15), work when jumped in a clockwise direction.

Dressage marks may prove influential. Andrew Nicholson, who says he is unworried at being first to go across country, on Avebury, predicts that the fast going will result in a large number of rounds inside the optimum time.

Work is ongoing on the footing, as Badminton continues to be bathed in unseasonably hot sunshine, with watering and vertical spiking to loosen the earth.

Results
1 Laura Collett/Rayef (GBR) 36.5
2 Marina Köhncke/Calma Schelly (GER) 39.8
3 Susanna Bordone/Carrera (ITA) 43.0
4 Ingrid Klimke/Butts Abraxxas (GER) 43.3
5 Kai Rüder/Le Prince des Bois (GER) 44.8
6 Laurence Hunt/Pheobus (GBR) 45.5
7 Niklas Lindback/Mister Pooh (SWE) 46.7
8 Andrew Nicholson/Avebury (NZL) 47.2
9 William Fox-Pitt/Navigator (GBR) 47.5
10 Elizabeth Power/Kilpatrick River (IRL) 47.7

HSBC Training Bursary:
HSBC, the platinum partner of FEI and global sponsor of Eventing, has supported the HSBC FEI Classics™ since 2008 and is the title sponsor.
At the centre of this sponsorship is a commitment to the development of the sport of Eventing at every level.

HSBC has introduced a Training Bursary, which is a unique award presented to the highest placed rider at each HSBC FEI Classics™ leg who completes a 4* event for the very first time.

The winning rider receives a training voucher to the value of $1,000, which is spent on sessions with a trainer of the athletes’ choice approved by the FEI and National Federation.

Notes to editors:

HSBC FEI Classics™ prize money
Over the next three years, HSBC will be contributing US$1 million in prize money, which represents the biggest prize fund on offer in Eventing on an annual basis.

At the end of the season, the five riders with the highest number of points collected among the five HSBC FEI Classics™ 2011 events are awarded their share of a total prize pot of US$333,000, split as follows:

1st US$150,000 (Series Champion)
2nd US$75,000
3rd US$50,000
4th US$33,000
5th US$25,000

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2011 Calendar
1. Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) - 22-25 April
2. Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) - 28 April-1 May
3. Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by E.ON (GER) - 16-19 June
4. The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) - 1-4 September
5. Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) - 12-16 October

HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012
The HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012 season will begin at Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) on 12-16 October 2011. This is also the location for the final leg of the 2011 season. Competitors therefore have the unique opportunity to secure points for both the HSBC FEI Classics™ 2011 and 2012 seasons by competing at Les Etoiles de Pau.

1. Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) - 12-16 October 2011
2. Australian International 3 Day Event (AUS) - 18-20 November 2011
3. Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) - 26-29 April 2012
4. Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) - 4-7 May 2012
5. Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by E.ON (GER) - 14-17 June 2012
6. The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) - 30 August-2 September 2012

Results Day 1

No.	Horse	Rider	Marks	%	Marks	%	Marks	%	Average	Pens.	Diff.	Place
13	RAYEF	Laura Collett	231	77.00%	230	76.67%	220	73.33%	75.67%	36.5		1
52	CALMA SCHELLY	Marina Kohncke (GER)	220	73.33%	222	74.00%	219	73.00%	73.44%	39.8	+3.3	2
36	CARRERA	Susanna Bordone (ITA)	214	71.33%	213	71.00%	215	71.67%	71.33%	43.0	+6.5	3
32	FRH BUTTS ABRAXXAS	Ingrid Klimke (GER)	214	71.33%	211	70.33%	215	71.67%	71.11%	43.3	+6.8	4
49	LE PRINCE DES BOIS	Kai Ruder (GER)	214	71.33%	209	69.67%	208	69.33%	70.11%	44.8	+8.3	5
58	PHOEBUS	Laurence Hunt	212	70.67%	210	70.00%	205	68.33%	69.67%	45.5	+9.0	6
35	MISTER POOH	Niklas Lindback (SWE)	204	68.00%	205	68.33%	211	70.33%	68.89%	46.7	+10.2	7
5	AVEBURY	Andrew Nicholson (NZL)	206	68.67%	205	68.33%	206	68.67%	68.56%	47.2	+10.7	8
24	NAVIGATOR	William Fox-Pitt	211	70.33%	203	67.67%	201	67.00%	68.33%	47.5	+11.0	9
59	KILPATRICK RIVER	Elizabeth Power (IRL)	202	67.33%	208	69.33%	204	68.00%	68.22%	47.7	+11.2	10
31	PARDON ME II	Emily Llewellyn	201	67.00%	199	66.33%	202	67.33%	66.89%	49.7	+13.2	11
55	GIN & JUICE	Hawley Bennett-Awad (CAN)	197	65.67%	198	66.00%	204	68.00%	66.56%	50.2	+13.7	12
57	COMANCHE	James Robinson	197	65.67%	192	64.00%	197	65.67%	65.11%	52.3	+15.8	13
60	LAW CHOICE	Flora Harris	194	64.67%	196	65.33%	193	64.33%	64.78%	52.8	+16.3	14
30	HAVENIR D’AZAC	Karim Laghouag (FRA)	200	66.67%	191	63.67%	188	62.67%	64.34%	53.5	+17.0	15
42	ROMA M.L.	Fiona Hobby	192	64.00%	193	64.33%	190	63.33%	63.89%	54.2	+17.7	16
22	ZERO FLIGHT	Lauren Shannon	192	64.00%	198	66.00%	184	61.33%	63.78%	54.3	+17.8	17
41	THUNDER III	Jrina Giesswein (SUI)	193	64.33%	186	62.00%	191	63.67%	63.33%	55.0	+18.5	18
9	WOODFALLS INIGO JONES	Lucy Wiegersma	198	66.00%	183	61.00%	187	62.33%	63.11%	55.3	+18.8	19
20	APACHE SAUCE	Mary King	187	62.33%	194	64.67%	186	62.00%	63.00%	55.5	+19.0	20
19	MIRAGE D’ELLE	Pippa Funnell	187	62.33%	192	64.00%	180	60.00%	62.11%	56.8	+20.3	=21
53	THE HIGHLAND PRINCE	Michael Owen	185	61.67%	187	62.33%	187	62.33%	62.11%	56.8	+20.3	=21
14	BEE DIPLOMATIC	Nicola Wilson	188	62.67%	187	62.33%	183	61.00%	62.00%	57.0	+20.5	23
10	VAGUELY NORTH	Aoife Clark (IRL)	194	64.67%	184	61.33%	179	59.67%	61.89%	57.2	+20.7	24
15	BOSTON TWO TIP	Caroline Powell (NZL)	183	61.00%	187	62.33%	183	61.00%	61.44%	57.8	+21.3	25
38	LAZY ACRES SKIP ON	Sarah Stretton	179	59.67%	190	63.33%	182	60.67%	61.22%	58.2	+21.7	26
44	KINGS GEM	Gemma Tattersall	185	61.67%	184	61.33%	181	60.33%	61.11%	58.3	+21.8	27
61	SIDNIFICANT	Clare Lewis	180	60.00%	180	60.00%	186	62.00%	60.67%	59.0	+22.5	28
37	TWINKLE BEE	Anna Warnecke (GER)	179	59.67%	180	60.00%	186	62.00%	60.56%	59.2	+22.7	29
43	WILD LONE	Harry Meade	177	59.00%	183	61.00%	184	61.33%	60.44%	59.3	+22.8	=30
56	BEAU BEAR	Alice Pearson	183	61.00%	183	61.00%	178	59.33%	60.44%	59.3	+22.8	=30
46	ISMENE DU TEMPLE	Didier Dhennin (FRA)	184	61.33%	173	57.67%	181	60.33%	59.78%	60.3	+23.8	32
54	UPTONS WHO	Ben Hobday	172	57.33%	183	61.00%	179	59.67%	59.33%	61.0	+24.5	33
51	PARTLY PICKLED	Louise Skelton	173	57.67%	183	61.00%	176	58.67%	59.11%	61.3	+24.8	34
17	MAJOR MILESTONE	Mark Todd (NZL)	166	55.33%	176	58.67%	174	58.00%	57.33%	64.0	+27.5	35
47	OLD ROAD	Michael Ryan (IRL)	167	55.67%	170	56.67%	169	56.33%	56.22%	65.7	+29.2	36
8	BIRTHDAY NIGHT	Georgie Spence	147	49.00%	162	54.00%	154	51.33%	51.44%	72.8	+36.3	37
26	STEP IN TIME	Mark Kyle (IRL)	151	50.33%	154	51.33%	146	48.67%	50.11%	74.8	+38.3	3