Laura Collett was disappointed to miss her chance to defend her 2022 Badminton Horse Trials title this spring when London 52 had a heel grab a few weeks before, so she decided to reroute to the Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*-L.
After crossing the finish timers in today’s show jumping with a clear round, Collett sealed the win and confirmed she’d made the right decision for her longtime partner.
Laura Collett had a few seconds in hand as she headed out onto Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross-country course at the Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*-L this morning with London 52.
After a disappointing run on her first horse Dacapo, where she retired on course, Collett was determined to give London 52, or “Dan” as he’s known in the barn, a good ride around the twisty, mentally-taxing track.
Towards the end of the dressage on Friday at the Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*-L, no one had come close to Thursday leader Pippa Funnell’s score of 23.1 with MGH Grafton Street.
But when fellow British rider Laura Collett cantered down centerline on London 52, the crowd fell hushed. Throughout their ride, their scores trended as low as 19.0, and by the end, they’d taken the lead on 20.3.