By Horse Sport Ireland / HSI
Photography: Melanie Young
The 2025 edition of the Mars Equestrian Badminton Horse Trials CCI5*-L, was held at the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort’s estate in Gloucestershire, from May 8-11. This year the starting field of 81 entries saw 24 Irish Sport Horses competing for five nations; Ireland, Great Britain, New Zealand, the United States of America, and New Zealand.
Of those 24 Irish Sport Horse starters, sixteen successfully completed all three phases of Badminton’s five-star event, with six finishing in the top 20, the most of any single studbook. A welcome development as the Irish Sport Horse tries to reclaim its position at the top of the WBFSH Studbook Rankings for eventing horses. A place it last occupied in 2023.
The leading Irish Sport Horse of the event was Badminton debutant, Cooley Rosalent (ISH) ridden by Great Britian’s Ollie Townend. This 11-year-old mare was bred in Co. Armagh by Woods Rosbotham and is by the five-star rated sire Valent (KWPN) out of Thoroughbred mare Bellaney Jewel xx (IRE)(TB). Though only her first time tackling the CCI5*-L in Badminton, Cooley Rosalent is no stranger to that level of competition having won the 2024 CCI5*-L in Lexington, Kentucky (USA), as well as taking third place in the CCI5*-L in Maryland USA in 2023 when she made her debut at that level. The combination of Townend and Cooley Rosalent have also had a 16th place finish in the CCI5*-L in Pau (FRA) in 2024.
A career best dressage score at this level of 21.1 marks and just 1.2 time faults cross country meant their lead heading into the final showjumping phase saw them finish in second place when a single rail down near the end of the course meant it was a repeat of the 2023 podium with Ros Canter (GBR) taking the win on Lordships Graffalo (SHBGB).
Cooley Rosalent is a full sister of Jewelent (ISH), who was ridden internationally for Ireland by Clare Abbot and featured on the Irish team at the 2021 European Eventing Championships in Avenches (SUI) where they finished individual 14th overall and were best of the Irish at the championships. Jewelent has since passed to the stable of American rider William Dutton and, in the same weekend where Cooley Rosalent finished second in Badminton, Jewelent and Dutton finished second in the CCI4*-L in Mill Spring, North Carolina (USA).
There is a third full sibling, Govalent (ISH), ridden by Sweden’s Sofia Sjoberg who has had top 10 finishes in the CCI4*-S in Sopot (POL) 2024, and Marbach (GER) in 2025, as well as representing Sweden in the CCIO4*-NC-L in Boekelo (NED) in 2024...
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